Prohibition Party

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Prohibition Party

The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
best known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl Functional group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group....
ic beverages. The Party was an integral part of the temperance movement

Temperance movement

A temperance movement attempts to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed within a community or society in general -- and even to prohibit its production and consumption entirely....
and, while never one of the nation's leading parties, it was an important force in US politics

Politics of the United States

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Encyclopedia

The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States

United States

Alcohol

Temperance movement

Politics of the United States

Politics of the United States takes place in the framework of a presidential system, federal republic where the President of the United States , United States Congress, and United States federal courts share federal Separation of powers, and the Federal government of the United States shares sovereignty with the U.S....
in the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. The party has declined dramatically since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Today, it advocates a variety of socially conservative causes, including "stronger and more vigorous enforcement of laws against the sale of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, against gambling, illegal drugs, pornography, and commercialized vice."

History

The party was founded in 1869. Its first National Committee Chairman was John Russell of Michigan. . The party succeeded in getting many communities also many counties in the states to outlaw the production and sale of intoxicating beverages.

At the same time, the party's ideology broadened to include aspects of progressivism

Progressivism

The term progressive has varying meanings in different countries.In some countries, the word refers to left-wing politics. For instance, in the United States, the term progressive emerged in the late 19th century into the 20th century in reference to a more general response to the vast changes brought by industrialization: an alternativ...
. The party contributed to the third-party discussions of the 1910s and sent Charles H. Randall to the 64th

64th United States Congress

The Sixty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
, 65th

65th United States Congress

The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
and 66th

66th United States Congress

The Sixty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
Congresses as the representative of California's 9th congressional district

California's 9th congressional district

California's 9th congressional district covers a significant portion of the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes the cities of Oakland, California and Berkeley, California, among others....
. Prohibitionist Sidney J. Catts

Sidney J. Catts

Sidney Johnston Catts was an Politics of the United States. He was the twenty-second List of Governors of Florida of Florida and with Congressman Charles Randall of California one of only two members of the Prohibition Party to ever hold office....
was elected Governor of Florida

List of governors of Florida

For governors of Florida prior to it becoming a possession of the United States in 1821, see the List of Colonial Governors of Florida.The Governor of Florida is the chief executive of the Government of Florida, and serves as chairman of the Florida Cabinet....
in 1916.

The party's greatest success was in 1919, with the passage of the 18th Amendment

Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Amendment XVIII of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act , established Prohibition in the United States. Its ratification was certified on January 29, 1919....
to the United States Constitution

United States Constitution

The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America; the Federal Government of the United States; and all the State & local governments and Territorial Administrative bodies contained therein....
, which outlawed the production, sale, transportation, import and export of alcohol. The era during which alcohol was illegal in the United States is generally known as "Prohibition

Prohibition

Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, also known as The Noble Experiment, refers to a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol....
".

During the Prohibition era, the Prohibition Party pressed for stricter enforcement of the prohibition laws. In 1928, for example, the party considered endorsing Republican Herbert Hoover rather than running their own candidate. However, by a 4-3 vote, the party's national executive committee voted to nominate their own candidate, William F. Varney, instead. They did this because they felt his stance on prohibition wasn't strict enough. The party became even more critical of President Hoover after he was elected. By 1932, party chairman David Leigh Colvin thundered that "The Republican wet plank [i.e. supporting the repeal of Prohibition] means that Mr. Hoover is the most conspicuous turncoat since Benedict Arnold." Hoover lost, but national prohibition was repealed by the 21st Amendment

Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution

The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition in the United States....
in 1933.

Decline

The party has faded into obscurity after World War II. When the party briefly changed its name to the "National Statesman Party," in 1977 (it would change it back in 1980) Time magazine suggested that it was "doubtful" that the name change would "hoist the party out of the category of political oddity."

The party has continued running presidential candidates every four years, but its vote totals have steadily dwindled. It last received more than 100,000 votes for president in 1948, and the 1976 election was the last time the party received more than 10,000 votes for president. In 2008 its presidential nominee received only 643 votes.

Secession of 2003

The Prohibition Party experienced a schism in 2003, as the party's prior presidential candidate, Earl Dodge, incorporated a rival party called the National Prohibition Party in Colorado. Dodge held a rival nominating convention in his living room in August 2003, attended by eight people, and was nominated as the president of this rival party.. Dodge's rivals convened a party convention in 2003 in Fairfield Glade, TN and elected Don Webb, a member of the National Committee from Alabama, the national chairman. Neither the Dodge faction nor the Webb faction recognized the other as legitimate.

The Webb faction decided in early February 2004 to run the national ticket of Gene C. Amondson

Gene Amondson

Gene Amondson, is a landscape painter, woodcarver, minister, lecturer and Prohibition activist who was the U.S. presidential election, 2004 United States President of the United States candidate for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the party in United States presidential election, 2008....
for President and Leroy J. Pletten for Vice President. They filed as the Prohibition ticket in Louisiana (the first time the party had appeared on the ballot there since 1888). Dodge ran under the name of the historic Prohibition Party in Colorado., while the Concerns of People Party allowed Amondson to run on its line against Dodge.

Amondson was elected chairman in 2005, replacing Webb. It then accepted the party affiliates in Florida, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, gaining ballot status in Florida for 2008.The death of Dodge in November 2007 left the Dodge faction without a presidential nominee, but the schism has continued. In the spring of 2008, the Dodge faction nominated Amondson for President, but they retained Lydick as their vice presidential nominee..

The trustee of the George Pennock Fund initiated legal proceedings to determine which faction was the legal recipient of funds left to the party in the 1920s and 1930's. To avoid litigation, the two separate Parties agreed to divide the money, with the "historic" Party getting slightly over 50%.

Electoral history

The Prohibition Party has nominated a candidate for president in every election since 1872, and is thus the longest-lived American political party after the Democrats and Republicans.


Prohibition Party National Campaigns
Year	Convention	Site & City	Dates	Presidential nominee	VP nominee	Votes
1872	1st	Comstock's Opera House, Columbus OH	2/22/1872	James Black James Black (prohibitionist) James Black became a leader of the temperance movement in the United States after having a bad experience with alcohol intoxication, if not alcohol poisoning.... PA	John Russell MI	2,100
1876	2d	Halle's Hall, Cleveland OH	5/17/1876	Green Clay Smith Green Clay Smith Green Clay Smith was a U.S. soldier and politician. He served as a Major general during the American Civil War, was a congressman from Kentucky and was the Governors of Montana Territory from 1866 to 1869.... KY	Gideon T. Stewart Gideon T. Stewart Lawyer and newspaper owner-editor Gideon Tabor Stewart was very active in promoting the temperance movement. He was elected three timess as grand worthy chief templar of the International Organisation of Good Templars of Ohio.... OH	6,743
1880	3d	Halle's Hall, Cleveland OH	6/17/1880	Neal Dow ME	Henry A. Thompson OH	9,674
1884	4th	Lafayette Hall, Pittsburgh PA	7/23-24/1884	John P. St. John KS	William Daniel William Daniel William Daniel was an American politician. He graduated from Dickinson College, studied law, and began practicing it in Maryland in 1851. Upon election to the state legislature in 1857, he promoted laws permitting local option regarding the prohibition of alcohol.... MD	147,520
1888	5th	Tomlinson Hall, Indianapolis IN	5/30-31/1888	Clinton B. Fisk Clinton B. Fisk Clinton Bowen Fisk , for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer during Reconstruction era of the United States in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands.... NJ	John A. Brooks MO	249,813
1892	6th	Music Hall, Cincinnati OH	6/29-30/1892	John Bidwell John Bidwell John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important settler, farming, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist.... CA	James B. Cranfill TX	270,770
1896	7th	Exposition Hall, Pittsburgh PA	5/27-28/1896	Joshua Levering Joshua Levering Joshua Levering was a prominent Baptist leader . He was president of the trustees of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention, co-founder of the American Baptist Educational Society, and co-founder of the Layman's Missionary Movement.... MD	Hale Johnson Hale Johnson Attorney Hale Johnson , was an American politician. He was born in Montgomery County, Indiana and was the son of John B. Johnson.Johnson was a lawyer and became mayor of Newton, Illinois.... IL	125,072
1896	[7th]	Pittsburgh PA	5/28/1896	Charles E. Bentley NE	James H. Southgate NC	19,363
1900	8th	First Regiment Armory, Chicago IL	6/27/28/1900	John G. Woolley IL	Henry B. Metcalf RI	209,004
1900	[8th]	Carnegie Lyceum, NYC NY	9/5/1900	Donelson Caffery Donelson Caffery Donelson Caffery was an American politician from the state of Louisiana.Caffery was born in Franklin, Louisiana, the seat of St. Mary Parish.... LA (declined); Edward M. Emerson MA	Archibald M. Howe MA	342
1904	9th	Tomlinson Hall, Indianapolis IN	6/29 to 7/1/1904	Silas C. Swallow Silas C. Swallow Silas Comfort Swallow was a United States Methodist preacher and prohibitionist politician.... PA	George W. Carroll TX	258,596
1908	10th	Memorial Hall, Columbus OH	7/15-16/1908	Eugene W. Chafin Eugene W. Chafin Eugene Wilder Chafin was an United States politician from the United States Prohibition Party. Chafin was born in East Troy, Wisconsin and worked as a lawyer at Waukesha, Wisconsin from 1876 to 1900.... IL	Aaron S. Watkins Aaron S. Watkins Aaron S. Watkins , born in Ohio, was president of Asbury College in Kentucky. Before his ordination as a Methodist minister, he practiced law with his brother.... OH	252,821
1912	11th	on a large temporary pier, Atlantic City NJ	7/10-12/1912	Eugene W. Chafin Eugene W. Chafin Eugene Wilder Chafin was an United States politician from the United States Prohibition Party. Chafin was born in East Troy, Wisconsin and worked as a lawyer at Waukesha, Wisconsin from 1876 to 1900.... IL	Aaron S. Watkins Aaron S. Watkins Aaron S. Watkins , born in Ohio, was president of Asbury College in Kentucky. Before his ordination as a Methodist minister, he practiced law with his brother.... OH	207,972
1916	12th	St. Paul MN	7/19-21/1916	J. Frank Hanly Frank Hanly James Franklin Hanly was a United States politician who served as the 26th Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909.... IN	Ira Landrith TN	221,030
1920	13th	Lincoln NE	7/21-22/1920	Aaron Watkins OH	D. Leigh Colvin D. Leigh Colvin David Leigh Colvin, usually known as D. Leigh Colvin was the Prohibition Party's candidate for U.S. Senator from New York in 1916, the party's candidate for mayor of New York City in 1917, its candidate for the vice-presidency of the United States in 1920, candidate for U.S.... NY	188,685
1924	14th	Memorial Hall, Columbus OH	6/4-6/1924	Herman P. Faris Herman P. Faris Herman P. Faris was a committed proponent of the temperance movement. He served for many years as treasurer of the Prohibition National Committee, and he was twice the Prohibition Party candidate for governor of Missouri.... MO	Marie C. Brehm Marie C. Brehm Suffragette Marie Caroline Brehm was the first legally qualified female candidate to run for the Vice President of the United States, which she did in 1924 on the ticket of the Prohibition Party running with Herman P.... CA	54,833
1928	15th	Hotel LaSalle, Chicago IL	7/10-12/1928	William F. Varney William F. Varney William F. Varney ran on the Prohibition ticket during the 1928 U.S. Presidential election. He received 20,106 popular votes.References... NY	James A. Edgerton	20,095
1928	[15th]	[California ticket]		Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author.... CA	Charles Curtis Charles Curtis Charles Curtis was a United States United States House of Representatives, a longtime United States Senate from Kansas elected to Senate Majority Leader, as well as the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States.... KS	14,394
1932	16th	Candle Tabernacle, Indianapolis IN	7/5-7/1932	William D. Upshaw William D. Upshaw William D. Upshaw served eight years in Congress , where he was such a strong proponent of the temperance movement that he became known as the "driest of the drys.".... GA	Frank S. Regan IL	81,916
1936	17th	State Armory Building, Niagara Falls NY	5/5-7/1936	D. Leigh Colvin D. Leigh Colvin David Leigh Colvin, usually known as D. Leigh Colvin was the Prohibition Party's candidate for U.S. Senator from New York in 1916, the party's candidate for mayor of New York City in 1917, its candidate for the vice-presidency of the United States in 1920, candidate for U.S.... NY	Alvin York TN (declined); Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon, Los Angeles , who was nationally active in the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for vice-president of the United States in 1936 and was the party's presidential candidate in both 1944 and 1948.... CA	37,668
1940	18th	Chicago IL	5/8-10/1940	Roger W. Babson Roger Babson Roger Ward Babson , remembered today largely for founding Babson College in Massachusetts, was an entrepreneur and business theorist in the first half of the 20th century.... MA	Edgar V. Moorman IL	58,743
1944	19th	Indianapolis IN	11/10-12/1943	Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon, Los Angeles , who was nationally active in the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for vice-president of the United States in 1936 and was the party's presidential candidate in both 1944 and 1948.... CA	Floyd C. Carrier MD (withdrew); Andrew Johnson KY	74,735
1948	20th	Winona Lake IN	6/26-28/1947	Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon, Los Angeles , who was nationally active in the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for vice-president of the United States in 1936 and was the party's presidential candidate in both 1944 and 1948.... CA	Dale H. Learn PA	103,489
1952	21st	Indianapolis IN	11/13-15/1951	Stuart Hamblen CA	Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch Arden Holtwick, was an United States educator with a long record of actively supporting the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for Illinois State Treasurer in 1936; its candidate for United States Senate from Illinois in 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1948 and 1950; its candidate for vice-president of the United State... IL	73,413
1956	22d	Camp Mack, Milford IN	9/4-6/1955	Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch Arden Holtwick, was an United States educator with a long record of actively supporting the temperance movement. He was the Prohibition Party candidate for Illinois State Treasurer in 1936; its candidate for United States Senate from Illinois in 1938, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1948 and 1950; its candidate for vice-president of the United State... IL	Herbert C. Holdridge Herbert C. Holdridge Herbert Charles Holdridge was an United States military officer, who was best known for being the only United States Army General to retire during World War II, and for having several times sought US President nominations on fringe party tickets after retirement.... CA (withdrew); Edwin M. Cooper CA	41,937
1960	23d	Westminster Hotel, Winona Lake IN	9/1-3/1959	Rutherford Decker Rutherford Decker Rutherford L. Decker was an United States politician, a longtime member and a POTUS nominee of Prohibition Party in 1960.A native and lifelong resident of Missouri, he was nominated by Prohibitionist for President with party chairman Earle Harold Munn as his running-mate.... MO	E. Harold Munn E. Harold Munn Earle Harold Munn, also known as E. Harold Munn was a United States politician and a longtime leader of Prohibition Party, for which he was Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominee.... MI	46,193
1964	24th	Pick Congress Hotel, Chicago IL	8/26-27/1963	E. Harold Munn E. Harold Munn Earle Harold Munn, also known as E. Harold Munn was a United States politician and a longtime leader of Prohibition Party, for which he was Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominee.... MI	Mark R. Shaw Mark R. Shaw Mark R. Shaw was a Prohibition Party candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1946, United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1952, United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1958, United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1960, United States Senate election in Massa... MA	23,266
1968	25th	YWCA, Detroit MI	6/28-29/1968	E. Harold Munn E. Harold Munn Earle Harold Munn, also known as E. Harold Munn was a United States politician and a longtime leader of Prohibition Party, for which he was Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominee.... MI	Rolland E. Fisher KS	14,915
1972	26th	Nazarene Church Building, Wichita KS	6/24-25/1971	E. Harold Munn E. Harold Munn Earle Harold Munn, also known as E. Harold Munn was a United States politician and a longtime leader of Prohibition Party, for which he was Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominee.... MI	Marshall E. Uncapher KS	12,818
1976	27th	Beth Eden Baptist Church Building, Wheat Ridge CO	6/26-27/1975	Benjamin C. Bubar ME	Earl F. Dodge CO	15,934
1980	28th	Motel Birmingham, Birmingham AL	6/20-21/1979	Benjamin C. Bubar ME	Earl F. Dodge CO	7,212
1984	29th	Mandan ND	6/22-24/1983	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	Warren C. Martin KS	4,242
1988	30th	Heritage House, Springfield IL	6/25-26/1987	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	George Ormsby PA	8,002
1992	31st	Minneapolis MN	6/24-26/1991	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	George Ormsby PA	935
1996	32d	Denver CO	1995	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	Rachel Bubar Kelly Rachel Bubar Kelly Rachel Bubar Kelly was the Prohibition Party candidate for United States Vice President in the United States presidential election, 1996 presidential election as the running mate of Earl F....	1,298
2000	33d	Bird in Hand PA	6/28-30/1999	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	W. Dean Watkins AZ	208
2004	34th	Fairfield Glade TN	2/1/2004	Gene Amondson Gene Amondson Gene Amondson, is a landscape painter, woodcarver, minister, lecturer and Prohibition activist who was the U.S. presidential election, 2004 United States President of the United States candidate for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the party in United States presidential election, 2008.... AK	Leroy Pletten Leroy Pletten Leroy Pletten was the Prohibition Party's Vice President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. He was chosen as the vice presidential candidate by the Prohibition Party National Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana.... MI	1,944
2004	[34th]	Lakewood CO	August 2003	Earl Dodge Earl Dodge Earl Farwell Dodge, Jr. was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.... CO	Howard Lydick TX	140
2008	35th	Adams Mark Hotel, Indianapolis IN	9/13-14/2007	Gene Amondson Gene Amondson Gene Amondson, is a landscape painter, woodcarver, minister, lecturer and Prohibition activist who was the U.S. presidential election, 2004 United States President of the United States candidate for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the party in United States presidential election, 2008.... AK	Leroy Pletten Leroy Pletten Leroy Pletten was the Prohibition Party's Vice President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election. He was chosen as the vice presidential candidate by the Prohibition Party National Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana.... MI	643

Elected officials

Governor of Florida Sidney Johnston Catts:
U.S. Representative from California's 9th congressional district
California's 9th congressional district

California's 9th congressional district covers a significant portion of the East Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. It includes the cities of Oakland, California and Berkeley, California, among others....
Charles Hiram Randall
Charles Hiram Randall

Charles Hiram Randall was a Politician from California.Randall was born in Auburn, Nebraska. He published newspapers in Kimball, Nebraska and Harrisburg, Nebraska from 1885 to 1892....
:
Argonia, Kansas
Argonia, Kansas

Argonia is a city in Sumner County, Kansas, Kansas, United States. The population was 534 at the 2000 United States Census....
Mayor Susanna M. Salter
Susanna M. Salter

Susanna "Dora" Madora Salter was a U.S. politician and activist. She served as mayor of Argonia, Kansas, becoming the first woman elected as mayor and the first women elected to any political office in the United States....
: 1887 (the first woman mayor in the United States)
Thompson Township, Pennsylvania
Thompson Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania

Thompson Township is a township in Fulton County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2000, the township population was 998....
, Tax Assessor Jim Hedges: 2002-present (first and only known office-holder of the 21st century)

External links

Printed sources

James T. Havel, U.S. Presidential Candidates and the Elections (NYC: MacMillan Library Reference, 1996)
S.B. Hinshaw, Ohio Elects the President: Our State's Role in Presidential Elections (Mansfield OH: Bookmasters, 1999)

Prohibition Party

History

Decline

Secession of 2003

Electoral history

Elected officials

See also

External links

Printed sources