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.
