James Gaven Field, February 24, 1826 (Walnut, Va.) – October 12, 1901 (Gordonsville, Va.)
VP candidate for People's Party (1892)
Running mate with nominee: James B. Weaver (1833-1912)
Popular vote: 1,026,595 (8.51%)
Electoral vote: 22/444 (Nev., Colo., Idaho, Kan., N.D)
The campaign:
The People's Party platform called for a graduated income tax, popular vote of senators, public referendum, and nationalizing the railroads. Although not official platform issues, they also supported limitation of immigration and contract labor (including the Chinese, no doubt), support for the 8-hour workday, abolition of the Pinkerton detectives, and limiting the presidency to a single term.
Presidential candidate James Weaver had been in the Union Army and was part of Sherman's March to the Sea. In order to balance the ticket and attract voters in Dixie, James Gaven Field who was a former slave owner and wounded CSA soldier was selected.
The Weaver/Field ticket was among the more successful of US third party efforts. They won 22 electoral votes in five Western states and elected a number of candidates to other offices. Field's place on the ballot did not really help them in the South as they had hoped. Elements of the Democratic Party were already starting to co-opt many issues of the People's Party, or "Populists" as they were known.
Election history:
1877-1882 - Virginia Attorney General (Conservative Party)
1881 - Conservative Democratic Party nomination for Virginia Attorney General - defeated
Other occupations: teacher, clerk, attorney, Culpeper County (Va.) Attorney 1859-1861, Confederate major, assistant to the secretary of the California constitutional convention 1849, General in militia 1872, farmer,
Buried: Fairview Cemetery (Culpepper, Va.)
Notes:
Served on the staff of SCA Gen. A.P. Hill. Was wounded at Cold Harbor and lost a leg at Cedar Creek.
Baptist lay preacher.
Argued before the Supreme Court that African Americans should not be allowed to serve on juries in
Ex Parte Virginia (1879) and lost.
Said that Grover Cleveland should be impeached in 1893.
Supported Democrat William Jennings Bryan in 1900.
Appointed General of the militia in 1872 and afterward known as "Gen. Field."
