Episode 22: Here Comes the Judge (w/Bruce Dearstyne)

Being an unsuccessful presidential candidate usually results in obscurity. Don't expect the wider public to remember who you were, unless you were a truly exceptional figure like Henry Clay. Today, we'll look at perhaps the most obscure person ever nominated by a major party: Alton Parker. This NY Court of Appeals judge was the Democrats' choice to run against Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. But still waters run deep. We will explore Parker's important legacy as a judge, and why he was the Democratic nominee in 1904, with New York historian Bruce Dearstyne.