The Shitty 1896, 1904, and 1908 Candidacies of Thomas E. Watson, People’s Party, Georgia.
Quick Bio: Born five years before the Civil War, Watson was, like over half of U.S. Presidents, a lawyer. He was a Democrat, no surprise as he was from the postbellum South, and served under their banner in the Georgia Legislature and then the U.S. House. During his congressional tenure, Watson felt Democratic policies disenfranchised rural families and especially black people, so he joined the upstart People’s Party. The Populists, as they called themselves, were more open-minded and strongly advocated for giving power to the people, regardless of class or race.
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