George David Ormsby, November 24, 1916 (Village Green-Green Ridge, Penn.) - May 20, 2013 (Aston, Penn.)
VP candidate for Prohibition Party (aka Independent) (1988, 1992)
Running mate with nominee (1988, 1992): Earl F. Dodge (1932-2007)
Popular vote (1988): 8,002 (0.01%)
Popular vote (1992): 961 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1988, 1992): 0/538
The campaign (1988):
The 1987 Prohibition Party convention selected Earl Dodge for his second Presidential run, with Pennsylvania plumber George Ormsby as his running-mate.
The Party platform by this time had Dodge's extremely conservative views baked in. In 1988 a new plank was introduced concerning Social Security:
The present Social Security system is discriminatory, actuarially unsound, and destructive of individual initiative. We will reform the system and will: 1. Allow workers the option of enrolling in private retirement plans in lieu of paying Social Security taxes; (2) Place the system on a sound actuarial basis; and (3) Restore Social Security to its original purpose by placing the Medicare and Medicaid programs in a separate system.
Dodge told a reporter in Oct. 1988: "Being a third-party candidate is like seeing your mother-in-law drive your Cadillac over a cliff-- you have mixed feelings about it ... If I only got one vote, I'd feel it was a great honor. It's what I believe in. I'd pay for the privilege to do this. But it's frustrating. It takes most of your money and energy just to get through the jungle of election laws. The media, by and large, ignore us, particularly at the national level, or they treat you like an eccentric for not being a Democrat or a Republican."
On the ballot in four states, the final percentages were: Colorado 0.34%, Arkansas 0.16%, Tennessee 0.11%, New Mexico 0.05%.
This would be the last Presidential election (as of March, 2020) where the Prohibition Party would earn as much as 0.01% of the popular vote. From 1992-2016 it would be 0.00% in every election.
The campaign (1992):
The Dodge/Ormsby ticket was nominated for another run, which was pretty much ignored by the media. On Election Day the Prohibition Party experienced their worst results ever in a Presidential race.
On the ballot in three states, their percentages were: Arkansas 0.05%, New Mexico and Tennessee 0.02% each.
But wait, the lowest point is yet to come.
Election history: none
Other occupations: mechanic, Seabee WWII, plumber, President of the National Council of the United States International Organization of Good Templars
Buried: Mount Hope Cemetery (Aston, Penn.)
Notes:
Presbyterian
Train enthusiast
Voted Republican by default if no Prohibition Party candidates were on the ballot.
"I spent three years in the Navy and didn't drink at all, so it can be done. I must confess I learned to drink a lot of coffee"--George Ormsby.
