Julius J. Reiter, July 4, 1869 (Elgin, Minn.) - November 29, 1940 (Olmsted County, Minn.)
VP candidate for Farmer-Labor Party (1932)
Running mate with nominee: Jacob S. Coxey (1854–1951)
Popular vote: 7,431 (0.02%)
Electoral vote: 0/531
The campaign:
In a pivotal election year with many tiny third parties merging, splitting, attacking, suing each other, and trying on different brands of demagoguery during economic hard times as their nominees played political musical chairs, it seems fitting that Jacob Coxey should be part of the equation. All these third parties combined (save for the Socialist Party of America) collectively polled less than 1%.
Coxey the eccentric 78-year old Mayor of Masillon, Ohio was teamed with Julius J. Reiter, the Mayor of Rochester, Minn. as his running mate. In 1928 Coxey, a perennial candidate if there ever was one, had been named as the nominee of the Interracial Independent Political Party. Earlier in 1932 he had lost a Republican primary for the US House in Ohio.
The Farmer-Labor Party had originally offered the Presidential nomination to Louisiana's Huey "Kingfish" Long with Coxey as the running mate. But Long knew a dying party when he saw one. "What's the use of being the head of a party," he said, "if you don't have anybody to rule?"
On July 4, a brief fusion movement took place, generated by a splinter of the Liberty Party. The object was to create a new third party by combining all the various populist-themed organizations in the 1932 election season. Jacob Coxey had declared interest in being the standard bearer. What resulted was the creation of a rump-Liberty Party that nominated Frank Webb (1928 Farmer-Labor presidential nominee). Some news reports called this the New Liberty Party or the Liberal Party. At any rate, Coxey was free to run on his own in the Farmer-Labor Party.
The FLP was on the ballot only in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota. Their best showing was in the last named state with 5,731 votes (0.57%) but they still placed 5th there behind the Socialists and Communists. 1932 would be the last national election for the Farmer-Labor Party.
Election history:
1899-1903 - Rochester, Minn. Alderman
1907-1909 - Mayor of Rochester, Minn.
1908 - Lt. Governor of Minnesota (Democratic) - defeated
1912 - Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse Commission (Democratic) - defeated
1917-1919 - Mayor of Rochester, Minn.
1920 - US House of Representatives (Minn.) (Farmer-Labor Party) - defeated
1923-1925 - Mayor of Rochester, Minn.
1924 - US House of Representatives (Minn.) (Farmer-Labor Party) - defeated
1931-1935 - Mayor of Rochester, Minn.
1932 - Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party primary for US House of Representatives - defeated
Other occupations: grocer, restaurant owner, apartment building owner.
Buried: Greenwood Cemetery (Plainview, Minn.)
Notes:
While Mayor of Rochester, Minn. engaged in a fistfight at a 1934 state Farmer-Labor convention. He
also got into another fistfight in 1938.
Son of German immigrants.
