"Hail to the Chief:" Music as a Campaign Item

Buttons and posters are probably the most common way to advertise a presidential candidate, but singing about them can also be a method to promote a person seeking the highest office in the land. Dating back to George Washington, music has been seen as an effective way to get out the word about your favorite candidate. Some of the most famous songs started with William H. Harrison's campaign in 1840. Words such as "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" were put to music and became classics in American folklore. Copies of music were passed out at rallies and taken home with the voters. What better way to spend a cold, rainy night than singing about the man running for president? In the days when education was scarce and most people attended one room schoolhouses, if they went at all, music was a way for people to learn politics and what the candidate stood for. In more recent campaigns, music has seem to have lost it's touch, but from Washington through Reagan, music was made specifically for each candidate. Putting campaign slogans to music was also very popular, such as "I Like Ike" or "Keep Cool with Coolidge." Many titles of campaign songs indicated specific aspects of the man seeking office, such as "Lincoln and Liberty, too" or "Buckle Down with Lyndon" and even "Get on a Raft with Taft." A lot of songs from this era are still with us today, preserved through archives, political items collectors, and museums. The more rare sheet music examples are often ones from the pre-Civil War era, such as Jefferson, Madison, Jackson, Harrison, and Lincoln. Many copies of sheet music from the 20th century are fairly cheap and will not cost the buyer a ton of money. Most examples can be purchased for less than $50, with many in the $15-$25 range. Woodrow Wilson music is especially popular, as many different songs were made for World War I and often mentioned Wilson or featured him on the cover. Warren Harding music can be found in many different versions as well. Some of the most common music is from Dwight Eisenhower's campaign, as thousands of copies were distributed. I have pictured some of my sheet music examples I own. The oldest copy I have is a funeral march for James Garfield from 1881. I also have another funeral piece of music, from William McKinley. The rarest piece would be the Harding and Coolidge music from 1920, mostly because it pictures both candidates. The Coolidge/Dawes music from 1924 is also more rare for the same reason. Even as old as the McKinley piece is, it is not highly valuable. Woodrow Wilson music can often be found for less than $20, even though it is now pushing 100 years old. A lot of different examples exist of Wilson music, which makes the value more reasonable. The newest piece of music I own is of Ronald Reagan.