Pigasus (politics)

Pig and political candidate

Pigasus

An illustration of Pigasus from Berkeley Barb, 1968

1968 candidate for President of the United States
Personal details
Political party| Youth International Party

Pigasus, also known as Pigasus the Immortal and Pigasus J. Pig, was a 145-pound (66 kg) domestic pig that was nominated for President of the United States as a theatrical gesture by the Youth International Party on August 23, 1968, just before the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] The youth-oriented party (whose members were commonly called "Yippies") was an anti-establishment and countercultural revolutionary group whose views were inspired by the free speech and anti-war movements of the 1960s, mainly the opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Yippies were known for using dramatic theatrics in their demonstrations, and they used Pigasus as a way to mock the social status quo. At a rally announcing his candidacy, Pigasus was confiscated by Chicago policemen and several of his Yippie backers were arrested for disorderly conduct.[3][4]

## Campaign for U.S. President

[edit]

In 1968, Pigasus was nominated for the U.S. presidency by the Youth International Party (Yippies).[5] The pig's name was a play on the name Pegasus, the winged horse in Greek mythology.

Selected for the campaign by group members Dennis Dalrymple, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, candidate Pigasus was purchased from a farmer by folk-singer and fellow Yippie Phil Ochs.[6] His candidacy was announced during the massive protests leading up to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.[3]

One reason why the Yippies preferred Pigasus was that "if we can't have him in the White House, we can have him for breakfast."[4]

## Press conference and arrests

[edit]

The nomination of Pigasus for president occurred on the morning of August 23, 1968, at the Chicago Civic Center (subsequently renamed as the Richard J. Daley Center) in front of the Picasso sculpture.[7]

Pigasus was transported to the rally in a station wagon, escorted by seven Yippies. There were 50 Yippies carrying campaign signs and handing out literature. There were about 200 spectators on hand, along with ten uniformed Chicago policemen and several detectives, under the personal supervision of 1st District Commander James Riordan. The pig was placed in a police wagon and taken to the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society.[8]

Jerry Rubin was in the process of reading the "acceptance speech" for him when Pigasus was "arrested" by the police.[1] Seven Yippies, including Jerry Rubin and Phil Ochs, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The driver of the station wagon was also charged with obstructing traffic.[8] Rubin later said that a policeman came to the jail cell and said "You guys are all going to jail for the rest of your lives—the pig squealed on you!" However, the Yippies were released after each posted a $25 bond.[1]

## After the 1968 Democratic convention

[edit]

Sources vary on the fate of Pigasus. There is some speculation that a police officer ate him.[3]

The Chicago Tribune, on September 30, 1968, said that after Pigasus was taken into custody by Chicago police, they transported him to the Anti-Cruelty Society, along with a sow called "Mrs. Pigasus", and a piglet, all collected after being paraded by the Yippies as part of their demonstrations around the time of the convention. The swine were later transferred to a farm in Grayslake, Illinois.[9]

Five months after the nomination of Pigasus, during the inauguration ceremony of President Richard Nixon, the Yippies held their own "in-HOG-uration" ceremony – for President Pigasus.[10]

Eight years after the Pigasus stunt, the Yippies would nominate another candidate for President: Nobody.[11]

Many years later,  The New York Times obituaries for Dennis Dalrymple, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin all highlighted the nomination of Pigasus for President during the Democratic Convention of 1968 as an extraordinary moment in political theater.[6][12][13]

## See also

[edit]

* List of individual pigs
* List of practical joke topics
* Chicago Seven
* Tactical frivolity
* 1968 Democratic National Convention protests
* Cornelius the First (from Rhinoceros Party)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Kusch, Frank. Battleground Chicago: The police and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The University of Chicago Press, 2008. (paper), page 60. ISBN 9780275981389
2. ^ B.D. Colen, Anti-HUAC Rally Behind Library Attracts 2000, The Hachet (George Washington University, October 3, 1968).
3. ^ a b c "Chicago 1968 DNC". NY Daily News. New York. August 20, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
4. ^ a b (Associated Press) (August 23, 1968). "Chicago Cops Squelch Piggy Nominations". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
5. ^ "Anita Hoffman, queen of the Yippies, died on December 27th, aged 56". The Economist. January 7, 1999. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
6. ^ a b "Obituary: Dennis Dalrymple". The New York Times. March 15, 2009. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
7. ^ Mailer Norman Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968; New York: New American Library, 1968
8. ^ a b "7 Yippies, their pig seized at a rally," Chicago Tribune OCLC 7960243, Aug 24, 1968, page 6. Historic Newspapers, Document ID: 592514882 (subscription required)
9. ^ Yippie pig retires from election race," Chicago Tribune OCLC 7960243, Sep 30 1968, page 1. Historic Newspapers (fee), ID:586877682.
10. ^ Rudin, Ken (September 12, 2005). "The politics of Katrina and Roberts." National Public Radio (US). Retrieved May 29, 2012.
11. ^ "Nobody for President".
12. ^ McQuiston, John T. (April 14, 1989). "Abbie Hoffman, 60's Icon, Dies; Yippie Movement Founder Was 52". The New York Times.
13. ^ Pace, Eric (November 30, 1994). "Jerry Rubin, 56, Flashy 60's Radical, Dies; 'Yippies' Founder and Chicago 7 Defendant". The New York Times.

### Sources

[edit]

* Jordan, Robert (August 24, 1968). "Yippies Pick Pig for President". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2012.(subscription required)
* "Yippie Pig Retires from Election Race". Chicago Tribune. September 30, 1968. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2012.(subscription required)
* McDougal, Dennis (November 17, 1987). "Bringing Back the '60s on the Wavy Gravy Train". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2012.(subscription required)

## Further reading

[edit]

* David Holloway (January 29, 2002). "Yippies". St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
* "Inside the Pigasus Campaign". Ramparts. December 1969. OCLC 24204009.

* v
* t
* e

Chicago Seven

Defendants|

* Rennie Davis
* David Dellinger
* John Froines
* Tom Hayden
* Abbie Hoffman
* Jerry Rubin
* Bobby Seale
* Lee Weiner

Lawyers/Judge|

* William Kunstler (defense lawyer)
* Leonard Weinglass
* Julius Hoffman (judge)
* Tom Foran (prosecutor)
* Richard Schultz

Supporters|

* Center for Constitutional Rights
* Stew Albert
* Noam Chomsky
* Judy Collins
* Bernardine Dohrn
* Allen Ginsberg
* Judy Gumbo
* Anita Hoffman
* Paul Krassner
* Nancy Kurshan
* Timothy Leary
* Norman Mailer
* Country Joe McDonald
* Graham Nash
* Phil Ochs
* Pigasus
* Ed Sanders

Context|

* Youth International Party (Yippies)
* 1968 Democratic National Convention protests
* "The whole world is watching"
* Counterculture of the 1960s
* National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
* Mayor Richard J. Daley
* Vietnam War
* opposition
* Miami and the Siege of Chicago (1968 book)
* Weather Underground

Media|

* "Chicago" (1970 song)
* Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987 film)
* Steal This Movie! (2000 film)
* Chicago 10 (2007 film)
* William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe (2009 documentary)
* The Chicago 8 (2011 film)
* The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020 film)

* v
* t
* e

Phil Ochs

Discography

Studio albums|

* All the News That's Fit to Sing
* I Ain't Marching Any More
* Pleasures of the Harbor
* Tape from California
* Rehearsals for Retirement
* Greatest Hits

Live albums|

* Phil Ochs in Concert
* Gunfight at Carnegie Hall
* There and Now: Live in Vancouver 1968
* Live at Newport
* Amchitka, The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace

Other albums|

* Camp Favorites

Posthumous releases|

* Sings for Broadside
* A Toast to Those Who Are Gone
* The Broadside Tapes 1
* The Early Years
* On My Way

Posthumous
compilations|

* Chords of Fame
* The War Is Over: The Best of Phil Ochs
* There but for Fortune
* Farewells & Fantasies
* American Troubadour
* 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Phil Ochs
* Cross My Heart: An Introduction to Phil Ochs

Interview album|

* Interviews with Phil Ochs

Singles|

* "Power and the Glory"
* "I Ain't Marching Any More"
* "Cross My Heart"
* "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends"
* "The War Is Over"
* "My Life"
* "One Way Ticket Home"
* "Kansas City Bomber"
* "Bwatue"

Other songs|

* "Crucifixion"
* "Draft Dodger Rag"
* "Here's to the State of Mississippi"
* "Love Me, I'm a Liberal"
* "There but for Fortune"
* "Vietnam Talking Blues"
* List of songs recorded by Phil Ochs

Documentaries|

* Chords of Fame (1984)
* Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune (2011)

Tributes|

* Get Your Phil
* Learn: The Songs of Phil Ochs
* Poison Ochs: A Tribute to Phil Ochs
* This Is Absolutely Real: Visions and Versions of Phil Ochs
* What's That I Hear?: The Songs of Phil Ochs
* List of cover versions

Related|

* Archives
* Sonny Ochs (sister)
* Michael Ochs (brother)
* Robyn Ochs (niece)
* Jim Glover
* Pigasus

* v
* t
* e

(← 1964) 1968 United States presidential election (1972 →)

Republican Party|

* Convention
* Primaries

Candidates|

* Nominee: Richard Nixon
* campaign
* VP nominee: Spiro Agnew

* Other candidates: Frank Carlson
* Clifford P. Case
* Hiram Fong
* John Lindsay
* Ronald Reagan
* Jim Rhodes
* Nelson Rockefeller
* Winthrop Rockefeller
* George W. Romney
* campaign
* Harold Stassen
* John A. Volpe

Democratic Party|

* Convention
* protests
* Primaries

Candidates|

* Nominee: Hubert Humphrey
* campaign
* VP nominee: Edmund Muskie

* Other candidates: Roger D. Branigin
* John G. Crommelin
* Paul C. Fisher
* Lyndon B. Johnson
* withdrawal
* Robert F. Kennedy
* campaign
* Thomas C. Lynch
* Eugene McCarthy
* campaign
* George McGovern
* Dan K. Moore
* Channing E. Phillips
* George Smathers
* Stephen M. Young

American Independent Party|

| Candidates|

* Nominee: George Wallace
* campaign
* VP nominee: Curtis LeMay

|

Other third party and independent candidates

Communist Party|

* Nominee: Charlene Mitchell
* VP nominee: Michael Zagarell

Peace and Freedom Party|

* Nominee: Eldridge Cleaver
* VP nominee: Douglas Fitzgerald Dowd

Prohibition Party|

* Nominee: E. Harold Munn

Socialist Labor Party|

* Nominee: Henning A. Blomen

Socialist Workers Party|

* Nominee: Fred Halstead
* VP nominee: Paul Boutelle

Independents and other candidates|

* Dick Gregory
* Pat Paulsen
* Pigasus

* Other 1968 elections: House
* Senate
* Gubernatorial

* v
* t
* e

Pigs

* Kingdom Animalia
* Phylum Chordata
* Class Mammalia
* Order Artiodactyla
* Suborder Suina
* Family Suidae
* Subfamily Suinae
* Genus Sus
* Species Sus domesticus

Domestic|

Breeding
Shows

Farming
Intensive farming
Sty
Pannage
Toilet
Hog oiler
Gestation crate
Cross-fostering
Swineherd
Feedback

As food
Bacon
Bondiola
Capocollo
Ham
Lard
Pork
Chitterlings
Scalder
Slaughter
Suckling
Blood
Religious restrictions
Scottish pork taboo

Cuts
Back bacon
Boston butt
Fatback
Ham hock
Pig's trotters
Pork belly
Pork chop
Pork jowl
Loin
Tenderloin
Ribs
Spare ribs
Pork rind
Pork steak
Ear
Tail

Other uses
Bladder
Racing
War
Wrestling
Truffling

Wild and feral|

* Wild boar
* Heraldry
* Hunting
* Razorback
* Boar–pig hybrid

In culture|

* Freddy the Pig
* Flitch of bacon custom
* Floyd of Rosedale
* Miss Piggy
* "Pigs in Space"
* Porky Pig
* Piglet
* "The Three Little Pigs"
* Animal Farm
* Old Major
* Napoleon
* Snowball
* Squealer
* Babe
* Babe: Pig in the City
* Bad Piggies
* Blandings Castle
* Empress of Blandings
* My Brother the Pig
* Charlotte's Web
* The Sheep-Pig
* Peppa Pig
* Super Pig
* Butareba: The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig
* Fair, then Partly Piggy
* Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
* Kazoops!
* Olivia (character)
* TV series
* Pink Floyd pigs
* Pinky and Perky
* Preston Pig
* Rasher
* Porco Rosso
* Spider-Ham
* Spider pig
* The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
* The Tale of Pigling Bland
* "This Little Piggy"
* Toot & Puddle
* Huxley Pig
* Wibbly Pig
* Zhu Bajie
* Hamilton Hocks
* Pig City

Other|

* List of individual pigs
* List of fictional pigs
* Piganino
* Pigasus (politics)

*  Category: Pigs

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template