Francis Benjamin Hemenway

Francis Benjamin Hemenway, June 21, 1885 (Aplington, Iowa) - July 22, 1949 (Tacoma, Wash.)

VP candidate for Liberty Party (1932)

Running mate with nominee: William Hope "Coin" Harvey (1851-1936)
Popular vote: 53,425 (0.13%) 
Electoral vote: 0/531

The campaign:

In Aug. 1931 80-year old William Hope "Coin" Harvey held the first convention for the Liberty Party at his Arkansas resort, Monte Ne. It was on this same site he was constructing a pyramid (never completed) as a time capsule and place of refuge when the End of the World arrived. Today most of Monte Ne is under an artificial lake.

The platform reflected Harvey's populist bi-metal philosophy, gained during his years as a silver mine developer and Bryan supporter in Ouray, Colo.

The Party selected Andrea B. Nordskog of Los Angeles as the running mate. Within a few months Harvey wanted Nordskog to step down, charging him with ethical lapses. Nordskog refused. There was discussion in the Party of overthrowing Harvey.

On July 4, a brief fusion movement took place, generated by Liberty Party Chairman and anti-Harveyist Roland Bruner, to create a new third party by combining all the various populist-themed organizations in the 1932 election season. Jacob Coxey had declared interest in being the standard bearer. What resulted was the creation of a rump-Liberty Party that nominated Frank Webb (1928 Farmer-Labor presidential nominee) and Nordskog. Some news reports called this the New Liberty Party or the Liberal Party.

Meanwhile at a second convention of the Harvey Liberty Party in August, where Frank B. Hemenway was nominated as the replacement running mate, there was some talk of merging with the Jobless Party, but big egos combined with an anti-Catholicism streak don't mix well.

In September, Frank Webb threatened Harvey with a lawsuit if he refused to step aside. This was echoed by Chairman Bruner and Liberty Party National Secretary Otis Spurgeon, who claimed Harvey's nomination was illegal. Harvey stayed in the race but on some ballots he was listed as an independent.

Frank B. Hemenway was also on the Washington State ballot running for State Insurance Commissioner as a member of the Liberty Party. In fact, in The Evergreen State the Liberty Party ran a strong campaign for every statewide office, causing some genuine concern among the two major parties.

The Harvey/Hemenway ticket finished with an impressive 4.93% in Washington and 1.16% in South Dakota. In the other states where they were on the ballot they failed to crack the 1% mark: Arkansas, California, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Texas. In Indiana they merged with and endorsed John Zahnd and his National Party.

And then-- they vanished.

Election history:
1932 - Washington State Insurance Commissioner (Liberty Party) - defeated

Other occupations: real estate

Buried: cremated

Notes:
If elected, would have become President upon the death of Harvey on Feb. 11, 1936.
Lived in Manitoba ca. 1911.
Unitarian

Florence Garvin

Florence Garvin, February 27, 1876 (Middletown, Conn.) - July 10, 1968 (Providence, RI)

VP candidate for National Party (aka Independent Party aka Greenback Party) (1932)
VP candidate for National Greenback Party (1936)

Running mate with nominee (1932, 1936): John Zahnd (1877-1961)
Popular vote (1932): 1645 (0.00%)
Popular vote (1936): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1932): 0/531
Electoral vote (1936): 0/531

The campaign (1932):

Ex-leader of his own religion John Zahnd chose not to run in 1932 as he had in 1924 and 1928, but sometimes our best plans go awry.

Seymour E. Allen of Springfield, Mass. was nominated for President but he withdrew once he learned more about the anti-union record of the National Party.

The National Party then nominated 72-year old George Wilson, a newsstand and drugstore operator in Vineland, NJ as their nominee. Wilson had been connected with the People's Party and was a member of Coxey's Army in 1894. 62-year old J.A. Parker of Blytheville, Penn. was picked as his running mate.

Wilson said he would only accept the nomination on the condition the National Party merged with the Farmer-Labor (which was home to Jacob Coxey in 1932) and Liberty parties. Zahnd, who ran his party with an iron fist, would have none of that, so Wilson was out. As Fate would have it, the National Party and Liberty Party would indeed merge on the Indiana ballot a month or two later.

With time getting short, Zahnd himself stepped up to the nomination at some point in late August or early September. Florence Garvin of Rhode Island was selected as his running mate.

Indiana was the only state where the Zahnd/Garvin could be found on a ballot.

The campaign (1936):

In 1936 the Zahnd/Garvin ticket ran again, this time under the banner of the National Greenback Party. They were not on the ballot in any states.

Election history:
1924 - US House of Representatives (Del.) (Prohibition Party) - defeated

Other occupations: author, suffragette, Vice-President of the Women's National Single Tax League 

Buried: Swan Point Cemetery (Providence, RI)

Notes:
Daughter of Lucius Garvin, Gov. of Rhode Island 1903-1905.
Buried in the same cemetery as Ambrose Burnside, Nelson Aldrich, Thomas Wilson Dorr, H.P. Lovecraft.

William Carter Payne

William Carter Payne, December, 1869 (Warrenton, Va.) - ?

VP candidate for National Negro Liberty Party (aka National Liberty Party aka Liberty Party aka Civil Liberty Party) (1904)

Running mate with nominee: George Edwin Taylor (1857-1925)
Popular vote: ? (0%)             
Electoral vote: 0/476

The campaign:

The historic first African American ticket of Taylor-Payne had a rocky beginning and an unfortunate electoral result, but can be counted as one of the most prophetic parties of the era.

The Party's original vice-presidential nominee who served as a deputy sheriff in Memphis, was killed in the line of duty. This was followed by the first presidential nominee (William Thomas Scott) being arrested and jailed on several charges. A rough start for a new party and for replacement nominees Taylor and Payne.

The Party's platform included calls for DC home rule, universal suffrage, government control of transportation to guarantee equal access for all citizens, anti-lynching laws, additional black regiments in the military, and Federal protection of civil rights.

An interesting side story here. A competing African American group called the National Negro Lincoln Party was repudiated by their own vice-presidential nominee Judge John Jones, who rejected his candidacy and endorsed the Republican ticket in no uncertain terms.

The Taylor-Payne ticket failed to be placed on any ballots but a considerable write-in campaign was waged. The number of votes they received had not been recorded.

Election history: ?

Other occupations: teacher, cabin steward aboard USS Dixie during Spanish-American War, author, cook

Buried: ?

Notes:
Lived in Warrenton, Va. in 1904
Served in the Army in 1887 and later the Navy.
Author of Cruise of the U.S.S. Dixie; or, On board with the Maryland boys in the Spanish-American
  war. A narrative (1899) and the proceeds from the sale of the book were to go to establishing an
  industrial school in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, DC.
Was considered an Independent Republican.
Also called Capt. Payne.

 

James Haywood Southgate

James Haywood Southgate, July 12, 1859 (Norfolk, Va.) – September 29, 1916 (Eno, NC)

VP candidate for National Prohibition Party (aka Liberty Party aka Silver Prohibitionists aka Free Silver Prohibitionists aka National Party) (1896)

Running mate with nominee: Charles Eugene Bentley (1841–1905)
Popular vote: 13,968 (0.10%)             
Electoral vote: 0/447

The campaign:

The Prohibition Party was not immune from the 1896 trend of relaignments and party splits. Their convention was divided by "narrow-gaugers" who wanted to focus primarly on anti-alcohol issues and "broad-gaugers" who felt the Party should also embrace many policies that echoed the Populists. In short, the "narrow-gaugers" won out ticket and the "broad-gaugers" bolted and formed their own splinter party, nominating Bentley and Southgate. They also absorbed the members of the embryonic National Reform Party.

The issues they added to their anti-alcohol platform included abolition of the Electoral College, women's suffrage, English as the only language to be used in schools, immigration laws to exclude paupers and criminals, bi-metalism, government control of railroads and telegraph, an income tax, and implementation of initiative and referendum systems.

They were on the ballot in 16 states, generally placing in at or near the bottom in the results. Their best tally was in New Jersey at 1.51%. The only state where they gained more votes than the regular Prohibition Party where they were both on the ballot was in Arkansas.

Election history: none.

Other occupations: banking, insurance, trustee for Trinity College (Duke University), 

Buried: Maplewood Cemetery (Durham, NC)

Notes:
Family moved to NC in 1861.
Was a Democrat prior to joining the Prohibition Party in 1885.
In the same cemetery as actress Anita Morris (1943-1994) from the movie Ruthless People.
Methodist
Led the successful effort as a Trinity College trustee to protect the academic freedom of faculty John
 Spencer Bassett when the teacher praised Booker T. Washington in 1903.

Samuel McFarland

Samuel McFarland, 1795 (Tenmile Creek, Penn.) - February 17, 1868 (Amwell Township, Penn.)

VP candidate for Radical Abolitionists Party (aka Liberty Party aka Union Party) 1860

Running mate with nominee: Gerrit Smith (1797-1874)
Popular vote: 171       
Electoral vote: 0/303

The campaign:
The 1860 election was the last gasp of the Liberty Party. Many of their platform issues had been co-opted by the Free Soil Party and in turn by the early Republican Party. In spite of the Liberty Party barely surviving on life support, they had a real contest for the nomination between past nominees Gerrit Smith (1848, 1856) and William Goodell (1852). Several of the convention delegates were female.

Smith walked away with the prize, with Samuel McFarland as his running mate.

The Party had a name change to the Radical Abolitionists Party but on the Ohio ballot they were listed as the Union Party.

The ticket was on the ballot in two states and won a total of 171 popular votes: Ill. 35 (0.01%), Ohio 136 (0.03%)

Election history: 
1843 - Pennsylvania State Legislature (Liberty Party) - defeated

Other occupations: attorney, sheep farmer, wool merchant, Washington County (Penn.) Treasurer 1829-1832

Buried: ?

Notes:
Known as Major Samuel McFarland.
Arrested and convicted for using paper money.
Willed part of his estate to the Freedmen's Bureau
Left no descendants.
One of the founders of the Washington (Penn.) Anti-Slavery Society 1834.
Along with his wife Mary was involved with the Underground Railroad at his farm northwest of Washington, Penn.
Presbyterian.
"He was strong-willed, outspoken, straightforward, aggressive man, impolitic, it may be, as some have averred that his espousal of cause injured it, but, however much his methods may have been questioned, none ever doubted his sincerity of purpose."--History of Washington County 1882.

Samuel M. Bell

Samuel M. Bell

VP candidate for Liberty Party 1852

Running mate with nominee: William Goodell (1792-1878)
Popular vote: ?       
Electoral vote: 0/296

The campaign:
After being eclipsed by the Free Soil Party, the Liberty Party was a shadow of what it once was. They had to hold three conventions before finally having enough delegates to nominate a ticket in 1852. The Party selected William Goodell of New York and depending on what source you read, his running mate was either named Samuel M. Bell, or, Samuel M. Piper, or, S.M. Riper. Bell had been active with abolitionist activities in western Virginia since the 1840s. It appears Bell was a substitute VP as the convention originally nominated Charles C. Foote, who was the National Liberty Party VP candidate in 1848.

The voter turnout for the Liberty Party was so low they have to be counted in the "others" category which in 1852 was 2843 (0.1%).

Election history: ?

Other occupations: ?

Buried: ?

Notes:
Help us fill in the blanks.

Charles C. Foote

 Charles C. Foote, March 30, 1811 (Olean, NY) – May 3, 1891 (Detroit, Mich.)

VP candidate for National Liberty Party 1848

Running mate with nominee: Gerrit Smith (1797-1874)
Popular vote: 2,545 (0.56% of the vote in NY)            
Electoral vote: 0/290

The campaign:
In 1848 the Liberty Party nominated Sen. John Hale but he withdrew in order to endorse the growing Free Soil Party with Martin Van Buren at the head of the ticket. Most of the Liberty Party followed him. There were a few, however, who felt the Free Soilers were too compromised and the remaining Liberty Party purists reorganized into the National Liberty Party nominating Gerrit Smith and Charles C. Foote.

In spite of the "National" in the name, the Party was chiefly a regional movement in upstate New York, the only state where they appeared on the ballot. The platform was very religious in tone and called for active measures against alcohol, gambling, and prostitution. They also opposed tariffs and the US-Mexican War.    

Election history:
1882- Governor of Michigan (American Party) - defeated

Other occupations: Presbyterian minister, abolitionist, prohibitionist, fundraising agent of the Refugee Home Society

Buried: White Lake Cemetery (White Lake, Mich.)

Notes:
Graduate of Oberlin College.
Studied medicine for two years at Fairfield Medical College, NY
Ran for Governor of Michigan at the age of 71 promoting a blending of Church and State and
 prohibition among other things. He placed 5th with 343 votes (0.11%)
Active with the Underground Railroad in Michigan, helping escaped slaves migrate to Ontario.
Was involved with the Prohibition Party.

Thomas Earle

Thomas Earle, April 21, 1796 (Leicester, Mass.) – July 14, 1849 (Willow Grove, Penn.)

VP candidate for Liberty Party 1840

Running mate with nominee: James G. Birney (1792-1857)
Popular vote: 6,797 (0.31%)            
Electoral vote: 0/294

The campaign:
The single-issue anti-slavery Liberty Party was lost in the shuffle during all the excitement of the Van Buren-Harrison fight. In this election Birney was out of the country in England from May 11-Nov. 24 and Earle in his only campaign ever for public office made just a few campaign appearances in his home area.

The Liberty Party was on the ballot in 10 states, gaining more than 1% in only New Hampshire (1.45%) and Massachusetts (1.28%). In Pennsylvania their meager showing of 0.12% was enough to be a potential spoiler but it would not have had an impact on the final outcome. In 1844 the Liberty Party had gained steam and would be a force to be reckoned with.

Election history: none

Other occupations: journalist, attorney, member of the Constitutional Convention of Pennsylvania 1837, anti-slavery activist

Buried: Woodlands Cemetery (Philadelphia, Penn.)

Notes:
His great grandson George Howard Earle III was Governor of Pennsylvania 1935-1939.
Was a Democrat before joining the Liberty Party.
An active Quaker.

Thomas Morris

Thomas Morris, January 3, 1776 (Berks County, Penn.)– December 7, 1844 (Bethel, Ohio)

VP candidate for Liberty Party 1844
Running mate with nominee: James G. Birney (1792-1857)
Popular vote: 62,103 (2.3%)
Electoral vote: 0/275

The campaign: It can be argued the Liberty Party ticket were spoilers in this very close election, resulting in an outcome counter to their interests with the elevation of James K. Polk. They were on the ballot in half the states, all in the North, and probably flipped New York and Michigan in favor of Polk instead of Clay, which in turn decided the election. They did well in New Hampshire (8.46%), Massachusetts (8.2%), Vermont (8.13%), Michigan (6.53%), and Maine (5.69%).

Election history:
1806-1811 Ohio House of Representatives (Democratic-Republican)
1813-1815 Ohio State Senate (Democratic-Republican)
1820-1821 Ohio House of Representatives (Democratic-Republican)
1821-1823 Ohio State Senate (Democratic-Republican)
1825-1829 Ohio State Senate (Jacksonian (1825-1828) Democratic (1828-1829))
1826 US House of Representatives (Ohio) (Jacksonian) - defeated
1831-1833 Ohio State Senate (Democratic)
1832 US House of Representatives (Ohio) (Democratic) - defeated
1833-1839 US Senate for Ohio (Democratic)

Other occupations: brick-maker, attorney, Justice on the Ohio State Supreme Court 1809, soldier.

Buried: Early Settlers Burial Ground, Bethel, Ohio

Notes:
Two of his sons, Isaac Newton Morris and Jonathan David Morris, served in the US Congress.
His sudden and unexpected death a month after the 1844 election would have left the country
   without a Vice-President had the Liberty Party emerged victorious.
Considered one of the earliest US Senators to be an activist abolitionist.
No contemporary portrait or photograph of Sen. Morris is known to exist. A drawing was created in
 1922 by Richard M. Brand of the Columbus Evening Dispatch based on the memory of Dr. W.E.
 Thompson, who lived in Bethel, Ohio and was nine years old at the time the Senator died in 1844.
Morris was essentially drummed out of the Democratic Party in 1838 for his strong abolitionist  
 views.