America First Party (1944)
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The America First Party is a political party which was founded on January 10, 1943. Its leader, Gerald L. K. Smith, was the party's presidential candidate in the 1944 U.S. Presidential Election. The results were less than encouraging for its members; Smith received 1,780 votes, mostly from the states of Texas and Michigan. This America First Party was renamed the Christian Nationalist Crusade in 1947.
In 1948 the Christian Nationalist Party nominated Smith for President and Harry Romer for vice president.[1]; according to the well-respected website "ourcampaigns.com" this ticket received only 48 votes nationwide [2].
In 1952 a rump America First Party nominated Douglas MacArthur for President, and Harry F. Byrd for vice president, without their consent, while the Christian Nationalists nominated MacArthur and California State Senator Jack B. Tenney.[3] This election apparently marked the final time that candidates were fielded by the original Smith movement or its offspring; however, the name "America First Party" was also used by perennial candidate Lar Daly in the 1960 presidential campaign, where he received 1,767 write-in votes.
In 1996 Justice Ralph Forbes of London, Arkansas ran as the "America First Party" candidate for president in Arkansas with Pro-Life leader Andy Anderson as his running mate, winning 932 votes.[4] He had tried unsuccessfully to file as the candidate of his own Freedom Party.[5]. Forbes had a radically hard-right past, having previously been a campaign manager for David Duke's Populist Party run for the Presidency and had also been an officer in the American Nazi Party.[6]
Note: this party is not related to a second America First Party that was formed in 2002.
[edit] References
Jeansonne, Glen Gerald L.K. Smith: Minister of Hate New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988
