John Davis

February 9, 2008 - 5:37pm

Alton Parker Redux

Alton Parker. John W. Davis. Wendell Wilkie. Hillary Cinton/Barack Obama.

In 1904, the Democrats, concerned about the radicalism of William Jennings Bryan, cast about for a more reasonable candidate, finally settling on Alton Parker, a non-entity whose entire public service consisted of serving in the New York Judiciary. Parker was so unimpressive and anonymous that one source reports that he stands alone as the only major party presidential nominee never honored with a biography.

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January 10, 2006 - 4:11pm

More Trivia

Joseph Roberts becomes the first South Jersey Democrat to serve as Assembly Speaker since John Davis of Salem County was elected in 1962. He becomes the first Speaker from Camden County since Republican William Dickey was elected in 1970, and the first Camden County Democrat since William Hyland served in 1958.

Bonnie Watson Coleman becomes the first woman to serve in a top Assembly leadership post since Marion West Higgins, a Bergen County Republican, was elected in 1965. Watson Coleman is the first Democratic woman to serve as Majority Leader, and the first African American to hold one of the top two spots in the majority since Rev. S. Howard Woodson was Speaker in 1975. One other African America served as Majority Leader: Wayne Byrant, from 1990 to 1991.

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