Reagan 1980

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button REAGAN 1980
Image Description

Black and white photograph of Ronald Reagan in center with white background. Upper semi-circle in red with white text. Lower semi-circle in blue with two images of elephants and white text.

Curl Text PERSONAL SERVICE CO. SPRINGFIELD, ILL 62703
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States who won his first term in 1980 with George Bush as his Vice President. He won 489 electoral votes against his opponent, Jimmy Carter. Before he was president, Reagan was governor of California and a well-known Hollywood actor with his most famous roll in Kings Row (1942). A few months into office there was an assassination attempt.

Reagan’s goal in office was to make the American people less reliant on the government. He cut funding and social services. He tried to stimulate the economy and lower the unemployment rate. He supported and expanded Medicare and social security. The term “Reaganomics” was coined during this time as he proposed the idea of trickle down economics. 

Reagan believed that negotiating with the Soviet Union was important to restore International relations and aid in peaceful negotiations. Reagan is known for the line, “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall,” in 1987 referring to the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany. He wanted to stop the expansion of communism, so he pushed for more military spending and American influence. Reagan and Gorbachev would sign the Intermediate Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty in 1987 which eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles from both sides. The Iran Hostage Crisis continued into the beginning of Reagan's presidency. After a long series of televised talks, weapons were exchanged for the hostages.

Sources

The Reagan Presidency. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2020, from https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/sreference/the-reagan-presidency

Ronald Reagan. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2020, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/ronald-reag…

 

Catalog ID PO1047

Porter Congress

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button PORTER Congress
Image Description

Black text on yellow background above yellow text on black background

Curl Text Union bug 3 Union bug
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Have info on this button? Contact us here.
 

Catalog ID PO1046

Percy for Governor

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button PERCY FOR GOVERNOR
Image Description

Red text above blue text on white background

Curl Text GREEN DUCK CO CHICAGO Union bug 313 Union bug
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Charles H. Percy was born September 27, 1919, in Pensacola, Florida. He was a senator for Illinois from 1967 to 1985 and he was the Republican nominee for Governor of Illinois in 1964, but did not win. Percy was anti-isolationist and supported low-cost housing. Prior to his role in politics, Percy became the president of Bell & Howell, a firm in the film industry, in 1949 and expanded the firm to a multinational scale.

Sources

Profile of Charles H. Percy. (2019, November 23). UC Berkeley. Retrieved July 24, 2020, from https://igs.berkeley.edu/student-opportunities/awards-grants/percy-gran…

Catalog ID PO1045

Paul Simon United States Senate

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button Paul Simon United States Senate
Image Description

Blue text on top with red bow tie illustration replacing the dot of the I above a red line and text on a white background.

Curl Text Union bug
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Paul Simon was a native of Oregon who later became an Illinois citizen. He entered the political arena in 1954 by winning a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. In a surprising victory, Simon became a Senator in 1984. He defeated three-time incumbent, Charles Percy, in a narrow victory securing 50% of the vote. He had a failed presidential nomination in 1988.

Simon won re-election for the Senate in 1990 by defeating Lynn Martin. Simon won the election with 65% of the vote and had over 1 million more votes than Martin. This marks one of the largest margins of victory for any Senator.

Sources

Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. (0109). U.S. Senator Paul Simon. Southern Illinois University. https://paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/about/senator-paul-simon.php

Catalog ID PO1044

McGovern Shriver

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button McGovern Shriver
Image Description

Blue text on white background over white text on blue background.

Curl Text Union bug ©1972 VOTES UNLIMITED, FERNDALE, N.Y.
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Year / Decade Made
Additional Information

George McGovern was the Democratic nominee for the US Presidency in 1972, running against Nixon in his second term and ultimately losing in a landslide defeat in which he carried only Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. He entered the race as an underdog compared to Edmund Muskie, who most assumed would be the candidate. However, McGovern's progressive policies and promise to withdraw from Vietnam if elected made him a popular candidate with the youth vote and the women's and civil rights movements. McGovern suffered from a divided party, with many more modern Democrats publicly siding with Nixon. In the end, the McGovern campaign took 17 electoral votes to Nixon's 520. However, the Washington Post later broke the news that Nixon had conspired in a break-in to the DNC headquarters and a subsequent coverup that resulted in his resignation just two years later.

Sources

Apple Jr., R. W. (January 19, 1971). "McGovern Enters '72 Race, Pledging Troop Withdrawal". The New York Times. Retrieved from https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F30C11F7345C107B93CBA817…. David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved from http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/index.html.

Catalog ID PO1043

Johnson Humphrey

Category
Additional Images
Text on Button JOHNSON HUMPHREY
Image Description

White text on bisected red upper and blue lower background.

Curl Text Union bug
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson with running mate Hubert Humphrey successfully won the 1964 election against Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. The election is one of the most lopsided in history, with Johnson winning 44 states and receiving 15 million more votes. Johnson, as then Vice President, had assumed office in 1963 after John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated.

Kennedy was one of the most popular politicians in the nation who had his support trickle down to Johnson by association. Johnson advocated for more social welfare reminiscent of the 1930's under Franklin Roosevelt. After winning the election, Johnson did just that by instituting Medicare, Medicaid, and starting a fight against poverty.

Sources

270toWin. (n.d.). Presidential Election of 1964. https://www.270towin.com/1964_Election/

Catalog ID PO1042

John Drew Representative

Category
Additional Images
Text on Button JOHN DREW 63B State Rep.
Image Description

Blue text on white background

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

District 63B comprises parts of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Hennepin County. John Drew was an Independent candidate, although he held several Republican ideals and was endorsed by the party. He served in several legislative sessions from 1979 to 1982. He ran for a position as a State Representative in 1982, but lost to Dick Cohen. The election was notable for Drew losing by a mere 14 votes causing a recount to be needed. The recount only confirmed his loss. He tried to enter politics once more in 1986 for Minnesota Treasurer, but lost that election as well.

Sources

Minnesota Legislature. (n.d.). Drew, John - Legislator record - Minnesota legislators past & present. https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=10153

Catalog ID PO1041

Jim Thompson Governor

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button Jim Thompson A good Governor
Image Description

Red text and blue text on white background.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

James “Big Jim” Thompson was the longest-serving governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991. He reintroduced the death penalty to Illinois during his first year and became known for being tough on crime. He did not show much support for education or human services. “He was national co-chair of the Campaign to Protect Our Children in 1986 and a member of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality from 1987 to 1988. He also served as vice-chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission.” He did support construction. Thompson wanted to build the area up and approved of the Art-in-Architecture Program. His image was a casual one. He traveled and met constituents in casual clothes. 

Sources

Emery, T. (2016, December 16). A look back at folksy Jim Thompson, Illinois' longest-serving governor. The Dispatch/Argus. Retrieved July 19, 2020, from https://qconline.com/news/illinois/a-look-back-at-folksy-jim-thompson-i…

James Robert Thompson. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2020, from https://www.nga.org/governor/james-robert-thompson/

Catalog ID PO1040

Herb Caen

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button HERB CAEN FOR PRESIDENT
Image Description

Black and white photograph in center outlined in white with white text over red upper and blue lower backgrounds. Union bug on lower center.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Herb Caen, often referred to as "Mr. San Francisco" was a beloved author and daily columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle for almost 60 years until his death in 1997. His columns combined news, gossip, word play, and love for the city of San Francisco, making him a household name in the Bay Area. In 1996, Caen won a special Pulitzer prize for his ''continuing contribution as a voice and a conscience of his city.” Herb Caen never ran for president.

The San Francisco Chronicle issued this joke promotional button for the Democratic Convention that was held in San Francisco in 1984. Even though Caen never ran, his influence is still eminent as the Chronicle still periodically reprints his columns.

Sources

Herb Caen Mr. San Francisco for Pres. '84 Pinback. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/herb-caen-mr-san-francisco-for-pres-84-pinback.

The 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winners in Special Awards and Citations: Herb Caen of The San Francisco Chronicle. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/herb-caen.

 

Catalog ID PO1039

Go Perot

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button Go Perot
Image Description

White text outlined in blue and red on blue background. Negative space in letter P forms shape of star. Below text is a waving flag illustration.

Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

Henry Ross Perot was an American businessman and philanthropist who ran as an independent candidate for the office of U.S. President in 1992 and 1996. Perot ran a nontraditional campaign, focusing on 30-minute infomercial-style advertisements. Spending around $65 million of his personal fortune, Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote in the November '92 election. Perot went on to found the Reform Party in 1995, faced off against Clinton for the presidency again in 1996, and published Ross Perot: My Life & The Principles for Success to support his platform. Perot died in July, 2019.

Sources

Ross Perot. (2019, July 13). Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://www.biography.com/political-figure/ross-perot.

Catalog ID PO1037