So, whose gonna be the next Tim Kaine? Remember him? He was Hillary Clinton’s running mate, a former governor and current senator from Virginia. Not sure what he’d be remembered for today.
There’s plenty of others as well. I’ll be listing them here, in reverse chronological order, with some random factoids throw in. Rest assured, though, unless you’re a presidential election scholar, you’ve probably never heard of any of them.
So, who will I be adding to this list next, Tim Walz or JD Vance?
William E Miller
Barry Goldwater got absolutely clobbered in the 1964 presidential election. And that’s probably why no one remembers his running mate.
- US rep from NY
- Helped prosecute Nazis in the Nuremberg trials
- The first Catholic on a Republican presidential ticket
- Chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Helped create the party’s Southern Strategy
- Butt of the following joke during the campaign: “Here's a riddle, it's a killer / Who the hell is William Miller?”
- Appeared in “Do you know me?” commercials for American Express
John W Bricker
John Dewey’s first running mate. He would drop him the 2nd time around for the better-known Earl Warren.
- Senator from & governor of Ohio
- Played baseball at Ohio State
- Chaplain in WWI
- Was 9 years older than Dewey
- As part of the campaign, made 28 speeches in a 6-day period
- Was once shot at in the subway that takes congressmen and staff between their offices and the capitol
- Passed away at age 92
Charles L McNary
Going up against FDR in his prime (1940), McNary and running mate Wendell Wilkie were doomed to failure.
- Senator from Oregon (and longest-serving Minority Leader)
- Supported many of FDR’s New Deal initiatives
- Orphan at the age of 9
- Justice on the Oregon supreme court
- Died in 1944, at the end of what would have been his term in office as VP
- Wilkie died the same year
- Developed the Imperial prune, on his ranch Fir Cone
Frank Knox
Knox’s running mate, Alf Landon, was just another Republican sacrifice to the very popular Franklin Roosevelt. Knox would, however, serve under FDR, as Secretary of the Navy.
- Supported military segregation and the internment of Japanese Americans
- Was a Rough Rider during the Spanish-American War
- Was a colonel in WWI
- Newspaper publisher & chairman of Ohio’s Republican Party
- Not to be confused with the English cricketer
Charles W Bryan
Ran with the equally obscure Charles W Davis, losing to Calvin Coolidge in 1924.
- Brother of William Jennings Bryan, 3-time loser at the top of the ticket
- Was probably picked solely for that association
- Governor of Nebraska & mayor of Lincoln
- Was also a tobacco broker, insurance salesman, farmer & publisher
Hiram Johnson
Our first 3rd-party candidate, Johnson was Teddy Roosevelt’s Bull Moose running mate.
- Senator from & governor of California
- Major isolationist – against US entry into WWI, Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations & UN
- A progressive, he originally supported FDR, but turned against him later
- Unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for prez in 1920 and 1924
John W Kern
Our first beardo, as well as our first running mate for perennial candidate William Jennings Bryan.
- Indiana senator
- First Senate Majority Leader (though only served 1 term)
- Personal friend of Bryan, who overcame Kern’s objections to be on the ticket
- Progressive ally of Woodrow Wilson while in office
- Spent 6 months in a TB asylum
Henry G Davis
Could it be possible to be any more obscure than running mate Alton B Parker?
- 80 at the time
- Was at the groundbreaking for the first RR; knew Daniel Webster, John C Calhoun & Henry Clay
- Was basically a fundraiser
- Senator from WV
- Banker, RR executive & coal company owner
- Passed away at age 92
- Middle name was Gassaway
And I think that’s enough obscurity for now. Let’s just stop this thing at 1900. Heck, those late 19th Century politicians are just too obscure – winners/losers, prez/VP – anyway.
