Droop-a-Long Coyote

Droop-a-Long Coyote, January 14, 1964 (Los Angeles, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Independent (1964)

Running mate with nominee: Magilla Gorilla (b. 1964)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

There have been many promotional, flippant, and downright eccentric candidates for President, but not all of them have running mates so it with pleasure that I have the opportunity to cover this particular ticket. It somehow seems fitting that the running mate of Magilla Gorilla is covered on a blog called Third Party Second Bananas.

In promoting their new Magilla Gorilla Show, Hanna-Barbera cooked up the idea of having their new title character run against the more senior anthropomorphic Yogi Bear. In fact, Magilla's sole opponent seemed to be Yogi. The publicity included a 45 single record, a comic book, and campaign buttons.

Magilla's running mate was Droop-a-Long Coyote. And who was he, you non-Boomers might ask?

One of the cartoon segments of the short-lived Magilla Gorilla Show was Ricochet Rabbit who worked as a sheriff in the Old West. He would ricochet off solid objects like a bullet and had the catchphrase "Bing-Bing-Bing" which some viewers, such as myself, found incredibly annoying. His deputy was Droop-a-Long Coyote.

Droop-a-Long Coyote, no doubt named after Western hero Hopalong Cassidy (I was the proud owner of an official Hopalong Cassidy cowboy hat!) was part of the clumsy slow-thinker school of sidekicks. His nickname was "Droopy," not to be confused with Tex Avery's much earlier Droopy Dog character. Droop-a-Long was voiced by the incredible Mel Blanc, who was performing an impersonation of Ken Curtis in the role of Festus Haggen in TV's Gunsmoke as he portrayed the Coyote.

Magilla's campaign manager was Top Cat. No, really. He actually had a campaign manager in the Hanna-Barbera narrative.

Election history: none

Other occupations: deputy sheriff

Buried:

Notes:
Not even a year old in 1964, Droop-a-Long would not be of legal age for the VP office until 1999.

Marvin Eugene Throneberry

Marvin Eugene Throneberry, September 2, 1933 (Collierville, Tenn.) – June 23, 1994 (Fisherville, Tenn.)

VP candidate for Metropolitan Party (1964)

Running mate with nominee: Wilbur Allan Huckle (b. 1937)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The origin of the Metropolitan Party is a murky one. Was it the product of the publicity branch of the New York Mets, or the facetious invention of tongue-in-cheek prankster fans with a soft spot for the underdog?

To say in 1964 that the Mets were not doing well as a baseball team is sort of an understatement. Although they had become a punchline for comedians they also had a fierce fanbase. Late in the 1964 political campaign season it seemed the fans had almost organically singled out an obscure player named Wilbur Huckle for President. Signs showed up in the stands paraphrasing Sen. Barry Goldwater:

"Extremism in defense of the Mets is no vice."

Then "Huckle for President" signs and buttons began to appear and the Metropolitan Party was born with a baseball as the Party emblem.

The movement grew to include recent ex-first baseman "Marvelous Marv" Throneberry as the Metropolitan Party Vice-Presidential candidate. Throneberry was beloved by many Mets fans due to his proclivity for being involved in some of the most entertaining bumbling plays. Also his name Marvin Eugene Throneberry had the initials MET.

When confronted with the fact that both of the candidates on the Metropolitan Party ticket were legally too young to serve in office if elected, the fans countered with the slogan "Huckle and Throneberry in 1980." By 1964 the era of frivolous and/or commercially promotional Presidential candidates were coming into full force.

Election history: none

Other occupations: baseball player, trucking company worker, television advertising spokesperson

Buried: Fisherville Cemetery (Fisherville, Tenn.)

Notes:
"Having Marv Throneberry play for your team is like having Willie Sutton play for your bank."--Jimmy Breslin
Throneberry "never wanted to be a lovable icon of ineptitude, but after it happened, he went along with it. He was Marvelous Marv, the ultimate Met."--George Vecsey
"I’ve written and said in the past that where other bad baseball teams merely suck, the Original Mets sucked ... with style. Throneberry was a style setter."--Jeff Kallman
A Cincinnati rock band is named "Throneberry" in 1990 after Marvelous Marv.
Some sources list Memphis as his birthplace.
Throneberry had a second career as a TV pitchman, chiefly for Miller Lite Beer. Exhibiting his well-
 known good-natured sense of humor he is quoted in one commercial, "If I do for Lite Beer what I
 did for baseball, I’m afraid their sales will go down."
Lefthander!

Abram Wolfson

Abram Wolfson

VP candidate for American Vegetarian Party (1964)

Running mate with nominee: Symon Gould (1894-1963)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Symon Gould had been the American Vegetarian Party VP nominee three times (1948, 1952, 1956) and Presidential nominee in 1960. In early 1963 he was preparing to run for President in 1964.

Gould was quoted by the press in April, 1963: "I'm getting ready to announce. Personally I think JFK is in for a lickin', if events continue to shape up agin him. After all, there are six big electoral states that are in doubt. The Repubs have elected their governors in three of  'em. JFK had better start doing something sensational to recapture the throb of the public. Thus far he's marking time, and not making history. He's relying too much on the rhetoric of his speech-writers and not enough on executive action. I could give him a few points if he asked me! They're in the platform of the American Vegetarian Party. One is a call for the appointment of a Secretary of Peace in the cabinet, someone of the stature of a Bertrand Russell (but an American, of course). Another thing I'd suggest is that he fly down to Greenville, Miss., and lead a Negro voter up to the registrar."

Gould's running mate was Abram Wolfson. Aside from his name I can find no other information.

Sadly, Gould died of cancer on Nov. 24, 1963, two days after President Kennedy was assassinated. Since AVP was basically a political party driven by a strong personality there was apparently no replacement nominee for President. I could not locate any documents regarding exactly when (or if) the Party officially dissolved or what actions were taken by Wolfson after Gould's death.

Election history: ?

Other occupations: ?

Buried: ?

Notes:
Another third party VP candidate shrouded in mystery.

John Orville Hopkins

John Orville Hopkins, July 19, 1876 (Cummingsville, Minn.) - May 31, 1973 (San Mateo, Calif.)

VP candidate for Universal Party (1964)

Running mate with nominee: Kirby James Hensley (1911-1999)

Popular vote: 19 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Universal Party, which was a descendant of the 1960 Outer Space Party, held their convention in Berkeley, Calif. on Aug. 8, 1964. Universal Life Church founder Kirby J. Hensley of Modesto, Calif. was nominated for President. Hensely was rather proud of the fact he could not read but had memorized portions of the Bible. Known as "The mail-order minister" almost anyone could be ordained in his church regardless of their real religious beliefs.

The VP nominee was John O. Hopkins, described as a Des Moines, Iowa farmer by the press. He was also the father of Party chair John Woehler Hopkins (1908-1975). John O. Hopkins was 88 years old, making him-- at least up to 1964-- the oldest candidate ever on a Presidential ticket. John Maxwell (Presidential nominee, American Vegetarian Party, 1948) and Lorenzo Stephen Coffin (VP nominee, United Christian Party, 1908) were both 85 when they ran. So was Greenback Party Presidential candidate Peter Cooper in 1876, the same year Hopkins was born.

In 1964 the Universal Party apparently did not publicize their extraterrestrial policies as much as in other elections. Their platform included an abolition of the following: income tax, Electoral College, the Federal Reserve Board, political lobbying, and political conventions. Although the platform had a strong libertarian theme, they also proposed that a "Congress of Nations" should be established as an international police force to end war.

They failed to obtain ballot status in any state, but were registered write-ins in California, where they tallied a whopping 19 votes.

Election history: none

Other occupations: bicycle dealer, hardware salesman, manager of a sporting goods company, farmer

Buried: Masonic Cemetery (Des Moines, Iowa)

Notes:
Moved to Des Moines, Iowa from Minnesota between 1897-1900 to join his brothers in their sporting
 goods business.
Some sources incorrectly list Roscoe B. MacKenna as the 1964 running mate. MacKenna was the
 1968 VP nominee.

Anna Marie Yezo

Anna Marie Yezo, July 30, 1918 (Hoboken, NJ) - Nov. 18, 2012 (New Jersey)

VP candidate for American Third Party (1956), Poor Man's Party (1960, 1964)

Running mate with nominee (1956, 1960, 1964): Henry B. Krajewski (1912–1966)

Popular vote (1956): 1,829 (0.00%)
Popular vote (1960): 0 (0.00%)
Popular vote (1964): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1956): 0/531
Electoral vote (1960): 0/537
Electoral vote (1964): 0/538

The campaign (1956):

Henry B. Krajewski had gone through some changes since he ran for President on the Poor Man's Party in 1952. He ran for New Jersey Governor in 1953 under the Jersey Veterans Bonus Party, under the American Third Party for the US Senate in 1954, and he made an attempt for Mayor of Secaucus, NJ in 1955. He was now solidly a perennial candidate character.

He had also since the last election sold his pig farm and now relied on his tavern for regular income but continued to make the improvement of the farmers condition a staple in his campaign. His 1956 platform included a moratorium on income tax for families of 3+ people with incomes $5000 or less, veterans bonuses, 18-year olds having the right to vote, a national lottery to benefit hospitals and schools, and the USA should be able to annex Canada in payment of the UK's debt. He stated his goal was to be placed on the ballot in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, and Indiana.

His running mate was Anna Marie Yezo, described by the press as a "North Bergen mother and housewife," she was actually a former Democrat, recent mechanic and gas station owner who was outspoken on the issue of women's rights. When the announcement of her being the VP nominee was made in January, 1956, Krajewski stated, "Having a woman on the ticket will help my chances. Also, it will give women someone to vote for." They danced to Krawjewski's campaign polka theme song to the delight of the media. Also present was the Party's mascot, a piglet named "Little Miss Secaucus."

In March it was reported New Jersey Sec. of State Edward J. Patten, a Democrat, informed Krajewski it was unconstitutional to have Yezo on the ticket since they were from same state. Krajewski/Yezo apparently were later listed on the ballot, so some sort of negotiating must have taken place. Perhaps the candidate's stated goal of running in other states helped make the difference? In 1952 his running mate Frank Jenkins was also from NJ and no one objected at that time.

Three days before Election Day Krajewski endorsed Eisenhower but still voted for himself. He and his family and Yezo as well were actually invited to Ike's 1957 Inaugural Ball.

Krajewski/Yezo placed 7th out of seven parties on the ballot in New Jersey with 1,829 votes (0.07%), a much lower result than the 1952 run.

The campaign (1960):

Same ticket, but in the recycled round they returned to the original name of Krajewski's party, the Poor Man's Party.

This time New Jersey Sec. of State Patten flat-out refused to include electors for the Poor Man's Party on the ballot on the grounds that a Presidential ticket cannot have two people from the same state according to his interpretation of the US Constitution. His decision was upheld by NJ Attorney General David D. Furman. Journalists quoted Patten as telling Krajewski: "Your petition is a farce and a sham and an insult to the sacredness of our democratic processes ... You told me the other day that you have no plans to file in other states that would make you a bona fide candidate. You come into the office with a Victrola and started to play records. Another time you entered the office with a pig." Patten later claimed he meant "nothing personal" in his remarks.

The ruling, which Krajewski called "a dirty, lousy deal which stinks to high heaven," didn't slow down the campaign as they shifted into write-in mode. As late as Nov. 1960 Krajewski was still making campaign appearances, such as the Levittown (Penn.) Shop-a-Rama sponsored by the Levittown Businessmen's Association.

The campaign (1964):

Undaunted by petty legalities, Krajewski announced in Sept. 1964 he and Yezo would run a third time together, this time starting out from Day One as write-in candidates under the Poor Man's Party banner. The campaign was evidently more subdued than the previous efforts.

Also in 1964 Krajewski had offered himself as the VP nominee for President Lyndon Johnson and the Democrats, but response had he none.

Election history: none.

Other occupations: housewife, auto mechanic, gas station owner, stationary packer

Buried: Ocean County Memorial Park (Toms River, NJ)

Notes:
Sometimes called Anne Marie Yezo, Ann Marie Yezo, Ana Marie Yezo, Anne Mario Yezo.
Later lived in Brick, NJ
Anna Dopyera married Louis Yezo (1917-1969) in 1941.
Parents were immigrants from Czechoslovakia. Her father was an auto mechanic.
If elected in 1964 Yezo would have become President upon the death of Krajewski in 1966.