Ted Weill

Ted Weill
50px Ted C. Weill, Chairman of the Reform Party of Mississippi
Personal details
Born	Theodore Weill July 25, 1925
Died
Political party	Reform Party
Residence	Tylertown, Mississippi
Religion	Methodist
Website	Weill for President at the Wayback Machine (archived July 27, 2004)

Theodore C. "Ted" Weill (July 25, 1925 – November 20, 2009) was the nominee for President of the United States of the Reform Party of the United States of America in the 2008 election. He was nominated at the party's national convention on July 20, 2008 in Dallas, Texas. During a 2009 interview with Monmouth University's school newspaper, Weill expressed interest in running again in 2012, but he died at his home on November 20, 2009.

Early life

Weill, a graduate of Michigan State University, was also a decorated World War II veteran, who earned four Battle Stars and served aboard the USS Pennsylvania. He was also a Boy Scout instructor. He was invited to the White House Conference on Small Business three times; in 1980, 1985, and 1990.

Political background

In the 1990s, Weill founded the Independent Party of Mississippi. In 1997, the Independent Party of Mississippi became the official state affiliate of the national Reform Party and renamed itself the Mississippi Reform Party.

Weill was the chairman of the Mississippi Reform Party and a Reform Party National Committeeman.

In 1996, Weill ran for a United States Senate seat from Mississippi finishing third with 2% of the vote (13,600 votes).

In 2000, Weill endorsed Natural Law Party candidate John Hagelin instead of Pat Buchanan.

In 2004, Weill campaigned for the Reform Party's 2004 presidential nomination, but withdrew his candidacy after Ralph Nader announced his intention to seek the party's nomination. Weill ultimately endorsed Nader and contributed thousands of dollars to his political campaigns.

During his acceptance speech at the 2004 Reform Party National Convention in Irving, Texas, Ralph Nader thanked Weill for his support.

2008 presidential campaign

At the Reform Party's 2008 national convention, Frank McEnulty of California, the 2008 presidential candidate of the New American Independent Party, was nominated to be Weill's vice-presidential running-mate. However, the party could not announce the results of the national convention on its web site until October, due to a court order obtained by another faction of the party. The rebel faction also prevented Weill from appearing on the ballot in any of the states in which the party retained access, excluding Mississippi.

Therefore, the Weill/McEnulty ticket appeared on the ballot in only Mississippi and received only 470 votes in that state. He also received write-in votes in Alabama.

Legacy

Weill died in November 2009. His former running-mate, Frank McEnulty, stated: "Ted truly believed in trying to do what was best for the country and it is what had driven him to spend so much time, money and effort on his campaign and in support of the Reform Party."

Quotes

• "I have six children, 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, and they don't have a chance in hell of being free if we don't turn things around and do it quick. Otherwise, there's only one other route, revolution, and the American people don't have the guts for that. We've become couch potatoes."

• "I thought the world of Ross Perot. I put him up there with our founding fathers. I liked the way he talked. He’d say 'We’ve got to clean out the barn!' and I agreed with everything he said."

• "My reason for joining the third party movement was to save my country from special interests."

• "We know there are a lot more people today that are looking to change things in this country."

External links

• Reform Party National Committee official homepage
• FEC presidential campaign disclosure report