William Thomas Harney, September 7, 1945 (Garwood, N.J.) -
VP candidate for Independent Republican (aka Non Affiliated aka Independent aka Unaffiliated) (2012)
Running mate with nominee: Erin Kent Magee (b. 1946)
Popular vote: 4 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Erin Kent Magee of Lehigh, Fla. filed with the FEC as a Republican on Apr. 5, 2011. Magee was a self-described Christian conservative Republican.
Meanwhile, William Thomas Harney (aka William St. Thomas Harney aka William S. Harney II aka Thunderball aka Running Horse) of Ocala, Fla. filed with the FEC with no party affiliation on May 3, 2011. Harney's Presidential campaign was cut short in Florida at the start of 2012 during the Presidential preference Republican primary, which he apparently entered. That episode was included in an eponymous blogger site from May, 2013. It is unclear if this biographical or autobiographical--
William Thomas Harney, an unsung hero of the Viet Nam War, was born in Garwood, New Jersey on September 7th, 1945. Credited with saving the lives of more than 800 Prisoners of War, Bill was offered the Purple Heart on 6 separate occasions. He accepted only 2 of the 6 that were offered to him.
The son of Dean Harney, a Merchant Marine, and Dorothy June Froat, a Native American, he is the Great Grandson of Brigadier General William S Harney, who served during the Civil War.
Through his mother, Dorothy June, who was also known as Little Fawn, Bill was exposed to the world of entertainment. She was the first actress to portray Princess Summerfall Winterspring on the original Howdy Doody puppet show that aired in the 1950s. Her mother, Alma Nimi Froat, became fast friends with movie legends such as Mae West, James Cagney, Charlton Heston, George Burns and Carey Grant. As a child, Bill knew them all. Bill often met these stars at Green’s Five and Ten on Broad Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, their favorite meeting place.
Bill received his first guitar, an acoustic electric, from Tennessee Ernie Ford, who was a friend of Frank Far Oats, his maternal Grandfather.
Frank Far Oats, which later became Frank Froat, was employed by the Rahway Valley Railroad in Kenilworth, New Jersey; a career he pursued for 64 years. A dedicated Engineer, Frank was known for his record of perfect attendance. The Rahway Valley Railroad, considered the richest and “most liberal” of the privately owned railroads, holds a special place in Bill’s childhood memories. He remembers seeing the smoke from his grandfather’s locomotive as it emerged from the mountains, and hearing the tunes his grandfather played on the train’s whistle.
Bill’s paternal Grandfather, who was also named William Harney, was a Superior Court Judge at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth, New Jersey. A strict disciplinarian, he schooled Bill and the other children on nuances of the U.S. Constitution. It was as a result of his influence, that Bill earned advanced degrees in Forensic Ecology, the Constitution and Criminal Law, from the Newark State College, which was later named Kane College, after Governor Kane.
After leaving the service, Bill went on to pursue a career with the NYPD. He became an instructor at the John J Police Academy and retired as a Police Inspector after 34 years of distinguished service.
In the Spring of 2011, Bill became an Independent candidate for President of the United States. Having obtained more than 112,000 signatures, his name appeared on the Ballot for the Presidential Preference Primary Election that was held in Florida on January 31st, 2012. He received more than 400,000 votes in that election, which were mysteriously “lost”.
When his name was removed from the list of “Qualified” candidates, he re-entered the race April 4th, 2012, as the Vice Presidential Running Mate of Erin Kent Magee, the 1st Republican Presidential Candidate from the State of Florida(2012).
While fact checking this essay, I could not confirm the lineage from Gen. Harney, nor could I find his mother's Native American connection, although I did discover a significant percentage of German descent. I'm not saying it isn't true or acting as a judge, I'm just unable to verify any information that I was hoping would lead me to some interesting backstories in history. Harney's Ph.D. in forensic science/constitutional & criminal law comes from Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. In another account of that Florida primary, Harney does not say he actually had "more than 400,000 votes" in the election itself, instead he clarified that he had over 400,000 petition signatures for ballot access "which were lost, without explanation." He also said about that primary--
In Florida’s first Primary, Tea Party activists bribed officials, convincing them to remove the names of all Republican challengers from the Florida ballot. Adding insult to injury, they arranged to have the names of those who’d already withdrawn from the race -- Herman Cain and Michele Bachman – remain on the ballot! In all 50 states, the primary qualification for a Presidential candidate -- assuming the citizenship and age requirements are met -- is willingness to serve, if elected. The above-mentioned candidates had withdrawn from the race before the Primary took place, giving public notice of the fact that they were unwilling to serve. In this respect it was, in fact, a fraudulent Primary.
Harney spelled out his dislike of the Tea Party in the same July 25, 2012 piece--
Through their corporate lobbies, the Tea Party is conspiring to dismantle our government. They want to do away with the IRS and, thus, do away with their obligation to restore the funds they "borrowed" from our Social Security fund.
Magee used Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube to communicate with potential voters. He had made a try for the ill-fated Americans Elect nomination. In his Youtubes he expressed disdain for "counterfeit Republicans" and like Harney considered the Tea Party the tool of corporate interests. Although a definite conservative, his platform did not totally fit the Republican Party line--
This Pro-Life Candidate Supports: National Health Insurance, Green Energy & National Security
As President, he will approve legislation aimed at:
Getting America Back to Work
Keeping Families in Their Homes
Reducing Fuel Costs
Protecting Social Security
Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil
Ending Risky Domestic Drilling
Balancing the Federal Budget
Reducing the National Debt
Developing Highspeed Rail Transportation
Protecting the Institution of Marriage
Re-affirming Our Faith in God & Defending the U.S. Constitution
Magee also indicated he was an Obama Birther.
On their ballot access petition drive, Magee wrote--
The United States will remain a free country only insofar as we support the right of its citizens to hold the land in perpetuity. This petition is circulated for the purpose of electing Erin Kent Magee, as the 1st President from the State of Florida, and Running Horse (William Thomas Harney), as our 1st Vice President of Native American ancestry. These candidates are pledged to protect the right of all Americans to own the land and pass it on to their descendants without interference by any government entity.
Apparently Magee was unaware of the ethnicity of Herbert Hoover's VP, Charles Curtis.
The Magee/Harney team were registered write-ins in Alaska, Florida (2 votes), Georgia (1 vote), Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Utah, Washington, West Virginia (1 vote). Their total could have been higher since not all states report write-in results. Since they were both residents of the same state, there would have been a Constitutional problem in the event of their victory.
In 2014 Magee filed for US Congress in Florida, and also in Indiana-- a state he had never been to. He also was running for the US Senate in Tennessee that same year. All of this resulted in some unflattering press coverage.
Election history:
2012 - Republican nomination for US President - disqualified from primary ballot
Other occupations: US soldier (Vietnam War), NYPD, instructor at the John J Police Academy, police inspector
Notes:
I also could not determine what Indigenous nation Harney was identified with and whether or not he was enrolled.
