Prohibition Party Celebrates 150th Anniversary

On September 1st, the Prohibition Party celebrated the 150th anniversary of its first national convention in Chicago, in 1869. The Prohibition Party bears the distinction of being the oldest living minor party in the United States, and the third oldest living political party in the U.S., following the Democratic and Republican Parties.
In recognition of the 150th Anniversary, the Prohibition Party put out the following press release:
This year, we celebrate an important milestone in the history of the Prohibition Party. September 1st, 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Prohibition Party. The Prohibition Party is the oldest living minor party and third oldest living political party in the United States. The Prohibition Party has a long, rich, and continuing history.
The Prohibition Party held its first national conference on September 1st, 1869. Since then, the Prohibition Party has acted as a champion of temperance and prohibitionism. The Prohibition Party’s activism help lead to the temporary establishment of nationwide prohibition in the U.S., from 1920-1933. To this day, the Prohibition Party continued to advocate for strong actions to combat alcohol as a public health problem and for restricting and prohibiting the sale of alcohol.
In addition to anti-alcohol activism, the Prohibition Party has championed social reform, ethical public service, and various policies aimed at protecting and advancing the lives and wellbeing of the people. The party has advocated for reforms including women’s suffrage, civil service laws, the direct election of senators, child labor laws, civil rights laws, and many other important causes.
The Prohibition Party helped lead the way in promoting women’s participation in politics. The Prohibition Party was the first national party to formally support women’s suffrage, with its first national platform in 1872. The party elected Susanna Salter, the first women mayor in the U.S., nominated Anna Woodbey, the first African American woman candidate for office, and nominated Marie Brehm, the first legally recognized woman candidate for Vice-President, in 1924.
The Prohibition Party has run a candidate for president in every election since 1872. The party has also run numerous candidates for federal, state, and local offices. The party has elected hundreds of candidates to local offices, has elected candidates to state legislatures in multiple states, elected Charles Randall to congress in 1914, and elected Sidney Catts governor of Florida in 1916. In more recent times, James Hedges was elected Tax Assessor for Thomson Township, Pennsylvania, in 2001 and 2005. In 2016, the party had its largest presidential results since 1988. And earlier this year, Phil Collins came in second place for mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Prohibition Party has challenged the power of the major parties, contributed to our national discourse, and helped drive the progress of this country. The Prohibition Party’s activism continues to this day, and it will advance into the future, as we create the next chapters of its history.
The New York Prohibition Party also put out a special issue of its newspaper commemorating the anniversary, which includes various articles with information on the party’s history.