Richard Feynman - Governor of California

Richard Feynman, a strong admirer of Hubert Humphrey, considered running for Governor of California in 1966. Now, assuming Pat Brown doesn't run, I could see the wonderfully charismatic Feynman doing a lot better than the incumbent Brown. Even if Feynman loses, if Reagan doesn't get a landslide, Nixon may feel emboldened in 1968, and we may not get Vice President Agnew. President Ford is certainly out. Now if Feynman wins, we not only have to consider what he would do as governor, but what he wouldn't do that he did IOTL. Interestingly, if he adopted the timeline of Reagan's political career completely, his cancer would continue Tecumseh's Curse.
 
I once thought about the possibility of Feynman running for governor, when I read that particular factoid on Wikipedia. At that point, he had already won the Nobel Prize, so he would still have that. He also developed his famed "Feynman Lectures" before that, so he'd also have that. He might not be able to work on quantum gravity or the patron model he had developed, for discussing the vibrational energy needed to accelerate a quark to the speed of light. However, I would say that there would be problems, at least during a campaign, with Feynman's avowed atheism. With many people saying that they wouldn't elect an atheist today, I think it would be much worse in the 1960's, where the Soviet Union still existed.
 
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I once thought about the possibility of Feynman running for governor, when I read that particular factoid on Wikipedia. At that point, he had already won the Nobel Prize, so he would still have that. He also developed his famed "Feynman Lectures" before that, so he'd also have that. He might not be able to work on quantum gravity or the patron model he had developed, for discussing the vibrational energy needed to accelerate a quark to the speed of light. However, I would say that there would be problems, at least during a campaign, with Feynman's avowed atheism. With many people saying that they wouldn't elect an atheist today, I think it would be much worse in the 1960's, where the Soviet Union still existed.

Wouldn't have been the first Atheist Governor of California
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culbert_Olson
 
I didn't know that. Still, Reagan could use Feynman's atheism to his advantage, garnering support amongst religious groups and religious people.

True, that and the age where Olson was elected was one with much more tolerance towards non-believers, after the 50's renaissance of social conservatism an athiest might not be treated as lightly.
 
True, that and the age where Olson was elected was one with much more tolerance towards non-believers, after the 50's renaissance of social conservatism an athiest might not be treated as lightly.

Beside it doesn´t look like Olsens term was well remembered. After all he lost reelection.
 
He might not be able to work on quantum gravity or the patron model he had developed, for discussing the vibrational energy needed to accelerate a quark to the speed of light.

Do you know specifically when he did that? I can't find my copy of Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!

Beside it doesn´t look like Olsens term was well remembered. After all he lost reelection.

His atheism wasn't a significant issue, though. I don't think such character attacks by Reagan will work on Feynman—he's just so charming.
 
His atheism wasn't a significant issue, though. I don't think such character attacks by Reagan will work on Feynman—he's just so charming.

I actually think Feynman is probably a good liberal analogue to Ronald Reagan; he's likely to be lampooned and underestimated by his political opponents and beloved by the average voter. Very neat POD.
 
I actually think Feynman is probably a good liberal analogue to Ronald Reagan; he's likely to be lampooned and underestimated by his political opponents and beloved by the average voter. Very neat POD.

That struck me as well.

If we lazily make him a Democratic Reagan, he would still have ample free time during 1975-1980, apart from the failed 1976 campaign against whoever.
 
Do you know specifically when he did that? I can't find my copy of Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!
I think I read that it was in 1969, when he first proposed it. So, he wouldn't have been able to work on it, since he expressed interest in running in 1967.
 
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