s. It is the oldest existing
. The party was an integral part of the
. While never one of the leading parties in the United States, it was an important force in the
during the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th century. It has declined dramatically since the repeal of
in 1933. The party earned only 643 votes in the
. The Prohibition Party 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."
The Prohibition Party was founded in 1869. Its first National Committee Chairman was John Russell of Michigan. It succeeded in getting communities and also many counties in the states to outlaw the production and sale of intoxicating beverages.
. The party contributed to the third-party discussions of the 1910s and sent Charles H. Randall to the
. Prohibitionist
, 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 "
During the Prohibition era, the Prohibition Party pressed for stricter enforcement of the prohibition laws. During the 1928 election, for example, it considered endorsing Republican
rather than running its own candidate. However, by a 4–3 vote, its national executive committee voted to nominate their own candidate, William F. Varney, instead. They did this because they felt Hoover's stance on prohibition not strict enough. The Prohibition Party became even more critical of Hoover after he was elected President. By the 1932 election, party chairman
thundered that "The Republican wet plank [i.e. supporting the repeal of Prohibition] means that Mr. Hoover is the most conspicuous turncoat since
." Hoover lost the election, but national prohibition was repealed anyway in 1933, with the
The Prohibition Party has faded into obscurity since World War II. When it briefly changed its name to the "National Statesman Party" in 1977 (it would reverse the change in 1980),
magazine suggested that it was "doubtful" that the name change would "hoist the party out of the category of political oddity."
The Prohibition 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.
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.
for President. Neither the Dodge faction nor the Amondson faction recognized the other as legitimate. Amondson filed under the Prohibition banner in Louisiana. 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 received 1,944 votes, nationwide, while Dodge garnered 140.
The death of Dodge in November 2007 left the Dodge faction without a presidential nominee. In the spring of 2008, the Dodge faction nominated Amondson for President, but they retained one of their own, Howard Lydick, as their vice presidential nominee.
In recent years, the two factions have been fighting over payments dedicated to the Prohibition Party by George Pennock in 1930. The fund pays approximately $8000 per year. To avoid litigation, the two separate parties agreed to divide the money, with the Amondson faction getting slightly over 50%.
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 Conventions and Campaigns |
| Year | No. | Convention Site & City | Dates | Presidential nominee | Vice-Presidential nominee | Votes |
| 1872 |
1st |
Comstock's Opera House, Columbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
|
Feb. 22, 1872 |
James Black 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.... (Pennsylvania) |
John Russell (Michigan) |
2,100 |
| 1876 |
2nd |
Halle's Hall, Cleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border... |
May 17, 1876 |
Green Clay SmithGreen Clay Smith was a U.S. soldier and politician. He served as a major general during the Civil War, was a congressman from Kentucky and was the Territorial Governor of Montana from 1866 to 1869. He also ran for President of the United States on the Prohibition ticket in 1876... (Kentucky) |
Gideon T. Stewart Gideon Tabor Stewart was an American lawyer as well as a newspaper owner and editor. He was very active in promoting the temperance movement. He was elected three timess as grand worthy chief templar of the Good Templars of Ohio. Throughout the 1850s he attempted to organize a permanent... (Ohio) |
6,743 |
| 1880 |
3rd |
Halle's Hall, Cleveland |
June 17, 1880 |
Neal Dow (Maine) |
Henry Adams Thompson Henry Adams Thompson was a noted prohibitionist who was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Prohibition Party in 1880 with writer Neal Dow.... (Ohio) |
9,674 |
| 1884 |
4th |
Lafayette Hall, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States... |
July 23–24, 1884 |
John P. St. John (Kansas) |
William Daniel (Maryland) |
147,520 |
| 1888 |
5th |
Tomlinson Hall, Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S... |
May 30–31, 1888 |
Clinton B. FiskClinton Bowen Fisk , for whom Fisk University is named, was a senior officer during Reconstruction in the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. He endowed Fisk University with $30,000... (New Jersey) |
John A. Brooks John Anderson Brooks was a noted religious scholar and prohibitionist. He was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Prohibition Party in 1888, with the ticket garnering nearly 250,000 votes.... (Missouri) |
249,813 |
| 1892 |
6th |
Music Hall, Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's... |
June 29–30, 1892 |
John Bidwell John Bidwell was known throughout California and across the nation as an important pioneer, farmer, soldier, statesman, politician, prohibitionist and philanthropist... (California) |
James B. Cranfill James Britton Cranfill , also known as JB Cranfill, was a noted religious figure and prohibitionist who was nominated for Vice President of the United States by the Prohibition Party in 1892, with the ticket garnering over 270,000 votes, approximately 2% of the total vote.Cranfill was born in... (Texas) |
270,770 |
| 1896 |
7th |
Exposition Hall, Pittsburgh |
May 27–28, 1896 |
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... (Maryland) |
Hale Johnson Attorney Hale Johnson , was an American politician. He was born in Montgomery County, Indiana and was the son of John B. Johnson. According to historian Nathaniel Haynes, "Mr. Johnson's father, Dr. John B. Johnson, served as assistant surgeon during the Civil War. His grandfather was a Baptist... (Illinois) |
125,072 |
| [7th] |
Pittsburgh |
May 28, 1896 |
Charles Eugene Bentley (Nebraska) |
James H. Southgate James Haywood Southgate , was an American spokesman for prohibition. He served as the Vice Presidential candidate of a faction of the Prohibition Party which broke away from the main party in 1896, running with Charles Eugene Bentley.-Biography:... (N. Car.) |
19,363 |
| 1900 |
8th |
First Regiment Armory, Chicago, Illinois |
June 27–28, 1900 |
John G. Woolley John Granville Woolley , a lawyer and public speaker, was the Prohibition Party's candidate for President of the United States in the election of 1900. He was nominated for President, together with Henry B. Metcalf of Rhode Island for Vice President, at the party's national convention in Chicago on... (Illinois) |
Henry B. Metcalf Henry Brewer Metcalf was a noted prohibitionist in the United States, who was the Prohibition Party nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1900. Along with Presidential candidate John G. Woolley, the ticket garnered approximately 210,000 votes in the general election.Born in Boston on... (Rhode Island) |
209,004 |
| 1904 |
9th |
Tomlinson Hall, Indianapolis |
June 29 to July 1, 1904 |
Silas C. Swallow Silas Comfort Swallow was a United States Methodist preacher and prohibitionist politician.-Namesake:He was presumably named after Methodist preacher Silas Comfort , a courageous anti-slavery member of the Genesee, Oneida and Missouri Conferences. While serving in St... (Pennsylvania) |
George W. Carroll (Texas) |
258,596 |
| 1908 |
10th |
Memorial Hall, Columbus |
July 15–16, 1908 |
Eugene W. Chafin Eugene Wilder Chafin was an United States politician from the Prohibition Party. Chafin was born in East Troy, Wisconsin and worked as a lawyer at Waukesha, Wisconsin from 1876 to 1900... (Illinois) |
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. He was the grandfather of Prohibition candidate for Vice President of the United States, W... (Ohio) |
252,821 |
| 1912 |
11th |
on a large temporary pier, Atlantic City, New JerseyAtlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...
|
July 10–12, 1912 |
Eugene W. Chafin Eugene Wilder Chafin was an United States politician from the Prohibition Party. Chafin was born in East Troy, Wisconsin and worked as a lawyer at Waukesha, Wisconsin from 1876 to 1900... (Illinois) |
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. He was the grandfather of Prohibition candidate for Vice President of the United States, W... (Ohio) |
207,972 |
| 1916 |
12th |
St. Paul, Minnesota |
July 19–21, 1916 |
J. Frank HanlyJames Franklin Hanly was a United States politician who served as a congressman from Indiana from 1895 until 1897, and was the 26th Governor of Indiana from 1905 to 1909... (Indiana) |
Rev. Dr. Ira Landrith (Tennessee) |
221,030 |
| 1920 |
13th |
Lincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... |
July 21–22, 1920 |
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. He was the grandfather of Prohibition candidate for Vice President of the United States, W... (Ohio) |
Dr. David Leigh Colvin (New York) |
188,685 |
| 1924 |
14th |
Memorial Hall, Columbus |
June 4–6, 1924 |
Herman P. Faris Herman Preston 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. Faris was the party's candidate for President of the United States in... (Missouri) |
Marie C. Brehm Suffragette Marie Caroline Brehm was the first legally qualified female candidate to run for the vice-presidency of the United States, which she did in 1924 on the ticket of the Prohibition Party running with Herman P. Faris. The nominee was initially Dr. A.P. Gouthey, with Brehm in second, and... (California) |
54,833 |
| 1928 |
15th |
Hotel LaSalle, Chicago |
July 10–12, 1928 |
William F. Varney William Frederick Varney was an American politician.-Life:He was the son of Rev. F. W. Varney .... (New York) |
James A. Edgerton |
20,095 |
| [15th] |
[California ticket] |
|
Herbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business... (California) |
Charles CurtisCharles Curtis was a United States Representative, a longtime United States Senator from Kansas later chosen as Senate Majority Leader by his Republican colleagues, and the 31st Vice President of the United States... (Kansas) |
14,394 |
| 1932 |
16th |
Candle Tabernacle, Indianapolis |
July 5–7, 1932 |
William D. Upshaw William David 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.".-Biography:... (Georgia) |
Frank S. Regan (Illinois) |
81,916 |
| 1936 |
17th |
State Armory Building, Niagara Falls, New YorkNiagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they... |
May 5–7, 1936 |
D. Leigh Colvin David Leigh Colvin was an American politician and member of the Prohibition Party and the Law Preservation Party.... (New York) |
Alvin York (Tenn.) (declined); Claude A. WatsonClaude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon , who was nationally active in the temperance movement... (California) |
37,668 |
| 1940 |
18th |
Chicago |
May 8–10, 1940 |
Roger W. 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... (Mass.) |
Edgar V. Moorman (Illinois) |
58,743 |
| 1944 |
19th |
Indianapolis |
Nov. 10–12, 1943 |
Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon , who was nationally active in the temperance movement... (California) |
Floyd C. Carrier (Maryland) (withdrew); Andrew Johnson (Kentucky) |
74,735 |
| 1948 |
20th |
Winona Lake, Indiana Winona Lake is a town in Wayne Township, Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,908 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Winona Lake is located at... |
June 26–28, 1947 |
Claude A. Watson Claude A. Watson was a lawyer, businessman, and minister from Hermon , who was nationally active in the temperance movement... (California) |
Dale H. Learn (Pennsylvania) |
103,489 |
| 1952 |
21st |
Indianapolis |
Nov. 13–15, 1951 |
Stuart HamblenStuart Hamblen , born Stuart Carl Hamblen, was one of American radio's first singing cowboys in 1926, and later became a Christian songwriter, temperance supporter and recurring candidate for political office.... (California) |
Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch Arden Holtwick, was an American 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 U.S... (Illinois) |
73,413 |
| 1956 |
22nd |
Camp Mack, Milford, IndianaMilford could refer to:*Milford, Decatur County, Indiana*Milford, Kosciusko County, Indiana*Former name of Green Hill, Indiana... |
Sept. 4–6, 1955 |
Enoch A. Holtwick Enoch Arden Holtwick, was an American 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 U.S... (Illinois) |
Herbert C. HoldridgeHerbert Charles Holdridge was an American 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 presidential nominations on fringe party tickets after retirement. He was the father of diplomat John H... (California) (withdrew); Edwin M. Cooper (California) |
41,937 |
| 1960 |
23rd |
Westminster Hotel, Winona Lake |
Sept. 1–3, 1959 |
Rutherford Decker Rutherford L. Decker was an United States politician, a longtime member and a Presidential nominee of Prohibition Party in 1960, and the President of the National Association of Evangelicals from 1946 to 1948.-Biography:... (Missouri) |
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.-Biography:... (Michigan) |
46,193 |
| 1964 |
24th |
Pick Congress Hotel, Chicago |
August 26–27, 1963 |
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.-Biography:... (Michigan) |
Mark R. Shaw Mark R. Shaw was a Prohibition Party candidate for the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in 1946, 1952, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966 and 1970. He was also the party's candidate for governor of that state in 1948 and in 1956... (Massachusetts) |
23,266 |
| 1968 |
25th |
YWCA, Detroit, Mich. |
June 28–29, 1968 |
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.-Biography:... (Michigan) |
Rolland E. Fisher (Kansas) |
14,915 |
| 1972 |
26th |
Nazarene Church Building, Wichita, KansasWichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area... |
June 24–25, 1971 |
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.-Biography:... (Michigan) |
Marshall E. Uncapher (Kansas) |
12,818 |
| 1976 |
27th |
Beth Eden Baptist Church Bldg, Wheat Ridge, Colo. The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver... |
June 26–27, 1975 |
Benjamin C. Bubar (Maine) |
Earl F. Dodge (Colorado) |
15,934 |
| 1980 |
28th |
Motel Birmingham, Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
June 20–21, 1979 |
Benjamin C. Bubar (Maine) |
Earl F. Dodge (Colorado) |
7,212 |
| 1984 |
29th |
Mandan, North Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,647 households, and 4,553 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,642.8 per square mile . There were 6,958 housing units at an average density of 683.7 per square mile... |
June 22–24, 1983 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
Warren C. Martin Warren C. Martin, was born on October 13, 1909. He was a noted member of the Prohibition Party USA, local politician and also was an entrepreneur. He died on August 5, 1998.- Family History :... (Kansas) |
4,242 |
| 1988 |
30th |
Heritage House, Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area... |
June 25–26, 1987 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
George Ormsby (Pennsylvania) |
8,002 |
| 1992 |
31st |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
June 24–26, 1991 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
George Ormsby (Pennsylvania) |
935 |
| 1996 |
32nd |
Denver, Colorado |
1995 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
Rachel Bubar Kelly Rachel Bubar Kelly was the Prohibition Party candidate for United States Vice President in the 1996 presidential election as the running mate of Earl F. Dodge... (Maine) |
1,298 |
| 2000 |
33rd |
Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community with parts lying in East Lampeter Township, and Upper Leacock Township, Lancaster County in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community has a large Amish and Mennonite population... |
June 28–30, 1999 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
W. Dean Watkins (Arizona) |
208 |
| 2004 |
34th |
Fairfield Glade, Tennessee Fairfield Glade, a resort and retirement community, is a census-designated place in Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,989 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Fairfield Glade is located at .... |
February 1, 2004 |
Gene Amondson Gene Amondson, was a landscape painter, woodcarver, Christian minister and prohibition activist who was the 2004 US presidential candidate for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the unified party in 2008.Amondson was known for his anti-Alcohol activism and reenactments of... (Washington) |
Leroy Pletten (Michigan) |
1,944 |
| [34th] |
Lakewood, Colorado Lakewood is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fifth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 172nd most populous city in the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in April 1, 2010... |
August 2003 |
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.-Biography:... (Colorado) |
Howard Lydick (Texas) |
140 |
| 2008 |
35th |
Adams Mark Hotel, Indianapolis |
Sept. 13–14, 2007 |
Gene Amondson Gene Amondson, was a landscape painter, woodcarver, Christian minister and prohibition activist who was the 2004 US presidential candidate for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the unified party in 2008.Amondson was known for his anti-Alcohol activism and reenactments of... (Washington) |
Leroy Pletten (Michigan) |
643 |
| 2012 |
36th |
Holiday Inn Express, Cullman, AlabamaCullman is a city in Cullman County, State of Alabama. Cullman is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, and about south of Huntsville. According to the U.S... |
June 20–22, 2011 |
Jack Fellure Lowell Jackson "Jack" Fellure is an American perennial political candidate and retired engineer. He is the presidential nominee of the Prohibition Party for the 2012 presidential election.-Campaigns:... (West Virginia) |
Toby Davis (Mississippi) |
|