Vice Presidents and Protest Candidates

Abstract

This chapter tells the story of Joseph Smith’s search for a running mate. Smith and the Council of Fifty first determine to ask respected New York educator and recent Mormon convert James Arlington Bennet to run for vice president with Smith. When Bennet is unable to accept, Smith invites Solomon Copeland of Tennessee to join him on the ticket. When Copeland does not reply to the request and in a crunch for time, Smith invites one of his fellow Mormon leaders, Sidney Rigdon of Pennsylvania, to join him as a candidate for the vice presidency. Rigdon accepts and the ticket is set. This chapter also considers the prospects of another third party candidate, James G. Birney, who runs for the Liberty party, calling for the total and immediate abolition of slavery.