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Eugene McCarthy was a politician from the state of Minnesota who ran as an Independent in the 1976 United States Presidential election.  He came in third, behind Jimmy Carter and incumbent President Ford.  McCarthy had previously been connected with the Democratic Party, having run for the Democratic nomination in both the 1968 and 1972 party primaries.  The 1976 marked McCarthy's departure from the Democratic Party until 1992, when he would, for the last time, run for the Democratic nomination.

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Michael Bilandic was Mayor of Chicago in the late 1970s. Originally a lawyer, Bilandic entered politics by becoming an alderman representing the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. After Mayor Richard J. Daley’s death in 1976 in the middle of his term, Bilandic was chosen to take the place of mayor until an election could be held. Bilandic ran in the 1977 election to hold the position of mayor for the remaining two years of what had originally been Mayor Daley’s term, where this button likely came from. Bilandic won, holding the position from 1977 to 1979. The two years that Bilandic spent as mayor were turbulent, characterized by strikes, a bombing in City Hall, riots, and a blizzard. Bilandic ran to be Mayor of Chicago again in 1979, but was beaten by Jane Byrne, after which he returned to local politics and was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990, where he served for ten years before retiring.

Michael Anthony Bilandic. (n.d.) Retrieved October 31, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Anthony_Bilandic.

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Democrat Janice “Jan” Schakowsky is the U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 9th congressional district. The 9th congressional district includes many of Chicago’s wealthy northern suburbs, as well as much of Chicago’s north side. Schakowsky has served in the position since 1999, and this button is from her first campaign. She easily won the Democratic primary in 1998, and went on to win the general election with 75% of the vote. Prior to running for Congress, Schakowsky served for eight years in the Illinois General Assembly. She holds a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Illinois. 

Schakowsky is considered one of the most progressive members in the US House of Representatives. She serves in the House’s Democratic leadership as the Chief Deputy Whip and is a Ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Schakowsky is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and is the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues.

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Carl R. Hansen served as the Cook County (Illinois) Commissioner from 1976 to 2006. Hansen’s 30 years of service make him the second-longest serving member ever of the Cook County Board. As a Republican, Hansen was often on the opposite side of the aisle than the other members of the majority-Democratic board, however he was did not always vote solely based on Republican doctrine. Prior to his death in February 2010 at age 83, Hansen cited that his greatest political accomplishment was blocking a plan that would replace 600 acres of forest preserve with a landfill. In June 2010, a woods in Cook County—close to the forest preserve Hansen worked to save—was named in in his honor. 

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Eugene McCarthy was a politician from the state of Minnesota.  His political career began in 1949, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and remained at this post till 1959.  McCarthy then continued on to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.  The 1968 U.S. Presidential election saw him run as a candidate for the Democratic nomination.  However, this attempt was unsuccessful.  He attempted again to run for the same party nomination in the 1972 U.S. Presidential election, again loosing this bid.  

1976 marked the point when he ran as an Independent in the Presidential election, coming in third.  After 20 years from his last attempt to run for the party nomination in the 1972 election, he returned to the Democratic Party and ran for the nomination for President, but was excluded from the televised debates.  1992 marked the end of his attempts to run for the Presidential nomination. 

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Edward Joseph "Ed" Derwinski was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1957 where he served one term prior to winning the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958. Derwinski encountered several re-elections during his 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served the 4th district of Illinois, a suburban region southwest of Chicago.

Derwinski was best known as the driving force in keeping relations between the United States and Poland. After his 12 terms in Congress, Derwinski became the first Cabinet-level U.S. Secretary to Veterans Affairs under George H.W. Bush until 1992.  

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Edward Joseph "Ed" Derwinski was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1957 where he served one term prior to winning the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1958. Derwinski encountered several re-elections during his 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives where he served the 4th district of Illinois, a suburban region southwest of Chicago.

Derwinski was best known as the driving force in keeping relations between the United States and Poland. After his 12 terms in Congress, Derwinski became the first Cabinet-level U.S. Secretary to Veterans Affairs under George H.W. Bush until 1992.  

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Born in 1928, Joseph A. Tecson served as a Cook County (Illinois) Commissioner for 5 years, having first been elected in 1976. He resigned in 1982 to allow his replacement to join the board. He was the first Asian American on the board. During his time on the commission, he was on the committee that oversaw Cook County Hospital. He also was active in the convention that drafted a new Illinois Constitution in 1970.

Tecson attended Ripon College and the University of Wisconsin law school, earning his LL.B/J.D. in 1954. He was a founding member of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. He served as special counsel to various government agencies such as the Medical Disciplinary Board, the Department of Public Aid, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Professional Regulation. Tecson also served in the U.S. Navy aboard the U.S.S. Shangri-La. He died in January 2015.

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William Grant Stratton was the 32nd Governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961, at the time of his inauguration he was the youngest Governor in United States at the age of 38.  Stratton was re-elected as Governor in 1956 but was defeated when he ran for his third term in 1960.  Stratton was accused of tax evasion in the mid 1960's but after his acquittal ran for the Republican primary for Governor again in 1968 but was unsuccessful.

Stratton served the state of Illinois for more than 60 years in positions including; Congressman, State Treasure, Governor, and World War II veteran.  Stratton’s terms as Governor overlapped with Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency and his agreement of Eisenhower’s interstate highway system continues to benefit be his legacy.  Stratton was also known for helping the university system grow in Illinois due to the amount of service members returning from war to use the G.I. Bill.