Roscoe B. MacKenna, September 16, 1908 (Massachusetts) - December 21, 1975 (Chicago, Ill.)
VP candidate for Universal Party (1968)
Running mate with nominee: Kirby James Hensley (1911-1999)
Popular vote: 142 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The Universal Party, which was a descendant of the 1960 Outer Space Party, once again nominated for President the Universal Life Church founder Kirby J. Hensley of Modesto, Calif. at their convention in Denver in early March 1968. Hensely was rather proud of the fact he could not read but had memorized portions of the Bible. Known as "The mail-order minister" almost anyone could be ordained in his church regardless of their real religious beliefs.
Roscoe B. MacKenna of Chicago was nominated for the VP position. MacKenna was a follower of the I AM movement and a student of metaphysics. The business card Hensely liked to hand out during the campaign identified McKenna as "New Age Scientist - Bell Telephone Company."
The 1968 Universal Party platform expanded a bit from their 1964 version. The addition of the text providing "civil treatment and protection of peoples from other Worlds visiting our Planet Earth in their machines without immediate commitment to our jails" was the portion that drew the most attention from the press.
In this round they actually attained ballot status, in the State of Iowa. Their campaign tactics included placing personal ads in newspapers. On Election Day they finished in last place out of eight in the Hawkeye State garnering 142 votes (0.01%). In 1964 they had 19 votes recorded nationally, so 142 was a huge leap for them.
Election history: none
Other occupations: draftsman, gardener, telephone company employee?
Buried: Graceland Cemetery (Chicago, Ill.)
Notes:
Buried in the same cemetery as Louis H. Sullivan
His father immigrated to the USA from Canada in 1887
