December 1998
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Alex Joseph, first LP mayor, dies at 62
Utah Libertarian Alex Joseph -- the country's first Libertarian mayor and a character so colorful he was once described as a "cross between Henry David Thoreau and the outlaw Josey Wales" -- died on September 27 from liver cancer. He was 62.
Joseph made history in April 1986 when he helped create the country's first "Libertarian Party town government" in Big Water, Utah (population: 300).
At the urging of state Libertarians, Joseph, then the mayor of Big Water, left the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party, bringing with him all four members of the town council.
He served as mayor for three terms, stepping down in 1994. Although his administration did abolish all property taxes in the town, he never managed to turn Big Water into the "Libertarian dream" he aspired to.
With his rough-cut beard and weather-darkened skin, Joseph was a classic Western iconoclast. He ran into trouble with the law when he tried to "homestead" government land in 1975, and insisted that his occupation on his death certificate be listed as "pirate." He was also one of an estimated 50,000 Mormon-influenced polygamists in Utah, having wed as many as 20 women over the years.
His job as mayor was just one interesting career twist in a colorful resume: At various times, Joseph also worked as a police officer, a firefighter, a private investigator, and as manager for country/western music performers.
"He was a true non-conformist, walked his own path, [and] had a sense of humor about it," said Bob Waldrop, past State Chair of the LP of Utah.
