# Neither Major Party US Ticket Has A Veteran? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416 "2012-08-13T23:00:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/1 "2012-08-13T23:00:46Z")
This is the first time I can remember where neither major party has a vet either on the top or bottom of the ticket: McCain, Kerry, Gore, Dole, GHWB, GHWB, GHWB, GHWB, etc… Can anybody point out the last election where this happened? Has it ever? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/2 "2012-08-13T23:13:28Z")
I haven’t checked myself but several of the veterans pages I frequent have mentioned its the first time in history. Biden’s son was a member (maybe still is) of the Delaware National Guard and was deployed to Iraq in 2008 or so. He was a JAG lawyer so he did not see any actual combat. ---
**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:** [August 13, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/3 "2012-08-13T23:20:49Z")
I don’t think any of the candidates in 1920 (Harding, Cox, Coolidge and FDR) had seen military service, unless you count FDR having been Assistant Secretary of the Navy (which is a civilian position rather than a military one). ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/4 "2012-08-13T23:22:25Z")
Not since 1944 for Presidential candidates. > **[A Presidential Election Without Veterans](https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/a-presidential-election-without-veterans/)** > > For the first time in 80 years, there are no veterans on the major party Presidential tickets. And not since 1932 for Pres and VP. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/5 "2012-08-13T23:24:57Z")
I read that it’s the first time in 80 years, which would put the last time at the 1932 election, with FDR and John Nance Garner vs. Herbert Hoover and Charles Curtis. A quick check of their bios seems to indicate none of the four served in the military. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/6 "2012-08-14T00:22:42Z")
Thanks guys. Interesting stuff - I guess a few massive wars will do that for you. I wonder if times truly are changing on this, or if we should start seeing more Iraq/Afghanistan/Iraq II vets in the future. But that’s more GD. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/7 "2012-08-14T01:34:57Z")
Obama is the first major presidential candidate to have turned 18 since the end of the draft. Since we’re probably not going to see many more boomers running for the White House, i’d expect to see more and more non-military tickets in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/8 "2012-08-14T01:41:48Z")
No WASPs running, either! How often has that happened? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/9 "2012-08-14T01:41:51Z")
You had a huge wave of WWII veterans from 1952 to 1996: Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy, Johnson, Lodge, Goldwater, Miller, Agnew, Muskie, McGovern, Shriver, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Bentsen, and Dole. One unusual piece of trivia - Walter Mondale is the only Korean War veteran to ever run for President or Vice President. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/10 "2012-08-14T01:44:06Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > No WASPs running, either! How often has that happened? They lost the Supreme Court and now they’re losing the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/11 "2012-08-14T16:20:12Z")
The number of veterans in the population has dropped dramatically since the draft ended, and that’s reflected in demographics. According to the Census, 35% of men over the age of 40 are military veterans. The number climbs sharply as we look back in time… 62% of men age 60 or older are vets. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/12 "2012-08-14T16:22:44Z")
Both Biden and Ryan are Catholic. Edit: huh – when I first posted this, there was a post above mine asking whether the VP candidates were WASPs. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/13 "2012-08-14T16:36:41Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > Both Biden and Ryan are Catholic. > > Edit: huh – when I first posted this, there was a post above mine asking whether the VP candidates were WASPs. Weird. Sorry… I realized that as soon as I hit submit and deleted that part. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/14 "2012-08-14T16:40:28Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > They lost the Supreme Court and now they’re losing the Presidency. No veterans on the Supreme Court since Elena Kagan replaced John Paul Stevens. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/15 "2012-08-14T16:59:15Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > No veterans on the Supreme Court since Elena Kagan replaced John Paul Stevens. Kennedy was in the National Guard (see photo [six](http://swampland.time.com/2012/06/07/a-life-in-photos-justice-anthony-kennedy/#judge-anthony-m-kennedy) here) (and Alito was in the Reserves during Vietnam) ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/16 "2012-08-14T17:22:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > One unusual piece of trivia - Walter Mondale is the only Korean War veteran to ever run for President or Vice President. Ever to run, or ever to be a nominee of a major party? ---
**Author:** ![IceQube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@IceQube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IceQube)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/neither-major-party-us-ticket-has-a-veteran/631416/17 "2012-08-14T17:47:11Z")
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