Between 1960 and 1980 John "Hugo N. Frye" Patric was a perennial candidate in the Washington State primaries. He ran for every office available in order "to be a nuisance." He insisted on paying his filing fee entirely in loose change.

Although Patric filed the entry fee, he never did anything else to promote his candidacy, explaining that, "You can't lose a race you didn't run for. Hell, I didn't even crawl. I left that for the candidates with all the money to buy fancy posters and TV ads." Nor would he elaborate on what his policies might be should he be elected, insisting "That's my business."

He once explained that he kept on running for office (and losing) as "a public service in case someone wants to vote for me." Though he also noted, "I don't want those responsibilities but I'm making the offer to accept them. If the people want me, I'm here. I hope they don't."

"Hugo N. Frye" (i.e. You go and fry) was not his actual middle name, though he almost always used that name when filing. In 1962 he was arrested for using that name to file a petition. He was found guilty of signing a petition with "other than his true name," but his sentence was later suspended on the condition that he maintain "a certain minimum of decency and respect for others."

Hugo N. Frye was also the name of a fictitious politician created by students at Cornell in 1930.

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