| American Party | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Arly Pedersen |
| Founded | February 1, 1969 |
| Headquarters | P.O. Box 612 Tooele, Utah 84074 |
| Ideology | Paleoconservatism |
| Political position | Fiscal: Right-wing Social: Right-wing |
| Website | |
| http://www.theamericanparty.org | |
| Politics of the United States Political parties Elections |
|
The American Party is a conservative party in the United States. Originally called the American Independent Party, it was renamed in 1969 by representatives from 37 states. Following the 1972 election, the American Party split from the American Independent Party. Both of the parties have nominated candidates for the presidency and other offices, although the AIP has considered itself a California affiliate of the Constitution Party. In New York, the party ran a state ticket in 1974 under the name of Courage Party, because a state law there prohibits the use of the word "American" on the ballot. The American Party won its strongest finish in the 1976 presidential election; nominee Tom Anderson carried 161,000 votes (6th place).
In 1990, a small number of members of the party began The Christian Party, whose membership reportedly grew at a faster rate, but ultimately nothing came of it.[1]
The American Party has not achieved ballot status in any state since 1996.
| American Party National Campaigns | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Convention Site & City | Dates | Presidential nominee | Vice-Pres. nominee | Votes |
| 1968 | George C. Wallace (Alabama) | Curtis LeMay (Ohio) | 9,901,151 | ||
| 1972 | Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky |
August 3–5, 1972 | U.S. Rep. John G. Schmitz (California) | Thomas J. Anderson (Tennessee) | 1,090,673 |
| 1976 | Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah |
June 16–20, 1976 | Thomas J. Anderson (Tennessee) | Rufus E. Shackleford (Florida) | 160,773 |
| 1980 | Pasadena, California | December 8–9, 1979 | Percy L. Greaves, Jr. (New York) | Frank L. Varnum (California) | 6,648 |
| Anti-Greaves ticket in Kansas | Frank W. Shelton (Kansas) | George E. Jackson | 1,555 | ||
| Unpledged Anti-Greaves Presidential Electors in Minnesota |
No nominee | No nominee | 6,136 | ||
| 1984 | Charlotte, North Carolina | December 1–3, 1983 | Delmar Dennis (Tennessee) | Traves Brownlee (Delaware) | 13,161 |
| 1988 | Salt Lake City, Utah | June 1987 | Delmar Dennis (Tennessee) | Earl Jeppson | 3,475 |
| 1992 | Pensacola, Florida | June 1992 | Robert J. Smith (Utah) | Doris Feimer (North Dakota) | 292 |
| 1996 | Wichita, Kansas | March 1996 | Diane Beall Templin (California) | Gary Van Horn (Utah) | 1,847 |
| 2000 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | March 30–31, 2000 | Don Rogers (California) | Al Moore (Virginia) | 0 |
| 2004 | Newark, Delaware | July 11–12, 2003 | Robert N. Boyd (Indiana) (withdrew) | Walter C. Thompson (withdrew) | 0 |
| Kenner, Louisiana | January 10, 2004 | Diane Beall Templin (California) | Al Moore (Virginia) | 0 | |
| 2008 | Jacaranda Hotel, Avon Park, Florida |
March 7–8, 2008 | Diane Beall Templin (California) | Linda Patterson (Indiana) | 0 |
Sources for table: