United States Independence Party

:"This article deals with a defunct American political party. For the party formed in 2007, see Independence Party of America. For other parties of similar names, see Independence Party. "

The Independence Party, or Independence League or National Independence League, was a short-lived minor American political party formed by newspaper publisher and United States Representative William Randolph Hearst in 1906 as the successor to the Municipal Ownership League, which had dissolved after Hearst was defeated in his run for Mayor of New York in 1905 on the Municipal Ownership League's ticket against the incumbent Democrat George B. McClellan, Jr. and Republican William M. Ivins [The Wikipedia entry is for William Mills Ivins, Jr. (William Mills Ivins' son); see also a long, contemporary "New York Sunday Times" magazine feature article, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A05E2D7163EE733A25751C2A9669D946497D6CF "William M. Ivins, a Man of Many Facets; A Character Study of the Republican Candidate for the Mayoralty"] (October 22, 1905 page SM1). ] .

The next year, Hearst was defeated in his run for Governor of New York on a Democratic-Independence fusion ticket, but all his running mates were elected: Lt. Gov. Lewis S. Chanler, Secretary of State John S. Whalen, Comptroller Martin H. Glynn, Treasurer Julius Hauser, Attorney General William S. Jackson and State Engineer Frederick Skene.

The party was active in several other states, including California and Massachusetts, where party nomineee Thomas L. Hisgen garnered a significant number of votes in the 1907 election for governor. The party nominated Thomas L. Hisgen for President of the United States and John Temple Graves for Vice President of the United States at its national convention in Chicago in July 1908. The party platform argued against corrupt machine politics, for the eight-hour work day, for the creation of a Department of Labor, for government ownership of utilties (including railroads), and for the establishment of a central bank. The national party collapsed after the 1908 election, in which Hisgen and Graves won less than one percent of the popular vote.

Hearst ran again for Mayor of New York in 1909, and for Lieutenant Governor in 1910, but was defeated both times. The New York Independence League continued to nominate candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York until the state election of 1914.

References

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=_yIUlXrEeWQC "William Randolph Hearst: The Early Years, 1863-1910" by Ben H. Procter]
* [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=65034 OurCampaigns.com]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E00E5DC123EE233A2575AC2A9619C946997D6CF New York Times: HISGEN AND GRAVES NEW PARTY TICKET; The Independence Convention Makes Its Choice in Early Morning]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=980CE2D7133EE233A25756C2A96F9C946997D6CF New York Times: HEARST READS MORE LETTERS]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9805EFD61F3EE733A25753C3A96F9C946797D6CF] Ind.L. ticket, in NYT on September 30, 1906