Politics can be so discouraging that at times it actually seems more rational to vote an animal into office than an actual person.
Politics can be so discouraging that at times it actually seems more rational to vote an animal into office than an actual person.
Over the course of history, there actually have been animals that have “run” for various political offices (and sometimes even won). Here are ten of the most notable animal politicians of the bunch:
Boston Curtis
On September 13, 1938, Boston Curtis became the new Republican precinct committeeman for the town of Milton, Washington. Most remarkably, Curtis achieved this despite the fact that he was a brown mule.
As it turned out, the whole stunt had been arranged by Democrat Milton Mayor Kenneth Simmons, who wanted to make Republicans look foolish and show that the average voter had no idea who he was supporting.
Clay Henry
The legend of Clay Henry lives on today.
Mayor Clay Henry’s affinity for beer greatly worried the people of Lajitas, Texas–mainly because Henry was a goat. From 1986 until his death in 1992, Clay Henry served his constituents well. Since then his son, Clay Henry Jr., has filled the position.
If you’re wondering how this scenario can actually exist, it’s because Lajitas is an unincorporated community where the position of mayor is merely symbolic. In fact, all these mayors had to worry about while in “office” was attracting tourists who would come and offer them beers. In his prime, Mayor Clay Henry Sr. was known to chug over 35 beers a day.
Incitatus
Source: io9
Although we lack strong historical evidence to back up his story, Incitatus deserves a mention on this list.
As Caligula’s favored horse, Incitatus lived a life that most would deem a bit too opulent: Suetonius wrote that the horse lived in a marble stable and wore a collar made out of precious stones, while Dio Cassius mentioned Incitatus being fed oats mixed with gold flakes.
However, the most outlandish claim of them all was that Caligula planned to make Incitatus a Roman consul before being assassinated. The only source we have for this is Suetonius, who lived almost 100 years after Caligula, so it’s likely false. Regardless, debates about this legendary horse still take place today.
Saucisse
Like many other celebrities, Saucisse took the “reality TV” route after his 15 minutes of fame.
If you’re looking for a true underdog story, look no further than Saucisse, the French dachshund. He started life as a garbage-dwelling stray before being rescued and adopted by a French writer named Serge Scotto. Scotto called his new pet Saucisse (sausage) and started using him as a character in his novels.
This brought the dog a fair amount of fame—so much so that he finished 6th (with 4.5 percent of votes) when he “ran” for mayor of Marseille in 2001. In 2009 he appeared in Secret Story, the French version of Big Brother.
Cacareco
Cacareco, pleased to hear about his/her political victory. Source: Gira Famania
An ideal political leader is someone who tackles problems head-on. In theory, this means that a rhino would be perfect for the job. At least, that’s what the people of Sao Paulo thought in 1958 when they voted for a rhino named Cacareco to become a member of city council.
Unlike most other entries featured here, this was not a joke: voters did so to protest the rampant corruption of the Brazilian government at the time.
Pigasus
Pigasus being arrested during his speech. Source: Species And Class
As far as ambitions go, nobody aimed higher than Pigasus the hog. In 1968, he was nominated for the Presidency of the United States and was backed by the Yippies, including prominent activists Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. As you might recall, Pigasus failed to win the election as he was arrested along with several Yippies during his candidacy “speech”. Pigasus was never heard from again, although some speculate that one of the arresting officers took him home for dinner.
Tião
Despite his “Vote monkey – get monkey” slogan, Tiao was actually an ape. Source: Time
Brazilians didn’t only use Cacareco to try and bring attention to the country’s political corruption. Thirty years later, Tião the chimpanzee “ran” as a mayoral candidate in Rio de Janeiro on the platform of “Vote monkey – get monkey”.
Tião’s consistency stood in stark contrast to most Brazilian politicians who said one thing and did another. It was never made public how many votes Tião garnered, but unofficial sources claimed he came in third with over 400,000 votes, all of which were annulled.
Bosco Ramos
Even today, Bosco still serves his constituents.
Like Clay Henry, Bosco the dog held the honorary title of mayor in the unincorporated community of Sunol, California. He served as mayor for over 13 years, until his death in 1994. Today, a statue commemorates the town’s favorite mayor in front of the post office.
Stubbs
Source: BLSVH
Stubbs the Cat is the incumbent mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska. Stubbs has occupied this position since 1997, which has proven to be a boon to the town’s tourism industry. Visitors can see Stubbs every day at the local general store, which doubles as his mayoral office. In 2013, Stubbs barely survived a dog attack. Thankfully, worldwide donations softened the financial blow from his time in the hospital.
Billy & Tai
Whangamomona, New Zealand has had the best “presidents” ever. Originally part of the Taranaki Region, the township was incorporated in the Manawatu-Wanganui region in 1989 after the regional boundaries were redrawn. Whangamomona locals didn’t like this, so as a protest they decided to declare themselves a republic. Obviously, they needed a president. Local Ian Kjestrup was elected despite being put on the ballot without his knowledge.
Even so, he served as president for 10 years before being replaced by Billy Gumboot the goat. Billy won the 1999 election but died in office after serving as president for 18 months. Next came Tai, a poodle who retired after less than one year.
Since 2005, the president of the Republic of Whangamomona has been Murtle “the Turtle” Kennard, and it’s pretty obvious what kind of animal he is – a human.
Next, check out some of humanity’s most truly weird pets.
