Anti-Roosevelt, pro-Willkie 1940 presidential campaign button
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm) | Width: 1.250 inches (3.175 cm) | Depth: 0.250 inches (0.635 cm)
Archival History
The political button was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2017 by Forrest Robinson Jr.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Forrest James Robinson, Jr.
Scope and Content
Anti-Roosevelt, pro-Willkie campaign button for the 1940 Presidential Election. Several variations of this button were manufactured at a rapid pace. Some had different background colors, while others had different text size and font styles. The campaign button was used to build awareness, and encourage positive word of mouth for the Republican challenger, Wendell Willkie, while simultaneously discouraging support for the Democratic incumbent, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). FDR was running for an unprecedented third term, which was a major factor the Republicans pressed during the campaign. Willkie also challenged FDR’s New Deal policies and his approach to the ongoing World War. After Willkie was defeated by FDR, he became an ally of the President. Willkie called for greater national support for the Lend-Lease Act, embarked on a new campaign to awaken America from its isolationist slumber and urged unlimited aid to Britain in its struggle against Nazi Germany.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Circular, mustard yellow colored, metal pin back button. The front is flat with rounded edges and 4 lines of black English text. The back is silver colored, concave and has a vertical, thin, metal pin with a pointed bottom end. There are several, small surface rust spots on the back.
People
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945.
- Willkie, Wendell L. (Wendell Lewis), 1892-1944.
Subjects
- Political campaigns.
- Campaign buttons.
- Elections.
- Presidents--Election.
- Pin-back buttons.
- United States.
Genre
- Identifying Artifacts
- Object
- Buttons (Information artifacts)