Fay Carpenter Swain | |
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| Other names | Princess Running Waters St. Swain
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Fay Carpenter Swain was a candidate for president or vice president in multiple primaries in the period spanning 1964 to 1976. She was also known as a unique character, particularly in the later years of her life in Cincinnati.
.Early life
Swain was born Fay Darlene Turner[6] around 1916 in Clark County, Illinois.[5] She self-identified as being of Cherokee descent.[citation needed]
Swain was a candidate in the 1964 Democratic Party presidential primaries where she received 7,140 votes in Indiana. She was against capital punishment and the Civil Rights Act of 1964,[7] and was quoted as indicating she was for equal rights for men.[8] Swain hitchhiked in between campaign stops during her campaign.[5] She was was known for throwing jelly beans at reporters during the primary season,[9] and for gathering signatures from people who signed documents as a means to "get rid of [her]".[10]
In 1967 she entered the New Hampshire primary as a peace candidate in the Democratic party.[11] Her first appearance at the New Hampshire primary was with the name Princess St. Swanee Running Water,[3]: 254 but when she returned to enter the primary she was told she would have to use her name Faye Carpenter Swain.[12][3]: 256 Her participation in the New Hampshire primary was later discussed as a publicity stunt.[13]
She received 2305 votes in the 1976 Kentucky Democratic primary,[4] where she was noted for her campaign attire which included a gold lame skirt.[14] In 1983 she campaigned for governor of Kentucky.[15]
Personal life
Her husband Willy Lee Swain was a World War I veteran.[5]
In her late 70s she lived in Cinncinati and was known as a character[16] who was "larger than life".[17] She described herself as a "town character of Cincinnati", and she enjoyed watching court trials,[18] where she cheered for Marvin L. Warner during a court case in which Warner was accused of fraud.[19] Locally she was known for helping people who had been jailed for excessive drinking.[20]
She had breast cancer[21] and she died in 1997,[6][22] whereupon the The Cincinnati Post published a story about some of more unusual activities over the years.[23]
References
- ^ "Indian princess eyes nomination for presidency". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 1967-10-08. p. 146. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ "New Hampshire Primary Draws Some Real Dark Horses". Pottstown Mercury. 1967-10-20.
- ^ a b c Cash, Kevin (1975). Who the hell is William Loeb?. Internet Archive. Manchester, N.H. ; Amoskeag Press. p. 256.
- ^ a b Freeman, Jo (2023-06-14). We Will Be Heard: Women's Struggles for Political Power in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-4616-4688-4.
- ^ a b c d ""Colorful Character" Asks Vice Presidency". Boswell News. Jan 23, 1964. p. 2.
- ^ a b Pulfer, Laura (1997-08-05). "Fifi, beloved street person, dead at 81". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ "Candidate (D) for vice president blows into state". The Telegraph. December 4, 1963.
- ^ "Candidate". Dayton Daily News. 1964-02-04. p. 21. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ Carmony, Donald F. (Donald Francis) (1966). Indiana: a self-appraisal. Internet Archive. Bloomington, Indiana University Press. p. 54.
- ^ "In Indiana, everybody runs". Dayton Daily News. 1964-05-04. p. 20. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Indian princess plans to enter primary in NH". Evening Express. 1967-10-06. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ Stark rejects Indian girl as nominee. The Telegraph. February 1, 1968.
- ^ Langley, Guy (1968-03-09). "Newsmen saw Nixon out front 'way back". Editor and Publisher. Vol. 101, no. 10. Internet Archive. Duncan McIntosh.
- ^ "Better late than...well, report still has a few bugs". The Indianapolis Star. 1976-05-30. p. 26. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ Lawrence, Keith (1983-04-21). "Fifi Rockefeller campaigns - by bus". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ Winternitz, Felix (2000). Cincinnati. Internet Archive. Helena, MT : Falcon Pub. p. 367. ISBN 978-1-57380-111-9.
- ^ Wecker, David (1993-11-04). "Fifi the street legend knows she's a winner". The Cincinnati Post. p. 27. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ Freeman, Jo (2008). We will be heard : women's struggles for political power in the United States. Internet Archive. Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7425-5607-2.
- ^ Maggin, Donald L. (1989). Bankers, builders, knaves, and thieves : the $300 million scam at ESM. Internet Archive. Chicago : Contemporary Books. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-8092-4547-5.
- ^ Pulfer, Laura (1998). I beg to differ : politically incorrect, proudly Midwestern, potentially funny. Internet Archive. Wilmington, Ohio : Orange Frazer Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-1-882203-24-6.
- ^ Wecker, David (2014). Square pegs : stories about everything and nothing. Internet Archive. [Place of publication not identified] : BrandFlick. pp. 233–236. ISBN 978-0-615-94752-5.
- ^ "Fifi Taft Rockefeller, proud of role as 'town character'". The Cincinnati Post. 1997-08-04. pp. 7, 33. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
- ^ Wecker, David (1997-08-12). "Fifi outsmarted Harvard Law grad". The Cincinnati Post. pp. [1], [2]. Retrieved 2024-04-03.