Black and white photograph of Betty Ford, bordered by white text printed on a red background.

First Lady Elizabeth (Betty) Ford was married to President Gerald Ford who took over the White House after President Nixon resigned. Gerald Ford served as president from 1974 to 1977, when he lost re-election to Jimmy Carter. Betty Ford was a breast cancer survivor and one of the first First Ladies to allow her medical condition to be open to the public. She is credited with raising awareness of the disease and donating thousands to the American Cancer Society.  

Most of all, Betty Ford is remembered for her efforts to treat drug and alcohol addiction with the founding of the Betty Ford Center. Ford suffered from both alcohol and prescription drug addiction after she left the White House and, while receiving treatment, she was made aware of the need for women-centered rehabilitation centers. The Betty Ford Center opened in 1982 and Mrs. Ford served as Chairman of the Board until 2005.  

Photograph of John F. Kennedy with black text underneath.  White text on black background.

With tensions between the USSR and America only escalating, the election of 1960 had broad implications for the shape and direction of the Cold War. The election pitted a young, charismatic leader from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, against Richard Nixon, the former vice president.

The Nixon-Kennedy debates were the first presidential debates to ever be broadcast on television. Although Kennedy was initially perceived by voters as too immature for the White House because of his age, in the debates he appeared sharp and focused. Nixon, alternatively, had just recovered from a knee injury while in a nearby hospital. Wearing a grey suit in the first debate, Nixon blended into the grey studio backdrop. Kennedy stared directly into the cameras, while Nixon, in traditional debate fashion, looked at Kennedy when he answered the moderators' questions or delivered his counter-arguments.

Although Nixon faired better in the last two debates, historians generally agree that Kennedy's performance in the first debate substantively shaped the outcome of the election. It was close. JFK won the popular vote by a mere 118,000 votes. Kennedy's strongholds in industrial and urban areas helped him carry the necessary electoral college votes to victory.

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Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr (H.H.H.) served as the 38th Vice President under President Lyndon B. Johnson, from 1965 to 1969. Humphrey began the 1968 presidential campaign as Johnson’s running mate, but when it appeared that primary would not end in Johnson’s favor, Humphrey challenged Johnson for the Democratic ticket. Humphrey won the nomination however, President Nixon eventually won the general election.  

Back text printed to the right of a photograph of Senator Ted Kennedy. 

In 1972, despite several public statements that he would not run for President of the United States, Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy was considered the favorite for the Democratic nomination. He did not campaign for the office and eventually the Democratic presidential nomination was won by Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. McGovern lost the general election to President Richard Nixon.

Ted Kennedy was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and was a longtime US Senator from Massachusetts.  He passed away in 2009 after a battle with brain cancer.   

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This is a pro-Gerald Ford button from the 1976 United States presidential campaign in which Jimmy Carter, the former govermer of Georgia, ousted Ford from the White House. Gerald Ford served as the 38th President of the United States from 1974 to 1977, following President Richard Nixon's resignation from office. He is the only person to serve as both the Vice President and President without wining the Electoral College vote. 

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This button refers to a statement made by Senator Henry Ashurst of Arizona about his feelings on voting for the Republican candidate, Wendell Willkie, in the 1940 presidential election. Ashurst had previously backed a proposed constitutional amendment limiting presidents to one six-year term. However, when President Roosevelt was nominated to run for a third term in office, Ashurst supported him.  

Bold white text with a black outline is printed over a red illustration of the state of Illinois, on a black background.

Charles Wayland Brooks (1897-1957) was a United States senator from Illinois. Brooks was elected in 1940 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Senator J. Hamilton Lewis, and was re-elected in 1942. After an unsuccessful bid for re-election in 1948, he practiced law until his death. Brooks also served as a first lieutenant in the Marines during World War I.

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Read more about the history of voting and political buttons on the Busy Beaver blog.

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Large bold white text on a blue background.  A small union bug is located at the bottom.  

This button refers to the debate surrounding the 1940 presidential election in which the incumbent President Franklin D. Roosevelt campaigned for a third term. At the time, Congress was in the midst of proposing a constitutional amendment which would have limited presidents to only one six year term, however that amendment eventually failed to pass. Despite the 1940 admendment's failure, on March 21, 1947, the 22nd amendment was added to the constitution in order to officially limit presidents to two, four year terms in office.

Bold blue text printed in the center on a white background.  Above the text is a blue background behind three white stars.  Below the text are five vertical red stripes on a white background.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933-1945. When he was elected to office, the country was deep into the Great Depression with approximately 13,000,000 people unemployed. Roosevelt is credited with giving hope to the American people, beginning with his inaugural address which included his famous quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  

Within his first months in office, Roosevelt prompted Congress to quickly pass the New Deal legislation which put people back to work under several newly-formed governmental organizations including the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Roosevelt is generally considered to be one of the most popular presidents and is the only president to ever be elected to more than two terms.