Sen. William E. Jenner, Sen. Joe McCarthy, Gov. J. Bracken Lee
Joseph Bracken Lee, January 7, 1899 (Price, Utah) – October 20, 1996 (Salt Lake City, Utah)
VP candidate for Texas Constitution Party (1956)
Running mate with nominee: William E. Jenner (1908-1985)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/531
The campaign:
The Texas Constitution Party was yet another protest organization that was part of the states' rights movement of the 1950s-1960s as a reaction to court-ordered racial integration. The national Constitution Party endorsed the States' Rights Party team of Thomas Coleman Andrew/Thomas Harold Werdel. But for reasons that are unclear, the Texas branch decided not to support the SRP ticket and ran their own candidates.
In Feb. 1956 the Texas Constitution Party nominated two extremely conservative Republicans: Sen. William E. Jenner of Indiana and Gov. J. Bracken "Brack" Lee of Utah. Jenner was also on the ballot that year as the VP for the States' Rights Party of Kentucky. Yes, it gets confusing real fast.
Gov. Lee was known for his style of blunt confrontation and for pulling colorful political stunts like being very public about refusing to pay his income tax unless certain conditions were met. In 1956 he was defeated in the Republican primary process for reelection and decided to try for another term instead as an Independent (and finished surprisingly well, but still failed to win).
Lee and Jenner do not seem to have been active in the campaign and were most likely nominated without their permission. Biographies of Gov. Lee give scant mention to the Texas Constitution Party if in fact it is even mentioned at all.
The platform of the party, which reflected Lee's own political beliefs, called for pulling the United States out of the United Nations, a repeal of the income tax laws, and giving communities full control of their schools (i.e. code for pro-segregation).
The Jenner/Lee ticket apparently did not make it to ballot status in Texas.
Election history:
1931 - Mayor of Price, Utah - defeated
1936-1947 - Mayor of Price, Utah
1940 - Republican nomination for Governor of Utah - defeated
1942 - US House of Representatives (Utah) (Republican) - defeated
1944 - Governor of Utah (Republican) - defeated
1949-1957 - Governor of Utah (Republican)
1956 - Republican nomination for Governor of Utah - defeated
1956 - Governor of Utah (Independent) - defeated
1958 - US Senate (Independent) - defeated
1960 - US President (Conservative Party of New Jersey) - defeated
1960-1972 - Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah
1962 - Republican primary for US Senate - defeated
Other occupations: soldier (WWI), insurance business, semi-professional baseball player, real estate, newspaper publisher
Buried: Mount Olivet Cemetery (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Notes:
Most recent of three non-Mormon Governors of Utah.
Freemason.
In Mar. 1964 Louis E. Jaeckel, a Lancaster, SC free-lance writer announced he was running for
President under the American Party (aka American Write-In Party) and "said his running mate may
be J. Bracken Lee, former governor of Utah." Within a few a days wrote a letter of apology to Lee.
