Earl Dodge facts for kids

Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. (born December 24, 1932 – died November 7, 2007) was an American politician. He was a leader of the Prohibition Party, a political group that wanted to ban alcohol. He ran for president several times from 1984 to 2004.

Early Life and Joining Politics

Earl Farwell Dodge Jr. was born in Malden, Massachusetts, on December 24, 1932. He went to school until the tenth grade. In 1951, he married Barbara Regan.

In 1952, Earl Dodge joined the Prohibition Party. He decided to join after going to a meeting held by Mark R. Shaw, who later became a vice-presidential candidate for the party.

A Career in the Prohibition Party

Early Political Roles

From 1953 to 1956, Earl Dodge worked as an important helper for the Massachusetts Prohibition Party. He also ran to become the Secretary of State for Massachusetts in 1956.

Later, he moved to Indiana. There, from 1958 to 1961, he was the leader of the Indiana Prohibition Party. He even ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in 1960. He also lived in Denver, Colorado, for a short time.

From 1962 to 1966, he worked for a group called the National Christian Citizens Committee. During this time, he also ran for the United States Senate.

Leading the Party

Earl Dodge was a co-leader of the Prohibition Party from 1958 to 1962. In 1979, he became the main leader of the party. The party had changed its name to the National Statesman Party in 1977. He stayed in this leadership role until 2003.

He also ran for governor of Colorado many times. He ran in almost every election from 1974 to 1994. In 1990, he ran for the U.S. Senate in Colorado. His children also ran for different political offices that year.

Running for President

Earl Dodge was chosen as the Prohibition Party's candidate for vice president in the 1976 and 1980 elections.

In 1983, he was chosen to be the party's presidential candidate for the 1984 United States presidential election. He appeared on the ballot in a few states and received 4,236 votes.

He ran for president again in 1988 and received 8,002 votes. In the 1992 election, he received 961 votes. He ran again in 1996 and received 1,298 votes.

In 1999, he was nominated for president once more for the 2000 United States presidential election. He appeared on the ballot only in Colorado and received 208 votes.

Later Campaigns and Passing Away

In 2003, some members of the Prohibition Party decided to make Earl Dodge a chairman emeritus. This was a way to politely remove him from his main leadership role.

For the 2004 United States presidential election, the party had two different groups. One group nominated Gene Amondson. Earl Dodge's group nominated him for president at his home in Lakewood, Colorado. He appeared on the ballot in Colorado and received 140 votes.

In 2007, his group nominated him for president again for the 2008 election. However, on November 7, 2007, Earl Dodge suddenly collapsed at Denver International Airport. He was taken to the hospital but sadly passed away. After his death, efforts were made to bring the two groups of the Prohibition Party back together.

Electoral History