Former Connecticut Governor Lowell Weicker Jr., elected in 1990 to become the Constitution State’s first and only third party chief executive since the era of the historical Whigs, passed away Wednesday of this week. He was 92 years old.
Weicker was born in 1931 in Paris, France, before moving to New York City at a young age. He attended Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School before entering politics in 1962, running and winning his first election to become a member of the Connecticut legislature as a Republican. He also ran for municipal office in Greenwich while retaining his legislative seat. In 1968, Weicker pivoted to national politics, serving a single term as a Republican member of Congress before serving three terms in the United States Senate.
Weicker frequently clashed with the emerging brand of Republicanism of the 70s and 80s. During his time as a member of the Senate Select Committee investigating Watergate, he was the first member of his then-party to condemn President Richard Nixon for his behavior. As a Republican, he was a maverick on abortion, school prayer, and supporting social services. His views made him controversial to conservatives at the time, such as William F. Buckley, an intellectual conservative thinker and former Conservative Party congressional candidate who made it a focus to see him defeated.
Weicker lost his Senate reelection campaign in 1988 but would run for Connecticut Governor two years later. In 1990, he became Connecticut’s first emerging party candidate to capture the governor’s mansion, the first to do so since before the Civil War, after it became increasingly likely he would not persevere through a Republican primary. Running under “A Connecticut Party,” he earned 40% of the vote in a four-way race.
Weicker initially chose A Connecticut Party in response to state law forcing him to declare a party name on the ballot. His choice of “A” in front of Connecticut was intentional, leading to his name being listed third on the ballot. As governor, Weicker only served one term in office. However, he retained his reputation as a maverick, seeing Connecticut adopt a personal income tax at great expense to his safety and public image and during a time when opposition to such a move was duopolistic.
At its height, Weicker’s A Connecticut Party boasted almost 2,000 members. Party rules allowed those members to influence policy and choose local candidates directly. It also ran legislative candidates in 21 districts and several congressional candidates. Eunice Groark, Weicker’s running mate in 1990, ran under the A Connecticut Party label the following election cycle, securing 19% of the vote in another four-way race, but failed to maintain the unique coalition that propelled Weicker to office. The party would eventually field fewer and fewer candidates, losing minor party status in 1998.
The party was “revived” in 2021, although the new organization does not directly relate to Weicker’s initial operation.