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List of animals in political office

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There have been several instances of non-human animal candidates holding political office. In the United States, these candidates often hold honorary positions won through unofficial elections, typically in unincorporated areas with no official local government, although there have been cases of animals being elected to legitimate offices.

List

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Name Species Political office Time in office Notes Refs.
Bode Ioiô [pt] Goat City councilor of Fortaleza c. 1922 Bode Ioiô (lit. Yoyo Goat) never ran for office, but won via write-in votes. [1]
Bosco Ramos Dog Mayor of Sunol, California 1981—1994 Bosco won the mayoral election in 1981 and served until his death in 1994. A bronze statue of him was erected in Sunol in 2008. [2]
Boston Curtis Mule Republican precinct captain of Milton, Washington c. 1938 Boston Curtis ran unopposed. His campaign was created as a prank by mayor Kenneth Simmons. [3][4]
Clay Henry Goat Mayor of Lajitas, Texas c. late 1980s—c. 1995 Clay Henry won an election against a cigar store Indian and a dog. He frequently drank excessive amounts of beer and was killed in a fight by his son, Clay Henry Jr., who succeeded him in office. All mayors of Lajitas have since been part of the Clay Henry political family. [5][6]
Duke Dog Mayor of Cormorant, Minnesota 2015—2018 Duke was elected in 2015, winning a majority of the votes of the 12 people that lived in Cormorant at the time. He retired in 2018 before dying in 2019. In 2024, Duke was succeeded by Khaleesi Sherbrooke, another dog. [7][8]
Goofy Borneman-Calhoun Dog Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky 1998—2001 Goofy was the first mayor of Rabbit Hash and died in office. Rabbit Hash's mayoral elections are unofficial, and all of its elected mayors have been dogs. [9][10]
Max II Dog Mayor-for-life of Idyllwild–Pine Cove, California 2013—2022 Idyllwild's first mayor, Max, served from 2012 until 2013 when he died, and Max II completed his term. When he won reelection, he was declared mayor-for-life. After dying in 2022, Max II was succeeded by his cousin, Max III. [11][12]
Murfee Dog Mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont 2020—2021 Murfee the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a certified therapy dog that succeeded Lincoln the goat, who served as mayor in 2019. Murfee won reelection in 2021. [13][14]
Nils Olav King penguin Baron of Bouvet Island c. 2016—present Nils Olav, the third penguin with that name, is a Major General of His Majesty the King's Guard and carries the noble rank of baron, ruling over the uninhabited Bouvet Island. Although he serves in the Norwegian Army, he lives in the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. [15]
Parker the Snow Dog Dog Mayor of Georgetown, Colorado 2020—present Parker, a Bernese Mountain Dog, was elected mayor in 2020. He is also the official mascot of the Loveland Ski Area and works as a therapy dog. [16][17]
Stubbs Cat Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska 1997—2017 Stubbs won the 1997 mayoral election as a write-in candidate and remained in office until his death in 2017. He was succeeded by another cat named Aurora. [18][19][20]
Tucker Joyce Dog Mayor of Omena, Michigan 2009—2012 Tucker Joyce was Omena's first mayor. The town holds triennial mayoral elections, and all of its elected mayors have been animals. [21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bode Ioiô, ilustre retirante da seca de 1915, completa um século da chegada a Fortaleza". tribunadoceara.uol.com.br. Archived from the original on 2019-01-13. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  2. ^ "Bay Area's First Canine Mayor Memorialized". NBC Bay Area. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  3. ^ "Boston Curtis". Time Magazine. 1936-09-26. Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  4. ^ "The Milton Mule". Museum of Hoaxes. Archived from the original on 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  5. ^ "Weird History: The Goat Mayors of Lajitas". Texas Heritage for Living. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  6. ^ Holley, Peter (November 19, 2013). "The Legend of Clay Henry". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ^ "Duke The Dog Elected Mayor In Cormorant, Minn. - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. 2014-08-13. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  8. ^ Shafiq, Saman. "Ruff and tumble: Great Pyrenees wins Minnesota town's mayoral race in crowded field". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  9. ^ "First Mayor – Goofy". Rabbit Hash Historical Society. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  10. ^ "Rabbit Hash, Kentucky | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation". www.achp.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  11. ^ Page, Sydney (September 29, 2023). "A dog is 'mayor' in this town. 'I didn't take it as a joke,' says owner". The Washington Post.
  12. ^ Madden, Emma (2023-09-24). "'He ate three of his ties in a month': California's dog mayor celebrates a year in office". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  13. ^ Higgins, Cole (2020-02-01). "The candidates for mayor in this Vermont town: two dogs and a goat". CNN. Archived from the original on 2024-07-05. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  14. ^ Lyons, Olivia (2021-03-03). "Fair Haven pet mayor election goes to the dogs". WCAX. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  15. ^ "A Guard of Honour for Sir Nils Olav – the most famous king penguin in the world". Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  16. ^ "Big Dog Wearing Tie Becomes Mayor of Small Colorado Town". People.com. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  17. ^ "Parker the Snow Dog sworn in as Honorary Mayor of Georgetown". FOX31 Denver. 2020-02-19. Archived from the original on 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  18. ^ Yan, Holly (2012-07-17). "Mayor of Alaska village walks on four paws". CNN. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  19. ^ Matteson, Connor (2022-03-01). "Telling Alaska's Story: Talkeetna's furry 'mayors'". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  20. ^ Schreck, Carly; Allgood, Dave (2024-05-28). "Roadtrippin' 2024: Seeing Aurora in Talkeetna". Alaska's News Source. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  21. ^ "In This Michigan Town, the Mayor Was a Dog. Now, They've Elected a Horse". The Free Press. 2024-08-10. Archived from the original on 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
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