Hale Johnson, August 21, 1847 (New Richmond, Ind.)– November 4, 1902 (Bogota, Ill.)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (1896)
Running mate with nominee: Joshua Levering (1846–1935)
Popular vote: 131,312 (0.94%)
Electoral vote: 0/447
The campaign:
The Prohibition Party was not immune from the 1896 trend of realignments and party splits. Their convention was divided by "narrow-gaugers" who wanted to focus primarily on anti-alcohol issues and "broad-gaugers" who felt the Party should also embrace many policies that echoed the Populists. In short, the "narrow-gaugers" won out and nominated the Levering/Johnson ticket and the "broad-gaugers" bolted and formed their own splinter party.
The Prohibition Party single-issue platform for 1896 was short and to the point. Campaigning with an unusual gusto for a third party VP candidate, Johnson visited 30 states.
They were on the ballot in all but five states and placed 4th in the popular vote following the National Democratic Party. If the Prohibition Party had not split they would have been in third place nationally.
Their best showing was in Georgia with 3.37%.
Election history:
1882 - Illinois State Senate (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1884 - Illinois Attorney General (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1886 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1888 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1892 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated
1896 - Governor of Illinois (Prohibition Party) - withdrawn or defeated
<1900>-1902 - Mayor of Newton, Ill.
Other occupations: soldier (Indiana Infantry during the Civil War), farmer, attorney, teacher
Buried: Riverside Cemetery (Newton, Ill.)
Notes:
Family moved to Illinois in 1865.
Delegate to the Republican Party National Convention in 1884 but was also already active with the Prohibition Party which he joined when the former party failed to endorse national prohibition in
their platform.
Shot to death while attempting to a collect a debt.
Named after John P. Hale who was later Free Soil Party candidate for US President 1852.
Was a member of the Disciples of Christ.
