Historical Treasure: Slogans help mark the past

By Freida Murphy
The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE July 05, 2008 03:59 pm

— We are nearing the end of another presidential election year. And what a year it has been. We have been bombarded with campaign ads, speeches, debates, and daily television interviews. Bumper stickers and yard signs let people know someone’s preference. People used to wear buttons picturing their favorite candidate.
In 1840, William Henry Harrison was the first candidate to be marketed, in modern terms, with tokens and clothing buttons. His running mate, John Tyler, was not mentioned, but he succeeded Harrison in only one month after the inauguration when Harrison died in office. Yet they had a campaign slogan. Harrison was the hero of the battle of Tippecanoe, so their slogan was “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.” The Democrats were careful to include the vice-presidential nominee’s name and picture on the tokens.
In 1860, the major parties used miniature tintypes to represent their candidates on campaign pins. Cardboard photographs were introduced in 1864. In 1896, the campaign button we know today was introduced. Whitehead and Hoag Co., a firm in Newark, New Jersey printed photographs and multicolor designs on paper which were mounted on metal buttons and covered by celluloid film. During some campaigns, money was scarce, so not many buttons were produced.
In 1948, the election of Thomas E. Dewey seemed so certain, that the Democrats spent little on buttons for Truman. 3-D buttons were introduced in the campaign of 1952. Viewed from one angle it would show a view of Eisenhower and another view “I Like Ike.”
A campaign button for Barry Goldwater had the initials, “I.Y.H.Y.K.H.R.” which stood for his slogan “In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right.” Franklin Roosevelt won with “The New Deal”. John Kennedy gave us “A New Frontier.” L.B. J. declared “War On Poverty.”
As the current campaign wears down, I haven’t seen any buttons or pins, but I’ve seen a few T-shirts with candidates’ names on them. As the slogan goes, “May the best man win.”