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William Shaheen 鈥�65 has had a long, distinguished career in law and politics. A former U.S. attorney, district court judge and the chairman of New Hampshire primary presidential campaigns for Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, Shaheen has done it all. But he鈥檚 never run for public office himself. And that, he says, is all thanks to his failed 1964 campaign to be Durham鈥檚 unofficial 鈥渕ayor.鈥�

鈥淚t was my first election 鈥� and last,鈥� Shaheen says, laughing. 鈥淚t clearly told me I shouldn鈥檛 be running for office.鈥�

Of course, it wasn鈥檛 a conventional sort of race. Called the 鈥淢ayoralty,鈥� the mock election began in 1926 under the guidance of Blue Key, a senior men鈥檚 honor society, as a way to build up student camaraderie and school spirit before the homecoming football game each fall. During the next 40 years, the Mayoralty became its own raucous tradition, inspiring a host of crazy characters, mischievous antics and plenty of bad jokes.

Take, for example, the candidacy of movie producer I.C. Stars 鈥� otherwise known as Robert M. Hackett 鈥�54, who won the 1952 Mayoralty race with a promise to make every 91制片厂 student a movie star.

鈥淲e鈥檇 gather in front of T-Hall, and everyone would make speeches and shout and make corny jokes,鈥� says Hackett. Props helped: Hackett made a number of campaign appearances riding an old-fashioned high-wheel bicycle; his fraternity, Phi Mu Delta, stumped for him in an old Model A truck, and his friend Tom St. Cyr 鈥�53 appeared at stump speeches dressed as silent film star Charlie Chaplin.

鈥淗e was probably the main reason why I got elected,鈥� Hackett says. 鈥淎fter we won, we went to the different fraternities and sororities that backed us and said a few words and sang a few songs.鈥�

About a half-dozen candidates, all sponsored by Greek organizations or campus dormitories, battled for the votes of the 鈥渃itizens of Dur-Ham鈥� for a week every October. There were speeches, parades and, on the Friday night before homecoming, a variety show put on by the candidates and their entourages. Students voted for their favorite mayor at the end of the show, and the winner appeared the next day during halftime at the football game.

Florence Weast was the first woman to run for "mayor" of Durham. Read her own account of her 1929 campaign here.

There were no other, powers, responsibilities or privileges 鈥� not even a free parking space. When given the title听鈥淢ayor of Durham,鈥� candidates received 鈥渁ll the rights and privileges that go with that title 鈥� of which there are none,鈥� The New Hampshire wrote in 1954. The closest to real political power the Mayoralty ever got was in 1954 when, Hackett says, President Harry S. Truman visited campus. As mayor, Hackett was ready to don his I.C. Stars costume and present the president with a 鈥渒ey to the city鈥� 鈥� except Truman鈥檚 car drove past T-Hall with the windows up and never stopped.

鈥淚t was a lot of fun,鈥� says Jack Weeks 鈥�55, who ran in 1953 as Frank Muck, a 鈥渂ig game hunter 鈥� with a safari of wild animals and a harem of dancing girls.鈥�

That sort of outrageousness was common in Mayoralty campaigns. Phi Mu Delta member Frank Robie 鈥�50 established his own political dynasty, first in 1948 as Threadbare McNair, with Ping-Pong ball eyes and a 鈥渟oothing oratory (that) wound a majority into a horde of frenzied supporters,鈥� and then a year later as Mary Margaret McNair, the only 鈥渨oman鈥� to win the race for mayor.

鈥淲e鈥檇 put on a cap and a wig and take Ping-Pong balls and cut them in half and glue them to some eye glasses,鈥� Hackett says. It was a simpler era 鈥� there were only a few thousand students living on campus, and Durham had only two police officers, Hackett remembers. It was easier to draw a crowd and cause a little ruckus.

Photos, flyers and other paraphernalia from Mayoralty campaigns听

Photo Gallery

Like any campaign, though, the politics of the Mayoralty could get down and dirty. An Oct. 17, 1941, editorial in The New Hampshire cautioned against the 鈥渄istasteful elements which seem to crop (up) every fall and which some immature students seem to feel are integral parts of the campaign.鈥� In 1956, Blue Key had taken to reading and censoring campaign scripts before candidates delivered speeches or performed skits. According to the Oct. 7, 1954, edition of The New Hampshire, acting university president Edward D. Eddy 鈥減raised the work of Blue Key in keeping this year鈥檚 campaign in better taste.鈥�

The Interfraternity Council and various Greek organizations took over sponsorship of Mayoralty in the mid-1950s. Keeping the candidates clean proved difficult. The 1964 campaign was especially controversial. Following the usual candidate speeches, The New Hampshire reported that 鈥渉ousemothers and townsfolk gasped, students cheered, booed or walked away in disgust and administrators shuddered.鈥�

Shaheen ran that year as Count Dracula, complete with a retinue of mummies and ghouls that carried him around in a coffin and a campaign 鈥渨ife鈥� known as Vampira. 鈥淲e said some pretty off-color stuff,鈥� Shaheen admits. 鈥淭here was a lot of jostling going on and a lot of competition.鈥� But overall, the campaign 鈥渞eally energized the student body and the campus,鈥� Shaheen says.

Despite a promise of 鈥渇ree blood drives 鈥� and I鈥檇 only take 10 percent,鈥� Shaheen lost the race to James 鈥淜ach-us Klay鈥� Kach 鈥�66. Not that he鈥檚 bitter about it. 鈥淚 always held that they stuffed the ballot box,鈥� Shaheen jokes.

The last race was held in 1966. Only four candidates ran that year, and Dave 鈥淛et-Bombed鈥� Plewes, running on a platform of 鈥渕otherhood, apple pie, hot dogs and T-Bird wine,鈥� was elected the last mayor of Durham. Though it鈥檚 unlikely the Mayoralty will return, it鈥檚 worth remembering there is no shortage of second acts in politics.

Were you on campus during the Mayoralty years?
Share your memories here.听

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Comments

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Your article about mayors of Durham brought back a great memory. In the late 1950s, Phi Mu Delta ran 5'2" Roger Duford as "Neander-tall."听In addition to a very large dinosaur float, we had a campaign song that began with the words, "We're from the Stone Age, the raw meat and bone age, and we're for the best man who is Neander-tall!" Great fun and we won!!

鈥� Peter Hollister '60

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I remember Neanderthal Man 鈥� and Java Man worked the coffee machine at Commons! And does anyone else remember hearing their song on the carillon? 鈥� Fun times! As grade schoolers we used to join the parades at lunchtime on our way back to school 鈥� sometimes we were invited to ride on the floats.

鈥� Barb (Schaefer) Lounsbury '60

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