Isabell Masters (January 9, 1913 – September 11, 2011) of

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, was a five-time

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

third-party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...

candidate ( Looking Back Party) for President of the United States. Masters' five presidential campaigns are the most for any woman in U.S. history. She was a candidate in the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

(339 votes),

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

and 2004 presidential elections. In 1996, she was only on the ballot in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

(but also received a few votes in California and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

) (752 votes total, 2000). Her 1992

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...

was her son, Walter Ray Masters, and her 1996 running mate was her daughter, Shirley Jean Masters.

Biography

Personal life

Isabell Masters was born Isabell Arch on January 9, 1913, in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, Oklahoma, the daughter of Cora McDaniels (Lewis) and Walter Arch. Her father, a businessman, was of African American and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

descent. Masters graduated from Douglas High School in

and received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in education from

Langston University Langston University (LU) is a public land-grant historically black university in Langston, Oklahoma. It is the only historically black college in the state. Though located in a rural setting east of Guthrie, Langston also serves an urban missio ...

. She later earned a doctorate from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

. An educator by profession, Masters taught in California,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

during her career. She specifically worked in schools in the American cities of

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, Los Angeles,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

and

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Masters married

Alfred Masters Alfred Masters (February 5, 1916 – June 16, 1975) was an American member of the United States Marine Corps. Masters was the first African American member of the Marine Corps at his swearing-in on June 1, 1942, in Oklahoma City and then his first ...

, who became the first African American to enlist in the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

when he was sworn in on June 1, 1942. They had six children together, but their marriage disintegrated during the late 1940s. She raised six children as a single mother. Masters obtained her master's degree in higher education from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA). She later earned a doctorate from the

during her late 60s.

Presidential campaigns

In 2000 she was a write-in candidate in

alongside

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

. Her vice-presidential running mate was her daughter, Alfreda Dean Masters. She made several unsuccessful attempts at winning the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

primary elections for President. In 1996 she was on the ballot in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

and won 1,052 votes (

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...

won by a large margin).Ballot Access News
In addition to her presidential campaigns, Masters ran for city council in

, and was once a candidate for Mayor of

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lagoon. The populati ...

. Masters' had six children. They include Rev. Thomas A. Masters Sr. of the New Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (

Riviera Beach, Florida Riviera Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, which was incorporated September 29, 1922. Due to the location of its eastern boundary, it is also the easternmost municipality in the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to ...

), the current Mayor of Riviera Beach who was a community leader protesting efforts by the George W. Bush legal team to stop the

Florida election recount The 2000 United States presidential election recount in Florida was a period of election recount, vote recounting in Florida that occurred during the weeks after Election Day (United States), Election Day in the 2000 United States presiden ...

following the controversial

2000 United States presidential election The 2000 United States presidential election was the 54th quadrennial United States presidential election, presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. Republican Party (United States), Republican candidate George W. Bush, the gover ...

. Her daughter,

political scientist Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...

Cora Masters, became the fourth wife of former Washington, D.C. Mayor

Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry (born Marion Barry Jr.; March 6, 1936 – November 23, 2014) was an American politician who served as the second and fourth mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991 and 1995 to 1999. A Democrat, Barry had served ...

in 1994, but they later divorced. Isabell Masters died in her sleep on September 11, 2011, in at a nursing facility in

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth ...

, at the age of 98. She had lived with her son, Riviera Beach Mayor

Thomas Masters Reverend Thomas Heywood Masters, CBE (9 April 1865 – 1 September 1939) was an Anglican priest. "Who was Who" 1897-2007 London, A & C Black, 2007, Masters was born in 1865, and educated at Withington High School, at Inverness College, in Han ...

, for the last four years of her life.

References

External links

* Frantzich, Stephen E. (1996). ''The C-Span Revolution''
DiPaola, Jim "Masters' universe" ''City Link'' May 15, 2003

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060510171611/http://www.pww.org/past-weeks-2000/Election%20protests.htm Wheeler, Tim "Election protests continue in Florida" ''People's Weekly World'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Masters, Isabell 1913 births 2011 deaths Candidates in the 1984 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1988 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1992 United States presidential election Candidates in the 1996 United States presidential election Candidates in the 2000 United States presidential election 20th-century American politicians Candidates in the 2004 United States presidential election 21st-century American politicians Female candidates for President of the United States Schoolteachers from Nevada American women educators Langston University alumni UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies alumni University of Oklahoma alumni 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics African-American candidates for President of the United States American people of German descent Politicians from Oklahoma City Politicians from Topeka, Kansas Kansas Republicans 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians