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Riley Alvin Bender (July 8, 1890 – March 6, 1973) was a United States businessman and political candidate.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, to Josephine and Edward Bender, he was a lifelong resident of his native city. Bender was an entrepreuer in the areas of hotel and music store management. He was also a prize fighter.
He ran in theDemocraticprimary for theIllinois Senate (11th district) in 1938 and lost.
Bender is perhaps best known for his three bids forRepublican Party Presidential nomination in the elections of1944,1948 and1952. In all three occasions he appeared only in his nativeIllinois ballot.
Although he was never a major candidate in these races, he won the 1948 Illinois primary in alandslide, with 96.90% (324,029) of votes againstDouglas MacArthur (6,672 votes and 2.00%) and other well-known figures such asHarold Stassen,Thomas E. Dewey andRobert A. Taft, though only Bender was on the ballot as the rest were write-in votes.[1]
Bender, who had German and Irish heritage, died in Chicago's Central Hospital and was buried in Onarga Cemetery.
Illinois Republican presidential primary, 1944
Illinois Republican presidential primary, 1948
This gave Riley 11.34% of all primary votes
Illinois Republican presidential primary, 1952