Some presidential candidates who managed to leave a mark — however small — on American history

The name “Chase Oliver” might not ring a bell, but over half a million people thought this Libertarian was the man for the White House. Oliver joins a long list of candidates who’ve tried — and failed — to break the iron grip of America’s two-party system. There are, of course, better-known names, like Ross Perot or George Wallace, but others, though they never achieved similar fame, were bold souls who took up the seemingly hopeless battle to become “leader of the free world.”

But before you brush them off, remember the last time you tried convincing your family that going to the zoo on Chol Hamoed was a good idea? Not so easy, right? These people persuaded tens of thousands of voters to choose them for president. So a little respect, please! Here’s a rundown of some presidential candidates who managed to leave a mark —however small — on American history.

The Teetotaler

Name: James Black

Party: Prohibition Party

Ran for president: 1872

We tend to picture tough political decisions being made in the smoke-filled back room of a bar, over a drink or two. Not so for James Black and his followers. Born in Pennsylvania in 1823, Black helped found the Republican Party in 1854. But his deep belief that alcohol was a social scourge drove him to launch the Prohibition Party in 1869 (still the third-oldest party in US history) and to run for president on its ticket in 1872. Though he received only 5,600 votes, his influence was felt decades later, when the Eighteenth Amendment (1919–1933) banned the production, transport, and sale of alcohol in the US.

The “Prohibitionists” are still around, albeit in small numbers — since 1976, they haven’t reached 10,000 votes. But without fail, they’ve fielded a presidential candidate in every election since their founding.

The Socialist

Name: Eugene V. Debs

Party: Socialist Party of America

Ran for president: 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1920

Eugene V. Debs (1855–1926) was a pioneering American socialist and a co-founder of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

Though he started his political life as a Democrat, Debs became increasingly involved in labor activism through his railroad union work and eventually helped found the American Railway Union. Fully dedicated to the socialist cause, he established three socialist-leaning parties: Social Democracy of America (1897), the Social Democratic Party of America (1898), and the Socialist Party of America (1901).

Debs ran for president five times, his most memorable bid coming in 1920, when he campaigned from prison, where he was held on a charge of “inciting disobedience.” His campaign buttons read “For President: Convict No. 9653,” and he received nearly a million votes. To this day, he’s a symbolic figure in American socialism, with Bernie Sanders even citing him as an inspiration.

The Vegetarian

Name: Symon Gould

Party: American Vegetarian Party

Ran for president: 1960, 1964

There was a time when being vegetarian was a rebellious choice. Symon Gould, founder of the American Vegetarian Party (AVP) in 1947, saw it as more than a lifestyle — it was a political mission.

Gould was a vice-presidential candidate in 1948, 1952, and 1956, and ran for president in 1960 and 1964. Though the AVP never gained broad support, its once-radical ideas now seem prescient. Today, vegetarianism is mainstream, and in some places, it’s nearly impossible to find a non-vegetarian restaurant. Given current trends, a comeback for the AVP wouldn’t be out of the question.

The Nazi Sympathizer

Name: William Dudley Pelley

Party: Christian Party

Ran for president: 1936

William Dudley Pelley represents one of the darkest chapters in US political history.

A devout anti-Semite, Pelley founded the Silver Legion in 1933, an organization that openly admired Adolf Hitler. Rumors abound that parts of his campaign were funded by the Nazis. He also dabbled in the occult, claiming he had the power to levitate and see through walls. Thankfully, only 1,600 people supported his presidential bid, and he was later imprisoned for promoting military insurrection. We might wish to forget him, but Pelley’s run is a stark reminder of the freedoms — and dangers — embedded in the US electoral system.

The Comrade

Name: Earl Browder

Party: Communist Party USA

Ran for president: 1936, 1940

Surprisingly, today the Communist Party USA still counts over 20,000 members. Earl Browder, who led the party from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s, ran for president in 1936 and 1940, winning tens of thousands of votes. His legacy, though, was his deep ties to Moscow. In 1995, it was revealed that Browder even recruited spies for the KGB. He didn’t make it to the White House, but he was a prominent public figure, even appearing on the cover of Time magazine as the face of “American Marxism.”

The Ufologist

Name: Gabriel Green

Party: Universal Flying Saucer Party

Ran for president: 1960, 1972

And finally, we come to Gabriel Green, a UFO enthusiast whose interests went beyond science fiction. After claiming he’d had contact with aliens, Green ran for president in 1960 and 1972 as a write-in candidate for the Universal Flying Saucer Party. His exact vote count remains unknown. As expected, Green didn’t pursue a long-term political career, but his presence on this list certainly stands out, reminding us of the eccentric characters who, now and again, make a bid for the Oval Office. He passed away in 2001 in California’s Yucca Valley. (No, he was not abducted.)

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1036)