Button is divided up into three stripes.  The top is red with white text, the middle is white with blue text, and the bottom is blue with white text.  On the left side of the button is a photograph of Dwight D. Eisenhower's head.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president, serving from 1953-1961. Before his election he was a soldier in WWI and a general, leading forces in WWII. He used his reputation of military strength during his presidency to secure a truce between the US and Korea, ending the Korean War in 1953. Eisenhower also eased tensions in the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. His 1952 and 1956 campaign slogan "I Like Ike!" gained rapid popularity and he won both his election and reelection handily.

Black text on a red background.

This quote is attributed to U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who was known for his inspiring speeches. 

Photograph of George Wallace in center of button with red text on a white background.  Bottom edge of button is blue with white text.

 George C. Wallace (1919-1998) was an American politician who served as the Governor of Alabama from 1963-1967, 1971-1979, and 1983-1987 all of which was as a Democrat. In addition, Wallace was also a U.S. Presidential candidate where he ran as a Democrat in 1964, 1972, and 1976. In 1968, however, Wallace ran as the candidate for the American Independent Party (AIP). Wallace is noted for his pro-segregation stance, proclaiming in a 1963 speech that he believed in "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

In 1972, Wallace was the victim of an assassination attempt by Arthur Herman Bremer. Occurring at the Laurel Shopping Center in Laurel, Maryland,Wallace was shot in the abdomen, chest, and spinal cord. Though the assassination failed, Wallace was left paralyzed from the waist down, forcing him into a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Photograph of the United States Capitol Building with inset portrait photographs of Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush.  A wavy section along the bottom of the button is divided into red, white and blue stripes.  White and blue text.

Since 1937, the inauguration for the President of the United States has taken place on January 20th. For Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985, the 20th fell on a Sunday. Electing to wait until the following day to hold the public ceremony, a private ceremony was held to officially begin Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush's second tenure in office. On the following day, the public ceremony was held at the United States Capitol Building. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger administered the presidential oath to Reagan while Associate Justice Potter Stewart administered Bush's oath of office. Due to the cold weather at the time, the inauguration cancelled many of its outdoors events, including the customary parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson on a white background with red text curving around edge of button.  Right portion of button is blue with white text.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was sworn in as president following the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. Johnson immediately focused on his campaign to create a "Great Society" and fought for social programs and legislation including Medicare, public broadcasting, and Head Start as well as the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. This time in history has been portrayed in both a play and movie. The play, All the Way, written by Robert Schenkkan and premiered in 2012, takes its title from LBJ's 1964 campaign slogan, "All the Way with LBJ." The story follows President Johnson as he tries to gain allies within the civil rights movement, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and get the US Congress to enact the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 2016 movie by the same name follows the 2012 play's plot and stars Bryan Cranston as LBJ and Anthony Mackie as MLK.

White text on a black background.

George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States, serving as a Republican from 2001 to 2009. During his time in office, America experienced the terrorist attacks of September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2008 financial crisis. Many of his responses to these events were widely criticized. Alongside this criticism was a proliferation of anti-Bush novelty items – bumper stickers, coffee mugs, buttons, etc. – that made use of the wordplay of Bush’s name and the derogatory phrase “bullshit”. Some have cited the first use of the BU**SH** wordplay to have been on posters at Bush’s inauguration.

Black text on a yellow background.

Harold Stassen was the Republican nominee for the 1948 Presidential elections and when he lost the election, he ran another eight times, earning the name of a perennial candidate. In 1956, Stassen did not run for president, but did serve as the Security Administration Director during Eisenhower’s presidency. During this time, he strongly encouraged Eisenhower to get rid of Richard Nixon at the Republican convention. This in turn lost him favor with many American’s and anti-Stassen supporters began sporting these buttons to show their disfavor towards Stassen.

Parallel red and blue stripes in center of button with blue text between them on a white background.

Born on February 18, 1892, Wendell Willkie was an American lawyer and corporate executive who is perhaps best known for being the 1940 Republican nominee for President. Campaigning against President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Willkie actively campaigned against Roosevelt's New Deal policy as well as for a more active role for the United States in World War II. On election day, President Roosevelt received twenty-seven million votes to Willkie's twenty-two million, and also held a substantial lead in the Electoral College with four hundred and forty-nine to Willkie's eighty-two.

Despite his loss, Willkie, to the surprise of many in his party, became an unlikely ally to the President. Between 1941 and 1943, Willkie embarked on numerous trips abroad, acting as the President's informal envoy. Willkie actively pushed for the United States to provide unlimited aid to Britain in their struggle against Nazi Germany. After returning to campaign once more for President in 1944, Willkie suffered a series of heart attacks, forcing him to leave the campaign. Willkie finally succumbed to a heart attack and died in 1944 at the age of fifty-two. Willkie is remembered and hailed for providing President Roosevelt with political assistance that proved vital to helping America's allies during World War II. 

Illustration of Uncle Sam gesturing to inset portrait photographs of George and Barbara Bush on an illustrated background of the American flag in red, blue, gold and silver.

The 1992 National Convention of the Republican Party was held in Houson Texas from August 17-20, 1992. Over the weekend, the Republican Party officially nominated incumbent president George H.W. Bush and incumbent vice president Dan Quayle for the November presidential election. This marked Bush's fourth consecutive presidential ticket, although he would go on to lose the election to Democratic nominees Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Bush's wife, Barbara, and his family accompanied him to the convention, making several public appearances. 

Image of Jimmy Carter with white text in the red outer edge on top and blue edge on the bottom, and black text in the white edges in the middle 

The 1980 National Convention for the U.S. Democratic Party was held from August 11 to August 14. Seeking a second term in office, President Jimmy Carter was once more the official Democratic nominee while Carter's Vice President, Walter Mondale, also received his nomination to continue on in his position. Though Carter did win the nomination, his success getting there was often left in doubt. Though Carter was the incumbent president, his term was beleaguered by numerous issues, including a poor national economy as well as an unresolved hostage situation in Iran. Carter's chief rival for the nomination was Massachusetts Senator, Ted Kennedy. Brother to former President, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy was seen by many as a natural leader for the future of the Democratic Party. Regardless, Kennedy was unsuccessful in his attempts and Carter managed to achieve the nomination. However, Carter would go on to lose the election to the Republican candidate, Ronald Reagan.