# Corporate personhood?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 22, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702 "2004-06-22T21:12:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Eric\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@Eric\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_II)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/1 "2004-06-22T21:12:26Z")

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I saw a thread about corporations being considered a person for legal reasons. I have done about 15 searches with diff. titles but keep coming up empty handed. If any of you remembers the thread could you post a link to it or at least the title?  
Thanks  
Eric

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**Author:** ![Agent\_Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Agent\_Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Cooper)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/2 "2004-06-22T22:14:27Z")

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[http://www.populist.com/03.03.hartmann.html](http://www.populist.com/03.03.hartmann.html)

I read this months ago and recalled the title “Coporations Claim Right to Lie”. That search term gets you plenty of hits.  
Disgusting, and truly American.

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**Author:** ![Agent\_Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Agent\_Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Cooper)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/3 "2004-06-22T22:15:31Z")

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> [@Agent Cooper](#):
>
> [http://www.populist.com/03.03.hartmann.html](http://www.populist.com/03.03.hartmann.html)
> 
> I read this months ago and recalled the title “Coporations Claim Right to Lie”. That search term gets you plenty of hits.  
> Disgusting, and truly American.

One more thing … I have heard that the Lincoln quote they use is bunk. Try snopes.

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/4 "2004-06-23T01:03:55Z")

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Here’s a column instead of a thread: **Cecil Adams** on [How can a corporation be legally considered a person?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030919.html)

Those wishing to debate what the law should be are better off posting in GD.

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**Author:** ![Eric\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@Eric\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_II)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/5 "2004-06-23T15:45:40Z")

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Thanks guys.  
Eric

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corporate-personhood/251702/6 "2004-06-23T16:09:37Z")

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On the question of corporations as persons, you just need to look at any book on corporation law. There are basically two reasons why corporations are formed: (1) to gain limited liability; and (2) so they can be treated by the legal system as persons.

If corporations were not treated as persons, then to bring them into the legal system, you’d have to deal with a real person or persons – either the owner(s), or the manager(s), or all the members of an association. And serious problems would arise as to who had rioghts and obligations when the membership of an association changed.

While there may be arguments about what rights and duties corporations should have as compared with real persons, it is ckear that real persons have some rights that corporations do not have. For example real persons (over a certain age, and subject to other things like citizenship) can marry, adopt children, vote in national elections, and run for office in national elections. Corporations can do none of these things.