Robert "Prince Mongo" Hodges | |
---|---|
Occupation(s) | Minor political personality, entrepreneur |
Years active | 1978–present |
Political party | Independent |
Robert Hodges, more commonly known by his self-styled moniker Prince Mongo, is an American entrepreneur [1] and minor local political personality in Memphis, Tennessee, who has continuously run for Mayor of Memphis and occasionally for Mayor of Shelby County since the 1970s. He tends to be known locally for his eccentric personality. Though much of his life remains unknown, he claims to have been born on the planet Zambodia around 333 years ago. [2]
Prince Mongo has continuously run in every Memphis mayoral election since 1978 as an Independent, sometimes intermittently running for Mayor of Shelby County.
In Mongo's 1983 mayoral election, he announced that president Ronald Reagan had endorsed him. Mongo claimed he got a telegram from Reagan that read "Prince Mongo congratulations on your candidacy for mayor. Mongo, you have my solid support. From Bonzo [a reference to Reagan's Bedtime for Bonzo ] to Mongo!" [3] This is most likely untrue.
In the 1991 mayoral election, Prince Mongo got 2,000 votes, effectively putting him in third place. Despite this, he has never acquired any political office in his lifetime.
His recurring campaigns run on unusual proposals, such as the erection of casinos and prisons on Mud Island; the infiltration of sharks into the Mississippi River and Memphis Harbor as to prevent prisoner escapes; as well as weekly public hangings in Court Square that would each be scheduled to be hosted at specifically 3:33 PM. [4]
A recurring campaign slogan was "Christmas Everyday". [5]
In 2018, Prince Mongo expressed criticism for the removal of the Confederate statues of Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis. [6]
Zambodia is a fictional planet that Mongo says he is from. He claims to be an ambassador to Earth, and the savior of Earth's inevitable self-destruction. He left Zambodia during the Stuart Restoration. Prince often does traditions from this fictional planet in public. Zambodia is thought to be a spaceship from what Mongo has said. [7]
Prince Mongo, also known as Robert Hodges, is known for his rather eccentric public persona. The details of Prince Mongo's life remain obscure or unknown, though he claims that he is an ambassador from Zambodia where he was born 333 years ago. He claims that he was "sent by the Zambodian spirits" to "save the City of Memphis" and "protect it from natural disasters". He always wears steampunk goggles and a long white wig in public, usually accompanied by flamboyant clothing. His reasoning for his seemingly odd appearance is that he just "damn well wants to". [8]
He first got attention after putting garbage-themed art on his lawn at his Central Gardens home. He decided to run for mayor of Shelby County, Tennessee, and performed well; he then, since 1979, ran for mayor of Memphis, Tennessee and has not performed well. [9]
Prince Mongo has or had properties in Memphis, Tennessee, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Fort Lauderdale and Port Orange, Florida, [10] and North Carolina. [1]
Mongo owned Ashlar Hall in the 1990s and turned it into a night club. During this time the building received the nickname "Prince Mongo's Castle". [11]
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County, in the southwesternmost part of the state, and is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-most populous city in Tennessee after Nashville.
Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's 95 counties, both in terms of population and geographic area. Its county seat is Memphis, a port on the Mississippi River and the second most populous city in Tennessee. The county was named for Governor Isaac Shelby (1750–1826) of Kentucky. It is one of only two remaining counties in Tennessee with a majority African American population, along with Haywood County.
Bedtime for Bonzo is a 1951 American comedy film directed by Fred de Cordova and starring Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, and a chimpanzee named Peggy as Bonzo. Its central character, psychology professor Peter Boyd (Reagan), tries to teach human morals to a chimpanzee, hoping to solve the "nature versus nurture" question. Boyd hires Jane Linden (Lynn) to pose as the chimpanzee's mother while he plays father to it and uses 1950s-era child-rearing techniques.
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Elections in Tennessee are held to fill various local, state, and federal seats. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Statewide legislative referrals and referendums may also be on the ballot in some elections. Tennessee is one of thirteen states that holds its presidential primaries on Super Tuesday.
The 2019 Memphis mayoral election took place on October 3, 2019, to elect the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Jim Strickland, the incumbent mayor, was re-elected to second term in office. The mayoral election coincided with elections to all thirteen seats on the Memphis City Council.
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