Did you know that there are two senators from each state — no matter how populated or unpopulated that area is — who are elected by the people in accordance with the 17th Amendment to the Constitution? In order to run, a candidate needs to be at least 30-years-old, have been a U.S. citizen for nine years, and when elected, reside in the state of which they were elected to represent.
Now, that’s just the senators. With all that being explained, it’s fair to say that there have been a lot of people in government since the U.S. was born. In that time, some pretty odd characters have shown up. Here are just a few that our legislative history research found.
The Literal Political Ringmaster
It’s one thing to call someone a political ringmaster, and it’s another thing entirely to say this without being figurative. However, P.T. Barnum, founder of one of America’s longest lasting and most popular circuses, was elected as an official of Connecticut’s legislature. He actually helped to abolish slavery and spoke out against prejudice.
The Beauty Queen
Bess Myerson was named Miss America in 1945. This was a pretty big accomplishment, but it wasn’t her only one. She was not only the first Jewish Miss America, she also served as Commissioner of Consumer Affairs of New York City, and then later as Commissioner of Cultural affairs. As awesome as all this was, though, her political career ended after she got caught up in a bribery scandal… and after she got caught shoplifting in 1988.
The Cat
Remember in the beginning of this post when there was a legal statute about the requirements to be elected as a senator being mentioned? Well, forget it, because in 1997, Stubbs the cat — yes, a real cat — became the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Arkansas, and held it for years. Now, he was only the mayor as a tourist attraction, but he was an honorary mayor none the less.
If you’ve found any weird senators or legal statutes in your own law research, feel free to share those weird state rules in the comments