# Frank Elbridge Webb

Colonel Frank Elbridge Webb (1869 – June 15, 1949) was an American industrial engineer who served as the Farmer–Labor Party's presidential candidate in 1928 and as the presidential candidate for a wing of the Liberty Party in 1932.

## Life and career

Webb was born in the California Mother Lode. His father, a farmer, died when he was young.
He was a recruiting sergeant during the Spanish-American War and served with the army quartermaster during World War I.
Webb achieved some fame for his efforts to build bridges across San Francisco Bay. He was an associate of John A. Bensel as well as the Vanderbilts.

## Presidential election of 1928
### Campaign history

In the 1928 presidential election, Webb bolted from the Republican Party and received the Farmer-Labor Party's nomination. Webb refused to run alongside Senator J. Thomas Heflin of Alabama primarily because he believed Heflin went to cheap burlesque shows. Senator James A. Reed of Missouri was nominated as the party's candidate for vice president, however he declined, remarking "Who the hell is Webb?" This remark was embraced by the party, with Webb and the Farmer–Labor Party issuing pamphlets with the remark and including it in party bulletins. Dr. Henry Quincy Alexander of North Carolina was then nominated as the party's candidate for vice president, however he withdrew his name from the ticket after being nominated. L. R. Tillman of Georgia was then nominated as the party's candidate for vice president after it failed to find a more notable candidate willing to serve.

### Results

Webb appeared on the ballot in Colorado, Iowa, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. He received 6,390 votes.

## Presidential election of 1932
### Farmer–Labor Party

In April 1932, Webb was again nominated as the Farmer–Labor Party's nominee for president, with Jacob S. Coxey being nominated for vice president. His nomination met significant opposition due to his wealth. In June 1932, he was erased from the ticket after refusing to endorse the party platform in whole, and after it was charged that he lived in Washington, D.C., and not San Francisco, California. The party reached the conclusion that he was "a spy for Hoover".

### Liberty Party
#### Platform

* Retention and observance of the entire Constitution of the United States.
* Government banks, operated for service only.
* Strict enforcement of the Sherman Anti-trust laws and restraint of trade acts.
* Cost of production plus a profit for the farmer.
* A 6-hour day and wages in keeping with industry.
* Expansion of currency dealing with unemployment and public improvements.
* Government supervision of public utilities.
* Protection of investments and capital only when invested in the United States.
The platform of the Liberty Party, with the exception of its first plank, was thought to be very similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s proposed New Deal. The seventh plank originally called for government ownership of public utilities, however it was changed to its final form at the request of Webb, as he did not believe government should directly involve itself in business, except with regards to monetary policy.

#### Campaign history

In July 1932, Ronald E. Bruner, who claimed to be the national chairman of the Liberty Party's executive committee, called a unity convention in Kansas City, Missouri to fuse together the "old Liberty, the Farmer–Labor, the Progressive and the Socialist parties and the Monetary League and the Farmers' Union" in order to solidify the opposition to the Democrats and Republicans. After considering the nominations of Smith W. Brookhart, Norman Thomas, Coin Harvey, and Jacob S. Coxey, among others, the convention nominated Webb for president and Andrae Nordskog for vice president. The nomination of Webb and Nordskog was ridiculed as they were both Californians, and therefore constitutionally ineligible of being awarded California's electoral votes. In September 1932, Reverend Otis L. Spurgeon, a Baptist minister and the national secretary of Bruner's Liberty Party, replaced Nordskog as the vice presidential nominee. The Socialist and Farmer–Labor parties, and most other organizations claimed to fuse at the convention, disavowed any claims of fusion. The old Liberty Party called the convention illegitimate and said that Bruner was falsely representing himself as the chairman of its executive committee. In April 1932, the old Liberty Party had merged with the Jobless Party, planning to nominate a single candidate for president at an August convention of the "Jobless-Liberty" Party. The merger collapsed shortly after the convention began, with the Liberty Party delegates present at the convention renominating Coin Harvey for president. Bruner's Liberty Party demanded Harvey cease claiming to be the Liberty Party nominee, promising litigation if he refused. The existence of two Liberty Party's severely impeded the campaign, with the party only fundraising $350. In November 1932, prior to the election, Bruner's Liberty Party declared that it would not win, blaming the poor fundraising. Spurgeon endorsed Hoover and Webb declared that it would be better for the country if Herbert Hoover was reelected rather than if Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidency.

#### Results

Roosevelt defeated Hoover's bid for reelection and won the presidency with 42 states and 57.41% of the popular vote. The Liberty Party appeared on just ten state ballots, and Harvey was present or reputed as the nominee in eight of those states, with Webb not appearing on any ballots. In California and New Mexico, where the name of presidential candidates did not appear on the ballot and state parties nominated a slate of electors, the state Liberty Parties professed support for neither Webb nor Harvey. In California, the highest vote total for a Liberty Party elector was 9,827 votes, and in New Mexico, the highest vote total for a Liberty Party elector was 389 votes.

## Death and legacy

He died on June 15, 1949 in Washington, D.C. at the age of 79.