Earl Dodge

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Earl Dodge in 2003

Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. (December 24, 1932 – November 7, 2007) was a long-time temperance movement leader and a politician of the Prohibition Party, from the U.S. state of Colorado.

Dodge was born in Revere, Massachusetts on 24 December 1932.[1], and joined the Prohibition Party at age 19. He was appointed Chairman of the Prohibition Party in 1979 while the party was operating under the name of the National Statesmen Party; the party name was re-instated following the 1980 election.

According to a major political resources website, a faction "wrested control of the party away from Dodge by late 2003. The new leadership group subsequently declared that the Dodge-Lydick ticket was illegally nominated at an improperly called 'national convention' held in Dodge's living room in early 2003."[2] This faction believed in compromising or softening the Prohibition goals, while Dodge represented those who still favored the total prohibition of alcohol.^{[citation needed]} The anti-Dodge faction was also concerned about Dodge’s financial relationship with the party and its foundations and what it considered to be a lack of satisfactory accounting from him. [3]

When the Prohibition National Committee (now controlled by the anti-Dodge faction) selected Gene Amondson as the replacement nominee, Dodge refused to accept the move." [4] The anti-Dodge faction claims that Dodge transferred most party assets to the National Prohibition Foundation, which they also claim is controlled by his family. [5]. The Foundation (which has existed since 1952) is currently controlled by Howard Lydick (the Dodge faction's 2004 vice-presidential candidate) and one of Dodge's daughters.^{[citation needed]} The Dodge faction does not refute these allegations on its website, [6] since Earl Dodge did not make a practice of defending himself publicly.^{[citation needed]}

Through the party's various travails, Dodge remained a dedicated perennial candidate of the party with which he was involved for over half a century (to the extent of financing some party operations from his own pocket when member contributions were insufficient)^{[citation needed]} until his sudden death.

In addition to his work with the Prohibition Party, Dodge was active in various other temperance organizations, as well as the Right to Life movement, and in several political memorabilia collecting organizations. In his later years, Dodge began to make a living producing political items.

[edit] Campaigns

The following is a list of his candidacies:

• 1954 - Massachusetts Governor's Council - 5,459 votes
• 1956 - Massachusetts Secretary of State - 10,030 votes
• 1958 - Kosciusko County Commissioner, Indiana
• 1959 - Winona Lake IN Council - 42%
• 1960 - U.S. House (IN-2) - 553 votes [7]
• 1966 - United States Senate from Kansas - 9,364 votes [8]
• 1968 - Presidential Elector from Michigan - 60 votes as write-in on E. Harold Munn slate [9]
• 1969 - Kalamazoo City Commission [MI] - 6,470 votes
• 1974 - Governor of Colorado - 6,419 votes [10]
• 1976 - Vice President of the United States - 15,934 votes [11]
• 1978 - Governor of Colorado - 2,198 votes [12]
• 1980 - Vice President of the United States - 7,212 votes [13]
• 1982 - Governor of Colorado - 3,496 votes [14]
• 1984 - President of the United States - 4,242 votes [15]
• 1986 - Governor of Colorado - 8,183 votes [16]
• 1988 - President of the United States - 8,002 votes [17]
• 1990 - United States Senate from Colorado - 11,801 votes [18]
• 1992 - President of the United States - 935 votes [19]
• 1994 - Governor of Colorado - 7,722 votes [20]
• 1996 - President of the United States - 1,298 votes [21]
• 1998 - Regent At Large, Colorado State University - 9,930 votes
• 2000 - President of the United States - Candidate in the Independent American Primary - 480 votes [22]
• 2000 - President of the United States - 208 votes [23]
• 2004 - President of the United States - 140 votes [24]
• Dodge was re-nominated in 2007 by his faction for a seventh run for President [25]. However, he died of cardiac arrhythmia nearly a year before the election, at the Denver International Airport while waiting to board a flight. [26][27]

[edit] Death

Dodge was waiting to board a flight en route from Denver International Airport to Pennsylvania, when he suddenly collapsed. Doctors confirmed it was a heart attack. He died on November 7, 2007.

[edit] External links

• Article in Boulder Weekly.
• New York Times obituary
• Associated Press obituary
• Stockport Express (UK) obituary
• Prohibition Party website - Pro-Dodge faction
• Prohibition Party website - Anti-Dodge faction
• OurCampaigns biography