It’s no secret that humans love to vote, and it’s no secret that we love to undermine the pre-selected candidates with choices of our own.
Sometimes though, if the outcry is large enough that write in candidate can become the winner and rule the town. If that winner just so happens to be a cat or a monkey, then so be it.
Perhaps the most famous of these is Stubbs the cat, who was mayor in Talkeetna, Alaska from July 1997 to July of 2017. The town’s furry, four pawed mayor was one of the most popular tourist attractions in the town.
According to an article on CNN.com, because the town is listed as a historical district, the position of mayor is more symbolic than an actual position.
However, Stubbs ruled for 20 plus years unopposed. He sadly passed away in 2017 after a steady health decline following a 2013 dog attack.
The next most famous animal in office is Duke the Dog, a Great Pyrenees that won the election in Cormorant, Miss. in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Duke was so famous he made trips to Chicago for the “Steve Harvey Show” for the World Dog Awards and was even featured in National Geographic for kids.
Duke retired from public life at the age of 91 human years, due to declining health and old age.
Bosco the dog was the mayor of Sunol, Calif., an unincorporated township. According to Wikipedia, not much is known about Bosco, but he did defeat two humans for the honorary position of Mayor in 1981 and served until his death in 1994. There is a statue of Bosco in front of the town post office, which was erected in 2008.
Tiny Omena, Mich. has had four legged Mayors for more than a decade, and this year was no different. In July of 2018, Omena elected Sweet Tart McKee, a nine-year-old cat as their new Mayor. She will serve for the next three years.
According to Kansascity.com, Sweet Tart beat out 13 dogs, a peacock and a goat for the position of Mayor. The town only has roughly 250 to 300 residents and the election is run by the Omena Historical Society. Sweet Tart’s competitors now make up the city council and all documents will be signed with paw prints.
While these may be the most well known and most recent, it’s worth noting some of the honorary mentions – those who ran and didn’t win, or those who won but not much is known about them.
Starting off, we have Henry the beer drinking goat from Texas. Elected in 1982, Clay Henry was a famous goat in Lajitas, Texas known for drinking as many beers as people dare feed him.
He passed away in 1992, but his son, Clay Henry Jr. took over and continued his father’s legacy. In 2002, however, Mayor Henry was attacked and castrated by a neighbor who was upset at the goat drinking on a Sunday. The Mayor was found lying next to his testicles but was stitched up and drinking beer by that afternoon.
Mayor Henry Jr. and his drinking companions were retired somewhere between 2003 and 2011, but you can still visit Lajitas and see the stuffed statue of the original Clay Henry.
Another worthy mention is Limberbutt McCubbins, a cat from Kentucky who is officially registered as a candidate of the 2016 presidential election. Limberbutt was a Democratic candidate, who, had he not garnered attention from major talk shows, may have stayed entirely local.
According to Wikipedia, his slogan was “The Time Is Meow,” and part of his platform, translated by his human companions, was to reform the FEC, as the forms were not very secure.
Limberbutt gained national support, with buttons and signs popping up all over the nation, but unfortunately, he did not win.
As a last mention, the only non-human and non-animal candidate to ever run for any political election or office was a foot powder in 1967 in an Ecuadorian town. It won.
Jeri Hensley
Graphic Designer