Frank Elbridge Webb

Frank Elbridge Webb (September 1, 1869 – June 15, 1949) was an American engineer who served as the Farmer–Labor Party's presidential candidate in 1928. In the 1932 presidential election, he was initially renominated by the Farmer–Labor Party before being removed and running as the nominee for a wing of the Liberty Party. He also led many unsuccessful efforts to build bridges that spanned the San Francisco Bay.

Born in the California Gold Country, Webb farmed in his youth. He served in the California National Guard and became associated with John H. Dickinson, a general, attorney, and state senator. In 1901, he moved to New York and became involved in engineering work. He also served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish–American War and World War I. In 1922, Webb proposed a plan to build a bridge across the San Francisco Bay. While the plan initially drew wide support, it ultimately failed. He also drew attention for his roles in an attempted purchase of the Idle Hour estate and a scheme to control Mexican government investments in the United States.

A lifelong member of the Republican Party, albeit one who showed little interest in politics, Webb bolted from the party in 1928 and received the Farmer–Labor Party's presidential nomination. Among the policies he campaigned for were a referendum on prohibition, relief for farmers, and public ownership of utilities. His running mate was L. R. Tillman, who accepted the nomination after some tumult which included Senator James A. Reed asking "Who in hell is Webb", a phrase that became identified with the campaign. Webb appeared on the ballot in four states and received 6,390 votes.

Webb remained active in politics and made a second bid for the presidency in 1932, the first presidential election after the Great Depression began. He was initially renominated by the Farmer–Labor Party, but the party removed him after concluding that he was a spy for President Herbert Hoover. After being removed, Webb won the nomination of a wing of the Liberty Party dissatisfied with party founder Coin Harvey. The party had poor fundraising and Webb failed to appear on any ballot. Life

Family and youth Frank Elbridge Webb was born on September 1, 1869, in Angels Camp, part of the California Gold Country, to Annie Settle and Elbridge Webb. His father was a wealthy mining engineer from New England and owned the Utica mine in Angels Camp. His mother had been born in Oregon and was a singer. Webb had an older sister who was an elocutionist, Adelaide E. Webb (1867–1896). Webb's father died Webb was descended from the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower and his great-grandfather Nathaniel Webb had served in the Revolutionary War. Later in life, Webb would join the Sons of the American Revolution, founded by a cousin, and The Kansas City Star would observe that it was hard to overlook Webb's Mayflower heritage because of how frequently he mentioned it.

Webb's father died in his mine when Webb was very young. After his death, Webb began farming and through that and other work he was able to afford an education. He graduated from a San Francisco night school in 1886

Career and military service 1897 drawing of WebbIn 1884, He served with distinction on Dickinson's staff when the National Guard was called to put down ARU strikers at Sacramento during the Pullman Strike. He also studied law under Dickinson and worked as his law clerk, working on the defense of murderer Theodore Durrant and as a crucial witness in a case regarding James G. Fair's estate. As a graduate engineer, Webb created an irrigation system on a large California ranch, rescuing it from financial ruin. After Bensel's death in 1921, Webb became the head of his eponymous engineering firm.

In 1898, Webb thought that Congress was being too slow in declaring war on Spain and declared that when it did declare war he would be honorably discharged from the National Guard, join the Army, and muster a company of cowboys. During World War I, Webb was an intelligence officer for Major General Leonard Wood and served in the army quartermaster, After serving from 1914 to 1920, Webb retired with the rank of colonel. In 1897, Webb sought to become the Appraiser of Customs for the Port of San Francisco. The Alameda Times-Star thought that he was a viable candidate, noting that he had been active politically for multiple years and was both well-known and popular. They observed that he had ties with many influential East Coast men; his cousin William Seward Webb was a Vanderbilt-by-marriage and Webb was good friends with George Morse, nephew-in-law to President William McKinley. Webb had the support of Dickinson, a State Senator, and he was also endorsed by the San Francisco County Republican Committee, the Alameda County Republican Committee, and many leading local politicians. with Webb being considered for the assistant appraisership. In the 1899 U.S. Senate election, Republicans in the California legislature were unable to coalesce behind a single candidate (Ulysses S. Grant Jr. led, but only with 23.85% of the vote). Webb urged the party to elect somebody, not expressing any preference and saying that he believed his opinion was widely popular among young Republicans and the party in general, with Webb expressing fear that they would fail to elect anyone and deprive both California and the Republican Party a Senator. This occurred, though Thomas R. Bard would be elected in a special session in 1900. After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake killed thousands and leveled most of the city, Webb was in correspondence with California Governor George Pardee, with The Boston Globe publishing excerpts of a letter Pardee wrote to Webb refuting rumors that the national guard had killed survivors. Webb was related to the Vanderbilt family and would later say that he had managed Harold Vanderbilt's property for a time. A person close to Harold Vanderbilt said that the syndicate was mostly made up of Western oilmen who were Vanderbilt University alumni and that they planned to make the country club exclusive to alumni. The New York Herald reported that the syndicate consisted of "men prominent in oil, railroad, financial, industrial, professional, artistic and social circles." Webb said the country club would be the "finest and most exclusive country club in existence." requesting the deal be annulled. He would rebuy it in foreclosure proceedings for $556,000. Webb would summarize the situation: " handled the sale of [Harold Vanderbilt's] Long Island estate, Idle Hour, to Isaac M. Putnam, a wealthy oil man.Efn|Putnam had been earlier identified as the president of the syndicate. During the trial, it was revealed that Mackay had introduced Webb to Richard H. Cole, a friend of President Warren G. Harding's who had expected to be appointed to a diplomatic post in Mexico. Through that post, Cole believed he could control Mexican investments into the United States and receive valuable concessions, and Webb agreed to raise a $100,000 fund to lobby Mexican and American officials to secure this reality. On January 21, 1922, Webb and Cole hosted a 75-person dinner which cost $3,000 that was attended by many prominent figures, including former Speaker of the House Joe Cannon, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, another 35 members of the United States Senate, and some prominent Mexican officials. The scheme's failure was variably attributed to Mexican political instability which damaged Cole's influence, Harding's absence from the dinner,

San Francisco Bay bridge project The leaders of a surveying expedition to explore the viability of Webb's proposed bridge at Little Coyote Point in 1923. From left to right, Frank Sinnicks, W. H. Bissell, Webb, and John J. McGrath.

In 1922, Webb orchestrated an effort to develop Little Coyote Point, San Mateo, California. Later that year, he outlined a plan to build a toll bridge that spanned the San Francisco Bay, from Coyote Point to the coast of Alameda County. In 1925, the board transferred the franchise to Frank C. Towns after Webb struggled to secure capital and was forced to delay the beginning of construction. After losing the franchise, Webb continued with other transbay bridge efforts, though they attracted little local support and were repeatedly rejected by the authorities. These efforts included seeking a franchise to build a transbay bridge at the nearby Candlestick Point.

Presidential election of 1928

Nomination

In the 1928 presidential election, Webb bolted from the Republican Party and received the Farmer–Labor Party's (FLP) nomination. Meeting at its July 1928 national convention in Chicago, the FLP narrowly decided to nominate Senator George W. Norris over Socialist nominee Norman Thomas, by a vote of 16 to 14. Norris, while incredibly sympathetic to the FLP's cause, rejected due to the inevitable defeat he felt such an effort would end in. Chester Rowell, a prominent progressive Republican, described the party which nominated Webb as having effectively ceased to exist prior to his nomination, writing "There was a time when this Farmer–Labor party threatened to be a real movement to organize the Western form of social discontent. That time has passed."

In the months prior to his nomination, Webb had been wary of bolting from the Republican Party and running for president, fearing it would make him a laughingstock among his business associates, but he eventually declared that "onditions compel me to change my usual political affiliations." Webb made himself known to the FLP by attending a conference of their leaders in Denver, where he declared that he would accept their nomination if the platform was revised. The executive committee assembled in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 5, less than a week after the convention had been called. The seven-member executive committee only had five in attendance, joined by 12 advisory delegates, with the five executive committee members present deciding they constituted a quorum of the committee. Two members of the executive committee stormed out of the convention prior to Webb's nomination. The three remaining members of the executive committee met together, and shortly before midday on September 6 they nominated Webb, a nomination he accepted.

Platform Webb campaigned on farm relief, public ownership of utilities, no changes in immigration law, a nonpartisan cabinet, and a national referendum on prohibition, among other positions. After being revised, the party platform did not include any of the aforementioned planks.Efn|The revised platform called for "establishment of equitable trade relationships with all governments, permitting autonomy to all."

Search for running mate At its July convention, the FLP had nominated Will Vereen to serve as the running mate to Norris. Like Norris, Vereen rejected the nomination, though he was not as sympathetic as Norris, calling it an "absurdity". The executive committee next offered the vice presidential nomination to Senator James A. Reed of Missouri, who had fielded a strong bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1928. Reed's associates deeply resented that he had been offered it, finding it humiliating and feeling as if he had been used. Upon being informed of the nomination, Reed angrily declared "Who in hell is Webb?Efn|Also reported as "Who the hell is Webb?" Reed declined the nomination, saying "I am positively astounded, I never dreamed of such action", with him repeatedly reiterating his support for Democratic nominee Al Smith. The executive committee resumed its search for a running mate, with L. R. Tillman, a member of the executive committee, being held in reserve in case no more prominent individual could be found who was willing to serve.

After Reed's refusal, the executive committee contacted Henry Quincy Alexander, with him accepting the party's vice presidential nomination on September 11. Alexander had no prior affiliation with the FLP or any of its leaders, with his first contact being the executive committee asking if he would accept their vice presidential nomination if offered. Alexander was a prominent leader of North Carolina's agrarians and had rallied them to La Follette's side in 1924. A member of the Democratic Party, in the 1928 Democratic presidential primaries he had been a supporter of Senator Reed. Alexander said his acceptance was due to his appreciation at being offered the nomination, his desire to serve the nation's farmers and laborers however he could, and because of Reed's refusal, with him writing: 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 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. The existence of two Liberty parties 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, though he refrained from making a formal endorsement.

Platform

The platform of the Liberty Party, with the exception of its first plank, was described as very similar to Franklin D. Roosevelt's then-proposed New Deal. The seventh plank originally called for government ownership of public utilities but it was changed to instead call for supervision at the request of Webb, who believed that government should not directly involve itself in business, except for matters concerning banking.

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 on the ballot or reputed as the nominee in eight of those states, with Webb not appearing on any state ballots. In California and New Mexico, where the presidential short ballot had not yet been adopted, 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.

Later years In February 1933, Webb wished the incoming Roosevelt administration the best of luck and said he would serve in it if called upon. In March 1936, Webb was booked to deliver a radio broadcast on Columbia entitled "The Republic Is in Danger—America Prepare!" Webb did so in his capacity as national chairman of the Constitutional Party, an organization whose creation he had called for in a 1931 political pamphlet cowritten with Lowson entitled "The Republic Is in Danger". In 1938, Webb wrote a letter to Roosevelt as a prospective investor in the housing market, complaining that Fannie Mae was making it impossible to invest.

Webb died suddenly on June 15, 1949, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 79 years old. remembered most often for his presidential campaigns, except around the San Francisco Bay, where he was better remembered for his bridge projects.

Personal life upright=.7In 1908, Agnes Hayes divorced from him for reason of desertion. Webb remarried in 1909 to Alice Gilman. Webb later married Ethel L. Webb and she divorced him in 1927, suing for alimony after he received the Farmer–Labor Party's nomination.