Ribbons and medals are at the periphery of our hobby. Most collectors are much more interested in coins than medals, and collectors who like medals tend to have less interest in pieces that are attached to ribbons. As some of you know, I also collect political items. I found this piece on the site of one of the political items dealers from whom I have purchased a number of pieces. It is a ribbon and hanger from the 1948 Democratic Convention. I think that it is a handsome piece, and this was an eventful convention to say the least. This ribbon was worn by someone who was on the Democratic Party National Committee. Unfortunately I don't their name. The convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The top piece has an attractive image of the Betsy Ross House although the name does appear upon it. It only says "birthplace of Old Glory." The bottom hanger pieces features landmarks in Philadelphia. They include the stature of William Penn that is on top of City Hall, the bell tower on Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. The convention was a ruckus affair. Harry Truman, who had become president after Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, was not very popular. His poll numbers were poor, and some Democrats for looking for an alternative. It has been reported that even Truman was looking for a replacement. At one point he offered to help Dwight Eisenhower get the nomination, but Ike had refused the offer. Here is a 1948 Eisenhower for President button. In addition, Truman was pushing for plank in the party platform that would expand civil rights for African-Americans. This did not set well with the southern wing of the party lead by South Carolina Senator, Strom Thurmond. Ultimately Thurmond made a big show of walking out of the convention. He would form a third party, known informally as “the Dixiecrats,” who would run against Truman. They would win the electoral votes of several southern states in the general election. Here is a “Dixiecrat” postcard. And yes, this is the same Strom Thurmond who later became a Republican and served in the Senate until he was 101 years old. To further complicate things for the Democrats, former vice president, Henry Wallace, was also running for president. He thought that he was the natural heir to Franklin Roosevelt's political legacy and ran to the left of Truman. Wallace did not win any electoral votes in the general election. It is believed, however, that Wallace took enough votes from Truman in New York State to cost him that important state's electoral votes. Here is a Wallace for President button which shows him casting the shadow of Franklin Roosevelt. The convention picked Truman and Kentucky senator Alben Barkley to run for president and vice president. The Republicans countered with New York governor Thomas E. Dewey for president and Earl Warren for vice president. Warren would later be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Dewey had lost to Franklin Roosevelt in 1944, but the Republicans were confident that he would beat Truman this time. Dewey ran a lack luster campaign as a result. This button reflected their overconfidence. On Election Night, one Chicago, Illinois newspaper ran a banner headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman," but it was Dewey who got the unpleasant surprise when Truman pulled one of the greatest political upsets in American History.
Some really cool pieces there...I love the ribbon from the DNC. I have read that some people believe that Henry Wallace cost Truman New York but I have personally always found that hard to believe. Thomas Dewey was the sitting governor of New York. I find it hard to believe he would lose his home state.
Believe or not, that Eisenhower pin is not all that expensive. The trick is finding one. No one knew what Eisenhower's political opinions were in 1948. It is interesting to note, that the same thing was true a century earlier in 1848. Zachary Taylor, who was also a general and wartime hero, was so apolitical that he admitted to not voting previously in a presidential election. He might not have even voted for himself! The Whigs nominated him. His reaction was that he was a Whig, but not a strong Whig.
very nice, only realy "political" coinage/medals I have are a few 1972 democratic convention, recycled "bumper" coins literaly made from recycled car bumpers and "chromed" accordingly.. Crappy coins and they lost... but still a neat piece of history...
It has been rare for a WINNING candidate to lose his own state, but it's happened quite frequently for a loser to also lose his home state. Yes, after electing Dewey governor, it's hard to believe that the New York voters would not have voted for him for president, but here is the raw vote: Dewey 2,841,163 46.3 % Truman 2,780,204 45.4 % Wallace 509,559 8.3 % Truman lost by just 60,595 votes. It's always dangerous to do hypothetical calculations, but if Truman had gotten 56% of the Wallace vote, he would have won the state. Since the Wallace people had to be on the more liberal side, one can argue that most of those voters were Democrats and not Republicans.
...and go on in his first term to overrule Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) in the landmark civil rights opinion Brown v. Board (1954) reversing a half-century of "separate but equal" treatment of blacks. Suffice it to say, he made a better CJ than would have made a VP.
