A ferrotype image of Abraham Lincoln sits within a brass frame and black text is listed on the top portion of the image. 

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1965) was the 16th President of the United States. His presidency lasted from March 1861 until he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in Washington, D.C. in April 1865. This "pre-button" was produced in support of Lincoln's 1864 presidential campaign on the Republican ticket against Democrat George B. McClellan of New Jersey. Lincoln was re-elected in a landslide victory through the Electoral College. He was the first president to be re-elected since Andrew Jackson in 1832 and began his second term on March 4, 1865.

An illustration of a gold circle within a blue stand lies in the center of button. The stand is surrounded by a blue laurel wreath and golden circle. The outside of the golden circle is surrounded by capitalized blue text. All of the illustrations and text sit on a white background that is surrounded by brass.

The Mystic Workers of the World was founded in Illinois in 1896 as a fraternal benefit society. The organization was founded to offer insurance alternatives to the growing middle class in the Midwest and northern states. In 1930, Mystic Workers of the World changed its name to Fidelity Life Association.  

A silver rimmed button with gold text all over a blue background. Two short gold ribbons lie on the blue background and are placed on top portion of the button.

This pre-button commemorates the 20th Session of the International Molder's Union of North America, which was held in Chicago in 1895. The I.M.U. of N.A. was formed in 1859 and represented workers who molded iron in particular. A series of mergers led the union to change its name to the International Molders and Allied Workers Union and, in 1988, it merged with the Glass, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union (GPPA) to create the Glass, Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union (GMP).

A black and white photo of a man appears in the button's center. Above and below this image is black text. Directly behind the image of the man is the municipal flag of Chicago: two blue bars with red six-pointed stars between them (only 2/4 stars are visible).

Hizzoner was a 2006 play written and performed by Chicago actor Neil Giuntoli. Shown at the Prop Theatre, the play was a fictional account of former Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley. It was nominated for a 2006 Joseph Jefferson Award Citation for New Work.

White text on a red background

Have info on this button? Contact us here.

Brown text on a white background with an illustration of a smiling peanut on the left side

This is a button showing support for Jimmy Carter in his 1976 Presidential election. "Peanut" is an affectionate nickname for Jimmy Carter given to him because he used to work on a peanut farm. The slogan on the button "Put a Peanut in Every Pot" is a play on words of  "to put a chicken in every pot," a phrase used by Herbert Hoover in the 1928 election as he promised to voters prosperity and abundance. Hoover announced that if he wins, there would be “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.” 

Blue text and a blue and white photograph of a man on a white background

This is a button from John Vilet Lindsay's 1965 New York City mayoral campaign. He ran as a liberal Republican and defeated New York City Comptroller Abraham Beame. Lindsay served to terms as mayor, from 1966-1973. Prior to serving as mayor, Lindsay was a congressman in the US House of Representatives. Despite being a Republican, he voted with Democrats on social and economic issues in congress.

Lindsay's time as mayor was marked with racial unrest, antiwar protests, municipal strikes, and other upheavals during the tumultuous 1960's and early 70's. He ran for President in 1972, but lost in the primary to George McGovern. Lindsay remained in the public eye after he left office by appearing on ABC's Good Morning America as a correspondent and publishing his novel, The Edge. 

The "La Guardia" mentioned on the button is most likely referring to another former New York City mayor, Fiorello LaGuardia. Like Lindsay, La Guardia was a Republican but worked well with the Democrats and was known for his support of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's programs. Lindsay often compared himself to La Guardia in his campaigns. 

On a blue background, white text lies above and below a banner. The banner has three white stars on a blue rectangle on its far left and otherwise a white stripe between two red stripes.

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was a Democratic candidate for president during the 2008 US presidential election. In addition to being an attorney and First Lady to former President Bill Clinton during his two terms in office, she also served as a U.S. Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009. Clinton's Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, became the Democratic nominee at the 2008 Democratic National Convention by a relatively small margin—Clinton had 1,640 pledged delegates to Obama's 1,763. Obama was elected president in the November 2008 election, and he soon after named Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State. She served as Secretary of Suntil she was succeeded by John Kerry in 2013. In 2015, Hillary Clinton announced she would run as a Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential election. 

A photograph of a man appears inside of a ring of red white and blue, in which golden text is inscribed. 

Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was the 23rd President of the United States. His term in office lasted from 1889-1893. He was also the grandson of the 9th U.S. President, William Henry Harrison. A Republican, Benjamin Harrison ran for a second presidential term in 1892 against Democrat Grover Cleveland, who had already served a term as President immediately prior to Harrison, from 1885 to 1889. As seen in this button, Harrison ran on a platform that focused in part on protectionism, or restraining trade with other states through tariffs on imported goods. Harrison lost the election to Cleveland. 

All on a white background, three lines of larger blue text appear at the top of the button; below is one line of light-red/pink text, followed by a blue line, five five-pointed stars of the same shade of red/pink, and another blue line. 

Carol Moseley Braun was a United States Senator from Illinois. She held the seat for six years, from 1993 to 1999. A native of Chicago, Moseley Braun was the first female African-American to ever serve in the U.S. Senate and the first female senator from Illinois. This button promotes her first senatorial campaign in 1992, upon the conclusion of which she became the first woman to ever defeat an incumbent U.S. senator in an election (Alan J. Dixon). After her term in office, she was appointed Ambassador to New Zealand by President Bill Clinton from 1999 to 2001.