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Robert W. Edgar was a Democrat from Pennsylvania who served in the House of Representatives from 1975-1986. During his time in Congress, Edgar sought to improve public transportation, authored the community Right to Know provisions of Super Fund legislation, and co-authored the G.I. Bill for all volunteer service. He also served as a member of the House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated political assassinations like those of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. Edgar ran for the Senate in 1986, but lost the general election to Arlen Specter.

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In 1991 Danny Davis ran against Richard M. Daley to be Mayor of Chicago. Davis had previously represented the 29^th Ward of Chicago before running against Daley, who had been mayor since 1989. Davis lost the election, while Daley continued to be mayor until 2005, making him the longest-serving mayor in Chicago’s history. Afterwards in 1997, Davis was elected to sit in the House of Representatives for Illinois’s 7^th district, a position that he continues to hold today.

Danny K. Davis. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_K._Davis.

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In 1971 Richard M. Daley ran to be re-elected as Mayor of Chicago for the fifth time. Daley was elected to the position for the first time in 1955, and during his time in office oversaw the building of O’Hare Airport and Sears Tower, as well as agreeing to desegregate Chicago neighborhoods and is best remembered for preventing Chicago from declining as other Rust Belt cities had. Daley easily won the 1971 election partly because of his popularity and partly because of the lack of a strong opponent. Afterwards, Daley later won the 1975 election, though he died halfway into his term in 1976, holding onto the position of Mayor for a total of 21 years.

Richard J. Daley. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_J._Daley.

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This button comes from Calvin Coolidge and his running mate Charles Dawes’ presidential campaign in 1924. Coolidge had risen to fame as Governor of Massachusetts, and was elected as Vice-President under Warren G. Harding in 1920. President Harding died during his term, making Coolidge the president in 1923, and in 1924 he ran for the presidency with Dawes, winning 54% of the votes. During Coolidge’s second term he granted citizenship to Native Americans, loosened government controls on the economy, and reduced the role of government programs. Coolidge decided not to run again in 1928, and retired to his home in Massachusetts after his term ended, making radio addresses and writing a news column until his death in 1933.

Calvin Coolidge. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge.

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Colin Luther Powell was often mentional as a potential presidential candidate, and many hoped he would run for president as a possible opponent of Bill Clinton in the 1996 U.S. presidential election, but Powell had declined due to a lack of passion for politics in 1995. He was an American statesmen and retired as a four-star general in the U.S. Army. He was also the 65^th Unites States Secretary of State under U.S. President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position.

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In 1992 Bill Clinton ran for the presidency against George H.W. Bush. Clinton, who was at that time the Governor of Arkansas, was not seen as a strong opponent and people doubted that the Democratic party would choose him as their nominee. When he was nominated, Clinton chose Al Gore as his running mate and became very popular with young voters by appearing on popular TV shows. Clinton won the election with 43% of the vote and ultimately served two terms, leaving office in 2001 and going on to create numerous philanthropic organizations.

Bill Clinton. (n.d.). Retrieved December 13, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton.

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Allsvensk Samling was a magazine founded in 1914 in Goteborg, Sweden. The magazine, which was printed in Swedish, was circulated internationally by the National Society of Sweden to encourage Swedish people living abroad to retain their native language and culture. The first editor of the magazine was Enni Lundstrom from 1914 to 1923, and the magazine continued to be circulated among Swedish immigrants until it closed down in 1971.

Allsvensk Samling. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2015 from: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allsvensk_Samling_%28tidskrift%29.

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This button was for Adlai Stevenson III's campaign for U.S. Senator from Illinois. Ralph Tyler.Smith had been appointed to fill the senate seat held by Everett Dirksen, who died in office in 1969. Stevenson defeated Smith in a special election in 1970 and was re-elected in 1974. He decided not to run in 1980. The button is likely from the 1974 election. Stevenson, a Democrat, had been Illinois Treasurer from 1967-1970. Stevenson is the son of former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson II, who lost the U.S. presidential election to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956.