Only 136 years ago...

[kvarko]

Right before the inauguration, I heard something on the radio which I had to go look up, to get the details right: In 1872, Frederick Douglass -- who you'll hopefully remember was African American, and born a slave -- became the very first African-American nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate in the United States, running on the Equal Rights

Comments

[kvarko]

The page on Woodhull is quite interesting. It explains that Douglass did not acknowledge the nomination to the ticket by the Equal Rights Party convention. It also lists a number of reasons by which some people object to Woodhull being credited as the first woman to run for President -- one of which was that she would not yet have been 35 by the inauguration! By that criteria, Belva Lockwood would be first, since she was over 35 when she ran in 1884 and 1888 (!!). The first woman to receive an electoral vote was Tonie Nathan who was VP on the Libertarian ticket in 1972. There's also mention of Charlene Mitchell, the first African American woman to run for President, who ran in 1968 for the Communist Party USA.

[vfish]

One has to draw the line somewhere, although I don't claim to know where it should be drawn! Woodhull was Constitutionally ineligible. Lockwood only got a few thousand votes. The same is true of Nathan; it would be charitable to characterize the Libertarian Party of 1972 as a full third party.

What counts as a serious run for the Presidency? Does it count if you run for the Communist Party (and barely clear 1000 votes)? Did Stephen Colbert count? What about Pigasus?

[goulo]

Fascine! Dankon pro la interesa informo. Ŝajnas esti ia eblo por amuza alternativa historia romano tie...