Henry D. Irwin

Henry D. Irwin (October 22, 1917 – September 3, 1988) was a Republican presidential elector (from Oklahoma) for the 1960 U.S. presidential election who became a "faithless elector" when he declined to vote as pledged. Early life Irwin was born on October 22, 1917, in Oklahoma, was a 1941 West Point graduate, a graduate student at the University of Tulsa, and an engineer for the Phillips Petroleum Company. While at the University of Tulsa, he advocated for the creation of a Constitution Party. Irwin died on September 3, 1988, in Southbury, Connecticut.

Irwin made a public effort to attempt to convince his fellow Republican presidential electors to also change their votes. After the November 1960 presidential election, Irwin sent out the following telegram addressed to the other 219 Republican electors:

I am Oklahoma Republican elector. The Republican electors cannot deny the election to Kennedy. Sufficient conservative Democratic electors available to deny labor Socialist [sic] nominee. Would you consider Byrd President, Goldwater Vice President, or wire any acceptable substitute. All replies strict confidence.

Also in the 1960 presidential election, 14 unpledged electors (eight from Mississippi and six from Alabama) cast their presidential votes for Byrd. However, none of them voted for Goldwater as vice president, instead giving their second vote to Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. However they are not faithless electors but rather unpledged electors

Oklahoma voters had passed an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution in the summer of 1960 to allow the state parties to choose their own electors in presidential elections rather than allowing individuals to run in primary elections for presidential electors (Irwin was unopposed in his 1960 primary). The state later passed a law that would fine electors if they did not vote for their party's nominee in the election.