Art, obsession, and identity
Boston Curtis (not pictured), a mule local to Milton, Washington, ran uncontested for the position of committeeman on the city council in 1938. When Mr. Curtis won with a landslide victory, he signed his official nomination form with a print of his hoof.
In the early 1900s, Ioiô the Goat (not pictured) was a famous and well-loved citizen of Fortaleza, Brazil. In 1922, Ioiô was elected to the town's city council. In his free time, Ioiô frequented the bars and restaurants of Fortaleza's old town, and was known to have quite a liking for the local liquor, cachaça.
Ever since the unincorporated community of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, held its first mayoral election in 1998, the position has gone to the loyal and hardworking pups ready to serve their community. Rabbit Hash's first mayor, Goofy Borneman, proudly served until his death in 2001.
In the small town of Lajitas, Texas, a goat famous for his love of beer cleaned up his act and ran for mayor in 1986. Clay Henry I won against his human opponent by "a landslide," and his offspring have carried on his legacy of leading Lajitas. Today, the mayor of Lajitas is Clay Henry IV. Neither mayors are pictured here.
A great Pyrenees named Duke the Dog (not pictured) became mayor of Cormorant Township, Minnesota, in 2014 after winning the majority of the total 12 votes cast. Duke would go on to win four more elections, and served his community until his death in 2019.
Idyllwild, California's mayor-for-life, a golden retriever named Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II (not pictured), is happily carrying out his lifelong duty with the help of his deputy mayors and cousins, Mitzi and Mikey.
In 2019, a particularly tense mayoral election cycle in Fair Haven, Vermont, ended with Lincoln the Goat beating out Sammie the Samoyed by only two votes.
Sweet Tart the Cat (not pictured) became Omena, Michigan's first feline (but not first animal) honorary mayor in 2018. With ballots costing only US$1, Sweet Tart and her campaign managed to raise $7,000 for Omena Historical Society.
During the 1958 city council elections in São Paulo, disgruntled citizens put a resident of the São Paulo Zoo, a female black rhinoceros named Cacareco (not pictured), up for election. Despite the city rejecting Cacareco's nomination, she still received 100,000 write-in votes, more votes than anyone else on the ballot.
A hero of the protest vote, Pigasus the Immortal was the official presidential candidate of the Youth International Party in the United States. Despite his undeniable charisma, Pigasus and his supporters were arrested at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago for disturbing the peace.
While most famous for his extensive work in television as the mascot and spokesperson for 9Lives cat food, Morris the cat also ran for president in 1988. Unfortunately, despite his popularity he never quite made it to the White House.
While Dustin the Turkey wasn't quite as real as the other animals on this list, he was a beloved personality on Irish television for decades. In 1997, Dustin was written in on thousands of ballots during the republic's presidential election.
Sources: (Taste of the Wild Pet Food) (NPR) (All That's Interesting)
See also: Therapy animals: touching moments of animals helping humans heal
The Brazilian comedy group Casseta & Planeta started their own political party, the Brazilian Banana Party, and nominated Tião (not pictured), a famously bad-tempered resident of the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, as their candidate for Rio's 1988 mayoral election. Although Tião ended up only coming in third place, he did receive an estimated 400,000 votes.
Disagreements over redistricting in rural New Zealand led one community to declare their own republic, the Republic of Whangamōmona. Presidential elections are held every year, and since 1999 the proud republic has so far been led by a goat, a poodle, and a turtle named Murt.
Another mayoral hopeful who started their career as a star was Saucisse the Dachsund (not pictured). Saucisse first came into the public eye as the hero of a series of French detective books. Later on, in 2001, he put in a bid for the mayor of Marseille, but was beat out by a taller, more talkative candidate.
Although he didn't have much luck at the polls, a chimpanzee named Silvio (not pictured) was nominated for the candidacy of provincial deputy for Córdoba, Argentina, in 1987.
In 2008, Molly the Dachshund (not pictured) ran as an independent candidate hailing from Oklahoma for the office of President of the United States.
In 2012, Tuxedo Stan (not pictured) ran for mayor in Halifax, Nova Scotia, representing the Tuxedo party, whose main priorities were improving feline welfare in the area. While the odds were unfairly stacked against him, the Canadian cat did receive a number of celebrity endorsements, including from TV personality Anderson Cooper.
Running as a "demo-cat," Limberbutt McCubbins (not pictured) seemed like a shoo-in for the 2016 presidential nomination. Unfortunately, to Mr. McCubbins and his teenage owner's dismay, he didn't quite make the cut.
April the Cow (not pictured) proudly ruled the town of Eastbound, Washington, with a gentle hoof for a one-day term in the early 2010s. After April retired, another four-legged mayor took her place, continuing the tradition of leaders of few words, but powerful personalities.
The 2012 senatorial election in Virginia received a burst of excitement when it was announced that a dark horse candidate, Hank the Cat (not pictured), was entering the race. Hank, a graceful Maine Coon, didn't quite land the Senate seat, but he did receive the third-most votes, after human candidates Tim Kaine and George Allen.
Starting as the figurehead of an English farmers' strike in 2000, Winnie the Pig eventually gained so much popularity that she decided to run as a mayoral candidate in London. Winnie's mayoral aspirations included a very promising "10-oink plan," but funding problems forced her to drop out of the race.
While the esteemed Crawfish B. Crawfish (not pictured) was unable to formally run for President of the United States in 2016, he made quite a media splash when he came close to receiving as much support as human candidate Bobby Jindal. Mr. Crawfish, were he to put in an official bid, was said to have supported gender equality, education funding, and human rights.
Colossus (not pictured), who holds the tentative title for the largest silverback gorilla kept in captivity in the United States, is a famous resident of Hudson, New Hampshire. In 1980, his keepers tried to put him on the presidential ballot, but state regulations made it impossible.
In 2015, Barsik, Russia's most successful feline politician, usurped the human mayor of her hometown of Barnaul, winning an impressive 90% of all the votes cast.
Perhaps one of the most famous public officials in the United States' recent history is Alaska's own honorary mayor Stubbs, who faithfully served his town of Talkeetna from 1997 until 2017. A man of the people, Stubbs could often be found at his favorite restaurant, drinking a cocktail of catnip and water out of a wine glass.
Let's start with a history lesson! Caligula (12-41 BCE), the mad emperor of the Roman Empire, was famous for the special relationship he had with his favorite horse, Incitatus. Caligula so highly valued Incitatus and his opinion, in fact, that he appointed Incitatus to the Roman Senate.
Politics is a messy business, and no one can ever seem to agree on how to move forward. As time goes on, it seems it's becoming harder and harder to find leaders anywhere in the world that can rally their citizens into unity. Over the years, however, there have been a few candidates and leaders in government, from councilmembers to presidents, who have had the full support of their communities behind them. Their secret? Well, being adorable animals certainly helps!
Personalities of few words, but strong convictions, pet politicians (yes, really) around the world have been shining examples that their human colleagues could certainly learn from.
Intrigued? Read on to discover these critters of conviction who've run for public office.
Bosco the Dog was first elected as mayor of Sunol, California, in 1981, beating out two human opponents. The people of Sunol were so pleased with Bosco and his administration that they continued to reelect him until his death in 1994.
Critters in control: Animals who have run for public office
First law: It's illegal to visit the vet without a valid reason
LIFESTYLE Politics
Politics is a messy business, and no one can ever seem to agree on how to move forward. As time goes on, it seems it's becoming harder and harder to find leaders anywhere in the world that can rally their citizens into unity. Over the years, however, there have been a few candidates and leaders in government, from councilmembers to presidents, who have had the full support of their communities behind them. Their secret? Well, being adorable animals certainly helps!
Personalities of few words, but strong convictions, pet politicians (yes, really) around the world have been shining examples that their human colleagues could certainly learn from.
Intrigued? Read on to discover these critters of conviction who've run for public office.