Irving Sunrise Rotary – Irving Sunrise Rotary Fall 2024 Auction
Auction Ends: Nov 13, 2024 09:00 PM CST

Collectibles

Ike For President Campaign Button/Pin

Item Number
109
Estimated Value
Priceless
Opening Bid
7 USD
Next Minimum Bid
USD
Time Left
8d 14h
Online Close
2024-11-13 22:00:00.0

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Item Description

  This is a reproduction printed in 1972!!!  

So for you young viewers here and some of you older ones who might not know the story of how this campaign pin came to be--here ya go......

Adalai Stevenson had a problem connecting with voters in the 1952 campaign, viewed as a wealthy egghead up against war hero Dwight Eisenhower. 
 
The Democrat appeared in Flint on Labor Day, sharing a stage with Gov. G. Mennen Williams. Stevenson crossed his legs, and Journal photographer William Gallagher noticed a hole in the bottom of his shoe. Gallagher discreetly snapped the photo, and it was published in papers across the nation the next day.  Eisenhower’s campaign jumped at the chance to exploit the photo, quickly producing pinback buttons showing the bottom of a shoe with the hole, reading “Don’t Let This Happen to YOU! Vote for Ike."   Rather than being embarrassed, Stevenson embraced the opportunity to connect with average voters and show he’d be just as frugal with taxpayer dollars. His campaign soon produced silver pins shaped like the sole of a shoe, complete with a hole in the bottom.

 

Item Special Note

item shown is exact item up for auction--shipping charges apply if not a local pick up

 

Donated by Bob Whitney--Rotarian

Donated By:

Bob Whitney-Rotarian