Tenney appearance in Walla Walla, Wash.
John Breckinridge Tenney, April 1, 1898 (St. Louis, Mo.) – November 4, 1970 (Glendale, Calif.)
VP candidate for Christian Nationalist Party (1952)
Running mate with nominee: Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964)
Popular vote: 10,790 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/531
The campaign:
Fired General Douglas MacArthur was the belle of the ball for the Right wing in 1952, but the extreme conservatives were unable to unite in his name. MacArthur was nominated by the Christian Nationalist Party, Constitution Party, America First Party, and endorsed by Mary Kennery's American Party. Each group had different running mates and in some cases multiple "substitute" Vice-Presidential candidates in the same party. MacArthur was on the ballot twice running under two different party names in some places. The General never accepted any of the nominations, but on the other hand did not take legal steps to remove himself from the ballot.
The Christian Nationalist Party was still under the control of Gerald L.K. Smith-- Disciples of Christ minister, former isolationist now promoting fighting international communism, fascist sympathizer, anti-Semite, white supremacist, and Holocaust denier. Long an admirer of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Smith would not allow the old soldier to fade away and the Party nominated him for President whether he wanted it or not.
For Vice-President the CNP nominated John Breckinridge "Jack" Tenney. A former Leftist Democrat and socialist sympathizer who was actually investigated himself in the late 1930s for being "subversive" changed gears overnight in 1944-- and became famous as a Republican Red-hunter who pushed a policy to require loyalty oaths from public employees. In June 1952 Jack B. Tenney had lost the Republican primary for Congress in his California district. Gerald L.K. Smith had backed him but Sen. Richard Nixon supported the eventual winner. Apparently Tenney was a bit extreme even for Nixon.
So with no congressional campaign to run, and with MacArthur declining to participate, Tenney threw himself into the election with an anti-Communist and anti-Semitic message. It was basically the VP nominee's campaign.
The Party stated they were making efforts to obtain ballot status in 19 states but fell a bit short. They made the cut in Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Two electors in New Mexico announced they were backing out. The CNP also launched an energetic write-in effort, mainly in California.
The MacArthur/Tenney ticket had a fairly miserable showing but it was more successful than the other Right-wing MacArthur parties. Well over half of their count (not including write-ins) came from Washington State, where the CNP placed third with 7290 votes (0.66%). Tenney had actually spent time campaigning in the Evergreen State.
Election history:
1937-1943 - California State Assembly (Democrat)
1943-1955 - California State Senate (Democratic/Republican)
1944 - Republican primary for US Senate (Calif.) - defeated
1949 - Republican primary for US Senate (Calif.) - defeated
1949 - Mayor of Los Angeles, Calif. - defeated
1952 - Republican primary for US House of Representatives (Calif.) - defeated
1954 - Republican primary for California State Senate - defeated
1962 - Republican primary for US House of Representatives (Calif.) - defeated
Other occupations: composer, musician, attorney, soldier in WWI, FDR elector (Calif.) 1940, Chair of the California Committee on Un-American Activities 1941-1949, Chair of the California Senate Factfinding Subcommittee on Un-American Activities, City Attorney for Cabazon, Calif., author of several virulently anti-Communist and anti-Semitic books
Buried: Montecito Memorial Park (Colton, Calif.)
Notes:
Composer of "Mexicali Rose"
Family moved to California ca. 1908.
Moved to Banning, Calif. 1959. Last lived in Grand Terrace, Calif.
