United Christian Party (United States)

The United Christian Party (UCP) was a political party that was established in the American state of Iowa in August 1897. Although superficially professing an orientation towards theocracy and a conservative social program in its earliest years, the UCP advocated progressive political reform, promoting direct democracy through implementation of initiative and referendum. By 1904 the organization advocated government ownership of key natural resources and public utilities and an opposition to monopolistic forms of economic ownership in accord with the Golden Rule.

The UCP was the brainchild of Rev. William Rudolph Benkert of Davenport, Iowa, who dominated the organization as its National Chairman throughout its entire existence. After running tickets for President and Vice President of the United States under its own name in the elections of 1900, 1904, and 1908, the UCP was briefly absorbed into a new organization called the American Party in 1909 before resuming its former name.

In 1912 another very short-lived name change was made, this time to Christian Patriots. This change was again quickly reversed and the party's ticket appeared on the November 1912 ballot under its old moniker. The party continued in existence but went on hiatus, failing to run a presidential ticket in the elections of 1916, 1920, or 1924. While intimations were made that a presidential ticket would be fielded in 1928, it seems that this plan came to naught and the party expired.