Gene C Amondson was a painter, woodcarver, Christian minister and prohibition activist, who was the 2004 US presidential nominee for one faction of the Prohibition Party and the nominee of the unified party in 2008.
35 Facts About Gene Amondson
2.
The son of a logger, Amondson was born into a Pacific Northwest lumberjack culture laden with alcoholism.
3.
Gene Amondson became interested in the temperance movement while attending Divinity School.
4.
Gene Amondson's activism attracted notice from the Prohibition Party, which had been divided into two factions in 2003.
5.
In 2004, Gene Amondson received the presidential nomination of the larger faction.
6.
In 2008, Gene Amondson again received the party's presidential nomination, but fell short of his 2004 vote total.
7.
Gene Amondson was born to Owen and Ruby Amondson in Morton, Washington near the city of Centralia.
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Oprah Winfrey 8.
Gene Amondson's mother was a German American homemaker, originally from Nebraska and his father, who was nicknamed "Red", was a Norwegian American logger, an industry then rampant with alcoholism.
9.
Gene Amondson attended Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology.
10.
Gene Amondson estimated that after divinity school, he drank beer about twice a year.
11.
Gene Amondson started touring the nation reenacting the Billy Sunday sermons Get on the Water Wagon, Booze.
12.
Gene Amondson visited churches, prisons, schools, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to spread the message of temperance.
13.
In protest of alcohol, Gene Amondson often stood outside liquor establishments dressed as the Grim Reaper.
14.
Gene Amondson once stood outside a courtroom as the figure after a couple sued Jim Beam claiming its product caused their son to be born mentally retarded.
15.
On Vashon Island, Gene Amondson provided low rent housing for people with low income.
16.
Gene Amondson appeared in court a few times for zoning difficulties relating to the housing complexes but received legal aid from the Interfaith Council on Homelessness.
17.
Gene Amondson's car was one of the first in the nation to be fitted with such a kit.
18.
In 2003, Gene Amondson was approached by Thompson Township, Pennsylvania tax assessor James Hedges, the Prohibition Party's only elected official.
19.
Gene Amondson convinced Amondson to seek the nomination of his faction of the Prohibition Party, which split over perennial presidential nominee Earl Dodge's leadership of the party.
20.
Gene Amondson commenced his first presidential campaign with the nomination of Hedges' faction.
21.
Gene Amondson spoke with correspondent Ed Helms who joked with the candidate.
22.
Gene Amondson achieved ballot access in Louisiana as the nominee of the Prohibition Party and in Colorado as the nominee of the Concerns of People Party.
23.
Gene Amondson placed eighth in a slate of 12 candidates on Colorado's ballot.
24.
Gene Amondson was nominated for President at the 2008 Prohibition Party National Convention in Indianapolis.
25.
Similar to 2004, Gene Amondson's based his campaign on media interviews.
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Oprah Winfrey 26.
Gene Amondson spoke with Wikinews in June 2008, admitting that third party candidates such as himself have no chance of winning elections.
27.
Gene Amondson wanted former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich as his running mate, but the designation went to activist Leroy Pletten.
28.
In interviews, Gene Amondson took stands on issues other than alcohol.
29.
Gene Amondson declared support for the War in Iraq and tougher immigration laws, and advocated limits on divorce, an increased role of religion in schools and a decrease in government welfare programs.
30.
Gene Amondson attained ballot access in Colorado, Louisiana and Florida by Election Day, and received a total of 653 votes overall.
31.
Gene Amondson appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1993 after writing a letter to the show expressing his interest in the 40,000 single women who entered a contest hoping to win a date with five widowers from Seattle.
32.
Gene Amondson cited painters John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla as his artistic influences.
33.
On July 18,2009, Gene Amondson, who had previously been diagnosed with hypertension, suffered a stroke which caused him to fall into a coma.
34.
Gene Amondson died two days later at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, aged 65.
35.
Gene Amondson was survived by his mother, his two brothers, his sister and four children.