Tonie Nathan

Theodora Nathalia "Tonie" Nathan (born 9 February 1923) is the first woman to have received an electoral vote in a United States presidential election. She was the 1972 Libertarian candidate (on the ticket with John Hospers) for vice president when Roger MacBride, a Republican elector from Virginia, cast the historic vote.

Early life

Born in New York City to Jewish parents, Nathan operated her own insurance agency, a music publishing firm and a decorating service in the Los Angeles area of California before moving to Eugene, Oregon. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1971. Tonie Nathan also produced (and sometimes hosted) a daily talk show on KVAL-TV (CBS affiliate) in Eugene for 14 months prior to her vice-presidential campaign. She also hosted several radio talk shows during that period.

1972 Presidential election

Nathan was still a radio and television producer in Eugene when she attended the first presidential nominating convention of the Libertarian Party in 1972. She was nominated by the delegates in attendance to run for vice president with presidential candidate John Hospers, chairman of the philosophy department at the University of Southern California. The ticket received only 3,671 official votes; however, Republican elector Roger L. MacBride of Virginia chose to vote for Hospers and Nathan instead of Nixon and Agnew.<ref...
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