The Political Experience of the Presidents: Pre-Presidential life

With the lone exception of some of America's most famous military heroes, like George Washington, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, presidents have been involved with politics for much of their careers. There have been career politicians, such as James Buchanan, Lyndon Johnson, and to some extent George H.W. Bush, and then there have been presidents who served very minor state government roles, leading to a governorship, like Calvin Coolidge, and then ultimately the presidency upon the death of Warren Harding. Some presidents were almost completely caught off guard and were highly unprepared for the most prestigious and demanding job in the nation, such as Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, and Harry Truman. Truman, for example, was largely kept in the dark about war strategy and post war plans, but managed to learn quickly and was elected in his own right a few years later. For the most part, the president has been a tool of political parties, especially in the post Civil War era, when Congress dominated the scene. With a string of weak presidents, Congress was able to dictate policy and weaken the power of the presidency. In the beginning of our nation, being Secretary of State was seen as the next step to the presidency, with men like Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John Q. Adams, and Martin Van Buren following that role. Then, state positions seemed to be a way to lead to the presidency, especially men who had served as Governor, such as Polk, Hayes, Cleveland, McKinley, and many presidents in the 20th century. All the men who have served as president or who ran for president were politicians in some way, having to work with Congress to get things done. Some have been very successful in working with opposition parties, and some have failed. Some of the most highly collectible campaign items are from presidents and candidates who ran for president when they were young or running for offices like governor, senator, representative, judges, and state offices. There are many examples of buttons, posters, and 3-D objects promoting future presidents for these lesser political roles. It is always interesting to look at these objects and picturing a middle aged California governor named Ronald Reagan not having a clue what the future would hold, or a former vice president named Richard Nixon who ran for governor of California in 1962 and lost. These items give a more common touch between the common man and the high office of president, since it is much easier to be elected to something like state senate than it is to be elected president, it gives us all hope that maybe one day we could be in the same position. I have pictured a few of my favorite items I have relating to presidents and presidential candidates before they made the run for the high office. For information sake and so you can see some of the best examples of pre-presidential items, I have included some items I do not own. The ones I personally own are the Reagan items, the Nixon for Governor pin, the Bush for Congress bumper sticker, and the Charles Hughes button. The rest are rare items I have included for a better understanding of pre presidential items.

Inauguration Day: The Peaceful Transfer of Power

Since the beginning of the American Revolution, democracy has lived on through the means of elections and the orderly transfer of office. The world was amazed that George Washington would voluntarily give up his role as president and leader of the United States at the end of eight years, setting the precedent for every president until Franklin Roosevelt. Democracy was a very new concept at the end of the 18th century, and Washington did an amazing job of setting the bar high for America. One of the highlights of a presidential election is the Inauguration, held the following year a few months after the election. After Washington's first term, the inauguration date was set for March 4 following an election year. With the rapid progress of technology and communication throughout the late 1800's and into the World War I era, it was decided that the long period between the election and inauguration was no longer necessary, and Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inauguration in 1937 was moved to January 20, the date currently recognized. There have been instances where inaugurations have been moved, especially when the date fell on a Sunday. The 1985 inauguration of Ronald Reagan was moved a day later to January 21 due to extremely cold temperatures and wind chill. The Inauguration is one of the most amazing spectacles throughout the world, as hundreds of thousands of citizens attend the inauguration, parades, and balls that follow. Millions more watch on television or the internet. The ultimate sign of democracy is the outgoing president shaking hands and welcoming the incoming president. Twice in history, both after bitter elections, the incumbent left town and did not stay for their successor's inauguration. John Adams left town on the night of March 3, 1801, after the close election of 1800 and the fact that Thomas Jefferson, the winner in the election, and Adams had become personal enemies. The other time was for Andrew Jackson's inauguration on March 4, 1829, when incumbent and outgoing president John Q. Adams fled the capitol the night before and did not stay on to witness Jackson's triumph. The speech that the new president gives at the inauguration often outlines a new direction in government or promises to pass legislation or govern in a new way than the previous president has. William H. Harrison gave the longest inaugural speech in history, lasting over an hour and a half. George Washington gave the shortest inaugural speech, during his second ceremony in 1793. All in all, the Inauguration every four years in Washington, D.C. is a highlight for many Americans and shows a democracy in work. Items from various inaugurations are very popular and collectible. Many people want to buy items at the inauguration as keep sakes, so there are many different button designs, programs, tickets, music, and other various objects made for inaugurations. I have pictured a lot of the inaugural related items I have, such as buttons, tickets, pennants, music, and programs.

Size Really Does Matter: Large Campaign Buttons

In the history of campaign buttons, nothing impresses people as much as wearing a huge button that measures either 6 inches or 9 inches, which really shows off the candidate you support. Buttons as we know them today were first created for the 1896 campaign of William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan, when the celluloid technique was mastered. In 1900, a large 10" button was made showing McKinley and his running mate, Theodore Roosevelt. After that, almost every election has produced a button measuring at least 4" in diameter. Some of the most famous buttons in the hobby are of the larger variety, such as a Coolidge/Dawes jugate from 1924, a Harding and Cox mate from 1920, and a pair of John Davis and Calvin Coolidge 4" pins from 1924. Starting with Franklin Roosevelt, the 9 inch buttons began to make headway as far as popularity, and by the time of the Eisenhower campaign, many buttons measuring at least 6 inches were common. Many of these buttons were produced for conventions, as many people would not want to wear such large buttons to show off a candidate. Most of these large buttons have easel backs on them so they can be displayed. These larger campaign buttons are great for really showing off a particular candidate of your choice. Some of these are fairly common and not worth more than $10-$20, especially more modern ones for candidates like Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. One of the most popular and affordable John F. Kennedy buttons is a 6 inch from Inauguration Day in 1961, which can often be found for less than $20. I have pictured many of my most favorite buttons that are at least 6 inches in size. I put a quarter in the picture for comparison so you would be able to grasp just how large these buttons are. The 9" buttons I have pictured include two George W. Bush, one from Virginia, and the other a button showing all 50 states as small campaign buttons. Another set of 9" Bush buttons feature one showing all the Republican presidents and a button from the 2005 inauguration. Also shown is a Barry Goldwater 9" along with a Gerald Ford button from 1976. Another group of 9" buttons is a set from 1996, one with Democrats, the other with Republicans. Now on to 6" buttons. The 6 inch size button is much more common in the recent political history era, basically from Eisenhower to the present. Many of these buttons can be found for relatively cheap as well. 6" buttons are on the borderline as being "wearable" and making a statement as to who you support. I have included a few groups of this size as well, such as Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, and Dwight Eisenhower. Collecting buttons this large does create a storage issue however, as the standard size riker mount case, 16 x 12" will only hold two of these 6" buttons and one 9" button. If you collect these items, the best riker mount is the 20 x 14" size case, which will hold 6 of the 6" buttons. These large buttons are great to collect and really show that you support a certain candidate, and make great centerpieces for a display case that you can surround with smaller buttons.

"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.

Dining with the President

Not all campaign items consist of buttons, posters, or brochures promoting the candidate. One popular way to show support for a candidate is by putting their images on dining items, such as plates, cups, and place mats. Presidential china has been around since the beginning, and almost every candidate has had their image placed on something that a person could use to eat or drink out of. Bowls, pitchers, cups, glasses, plates, and even silverware have at one point in history shown an image of one of our presidents. Most of the time, these items were meant for display and not to actually eat on or drink out of, but could certainly be used for that if the occasion presented itself. Some items that fit in this category were made for a specific fundraiser or produced in limited quantity as a gift. I have included almost every item here that I own in this category. I have a Reagan/Bush limited edition plate from the 1981 Inauguration. Also pictured is a plate from the 1950's showing Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife Mamie, a plate from the early 1970's showing Richard M. Nixon and his wife Pat, and the oldest plate I own, one showing James Garfield, made in either 1880 or 1881. Plates like this are still fairly common to run across and are mostly worth less than $40, although older items like the Garfield plate can require more than $60 to purchase. I have also included a few Reagan items I am proud of. One is a plastic cup from one of his Governor's races while he was in California. Another items is a place mat used for a BBQ fundraiser for his first campaign for Governor in 1966. This item is really neat to me and probably hard to find many in good condition like this one. The last item I have pictured is a napkin from the Eisenhower era, jokingly referred to as a crying towel. For time and space sake I have not included two more plates I own. One of George McGovern, and another from Eisenhower's term, showing all the presidents through Eisenhower. Items like China and other food ware can be fun to collect and helps diversify a collection.