Maynard C. Krueger, January 16, 1906 (Gregory Landing, Mo.) – December 20, 1991 (Pleasanton, Calif.)
VP candidate for Socialist Party of America (1940)
Running mate with nominee: Norman M. Thomas (1884-1968)
Popular vote: 116,599 (0.23%)
Electoral vote: 0/531
The campaign:
The tattered remains of the Socialist Party of America after years of infighting and splits left a small group that would be in a defensive damage control mode as they regrouped. The headquarters was moved from Chicago to New York. This would be Norman Thomas' fourth run for US President. His running mate, university professor Maynard C. Krueger was considered a member of the "militant" left wing of the party.
Krueger's age, under the Constitutional requirement of 35 became an issue, but he pointed out that by Inauguration Day he was would be 35 years and 4 days old.
As war waged in Europe, the SPA's antiwar platform took a pacifist nonintervention stance, condemning US aid to the UK and France.
Montana Democratic US Sen. Burton Wheeler (the 1924 VP nominee of the Progressive Party) revealed years later he voted for the Thomas/Krueger ticket in 1940. Wheeler himself had been urged to run as an isolationist third party candidate.
With votes recorded in 30 states the SPA's best results were in Wisconsin (1.07%), Maryland (0.62%), Washington and Montana (both 0.58%). Although the Thomas/Krueger ticket's national percentage was dismal they still came in third. In 1940 all of the third parties results combined total amounted to less than 1%.
Election history:
1948 - US House of Representatives (Ill.) (Independent) - defeated
Other occupations: University professor in economics and social sciences (Albion College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago), Vice-President of the American Federation of Teachers 1930s, author
Buried: cremated.
Notes:
Surname rhymes with "eager"
Was an associate of George Orwell in Paris in the late 1920s.
Left the SPA in 1952 and endorsed Adlai Stevenson that year.
