Henry D. Irwin
Encyclopedia
Henry D. Irwin was a Republican
Presidential Elector (from Oklahoma
) for the 1960 U.S. presidential election
who became a "faithless elector
" when he declined to vote as pledged. Irwin is the only presidential elector in American election history to try to convince his fellow presidential electors to change their vote.
Richard Nixon
(of California
) and Senator
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
(of Massachusetts
), instead cast his presidential electoral ballot for Harry F. Byrd
, who was a conservative Democrat
ic Senator from Virginia
. Unlike other electors who voted for Byrd for president, Irwin cast his vice presidential electoral vote for Arizona
Republican Senator Barry Goldwater
. Irwin later admitted in an interview with CBS
that he "could not stomach" Nixon.
Irwin was said to have received about 40 replies from other electors but all of the other pledged electors voted as pledged.
s (eight from Mississippi
and six from Alabama
) cast their Presidential votes for Harry Byrd. However, none of them voted for Senator Barry Goldwater; instead, all 14 voted for Senator Strom Thurmond
of South Carolina
as Vice President.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Presidential Elector (from Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
) for the 1960 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
who became a "faithless elector
Faithless elector
In United States presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the Electoral College who does not vote for the candidate they have pledged to vote for...
" when he declined to vote as pledged. Irwin is the only presidential elector in American election history to try to convince his fellow presidential electors to change their vote.
"Could not stomach" Nixon
In the 1960 Presidential election, Irwin, who had been pledged to vote for then Vice PresidentVice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
(of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) and Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
(of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
), instead cast his presidential electoral ballot for Harry F. Byrd
Harry F. Byrd
Harry Flood Byrd, Sr. of Berryville in Clarke County, Virginia, was an American newspaper publisher, farmer and politician. He was a descendant of one of the First Families of Virginia...
, who was a conservative Democrat
Conservative Democrat
In American politics, a conservative Democrat is a Democratic Party member with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party...
ic Senator from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Unlike other electors who voted for Byrd for president, Irwin cast his vice presidential electoral vote for Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Republican Senator Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
. Irwin later admitted in an interview with CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
that he "could not stomach" Nixon.
The Byrd telegram
Irwin may be unique in American election history by the fact that he may be the only Presidential Elector to make a public effort to attempt to convince his fellow Republican Presidential Electors to also change their votes. After the November, 1960, presidential election, Irwin sent out the following telegram addressed to the 218 Republican Electors:I am Oklahoma Republican elector. The Republican electors cannot deny the election to KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. Sufficient conservative Democratic electors available to deny labor Socialist nominee. Would you consider Byrd President, Goldwater Vice President, or wire any acceptable substitute. All replies strict confidence.
Irwin was said to have received about 40 replies from other electors but all of the other pledged electors voted as pledged.
Byrd receives 15 electoral votes
Also in the 1960 presidential election, 14 unpledged electorUnpledged Elector
In United States presidential elections, an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President. Presidential elections are indirect, with voters in each state choosing electors on Election Day in November, and these electors...
s (eight from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and six from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
) cast their Presidential votes for Harry Byrd. However, none of them voted for Senator Barry Goldwater; instead, all 14 voted for Senator Strom Thurmond
Strom Thurmond
James Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
as Vice President.
See also
- Electoral College (United States)
- Faithless electorFaithless electorIn United States presidential elections, a faithless elector is a member of the Electoral College who does not vote for the candidate they have pledged to vote for...
- United States presidential election, 1960United States presidential election, 1960The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
- Harry F. ByrdHarry F. ByrdHarry Flood Byrd, Sr. of Berryville in Clarke County, Virginia, was an American newspaper publisher, farmer and politician. He was a descendant of one of the First Families of Virginia...