Adrian Tilt, July 4, 1966 (North Bethesda, Md.) -
VP candidate for National Hamiltonian Party (1968, 1972, 1976)
Running mate with nominee: Eric Sebastian (b. 1966)
Popular vote (1968, 1972, 1976): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1968, 1972, 1976): 0/538
The campaigns (1968, 1972, 1976):
Alleged Harvard graduate Eric Sebastian was said to be a descendant of Alexander Hamilton. It was claimed he had worked on the campaigns of Dewey, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Rockefeller, but left the Republican Party in 1960, disgusted that great men had to debase themselves in "the degradation of blintz-eating politics that was forced on a truly aristocratic man."
As Sebastian and the National Hamiltonian Party kicked off their campaign on July 4, 1966 via mimeographed announcements, the following statement was included: "We, of the National Hamiltonian Party stand proudly together, united and determined to return America to the hands of the aristocracy. We are now calling for a return to the this form of government as set forth in the Constitution: Rule by the Aristocrats!" The candidate himself was described thusly: " ... he is educated, he is intelligent, and he is disdainful of stupidity. As we know, stupidity is the one quality that has been identified [with] the average American voter."
The Party slogan came from an Alexander Hamilton quote: "Your People, Sir, Are A Great Beast."
The platform called for returning to the old method of electing US Senators by state legislatures -- Giving the Electoral College more power and diminishing the role of the popular vote -- Restructuring the taxes in some way that would "encourage success" -- Roll back and cancel Constitutional Amendments 13 through 22 -- Limit the right to vote to "educated land-owning leaders."
In 1968 the NHP claimed they were considering some kind of merger with the Theocratic Party.
Information on the running mate is vague at best. One newspaper in 1976 reported that a certain Adrian Tilt had been nominated as VP as he had in the past so I'll go with that. Whether Tilt was the VP in 1968 I cannot say for sure.
Actually, information on the entire party is vague at best in spite of the fact it was initially treated as a legitimate third party by the news media. There is a reason why so little was known about this group.
It was a put on.
Michael Kelly (b. 1949) who was a student at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Md. at the time, later wrote an article for the Keynoter (summer 1984) where he confessed the whole joke: "The sad truth is that there is no Eric Sebastian, no Adrian Tilt and no National Hamiltonian party. The entire business is a product of schoolboy imagination." Like Yetta Bronstein, who ran for President in 1964 and 1968 (sadly, without a running mate), Eric Sebastian was a fictional character initially accepted as real by the news media.
"The peak of the Hamiltonian campaign," wrote Kelly, "had to be when Walter Cronkite mentioned it over the CBS network news in a story about minor parties. Other high points include rallies at Northwestern University and Notre Dame."
From what I can piece together the NHP ran Sebastian in at least three election cycles. As late as 1999 the Party is listed in Political Market USA with their HQ in Southfield, Mich. and Kelly as the Executive Director. The Party's mission statement in that directory: "Seeks to bring nobility, ability and dignity to government through its membership of aristocracy and educated citizens." In the real world Kelly was active in the Republican Party.
Election history: none
Other occupations: stockbroker
Notes:
Eric Sebastian began as a character in a series of stories by Kelly.
