I recently spotted this medalet in a political items auction, and probably over paid for it. Yet it had too many political issues connected with it for me to pass up. The obverse is boilerplate. It features a right facing bust of Harrison with his name. The reverse features the logo of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Civil War veteran’s fraternal organization. The GAR formed in Springfield, Illinois in 1866. It grew to include hundreds of “posts” through the nation. Its members included veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marines and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. The group was very active in post-Civil War politics. It pushed to give voting rights to African-American veterans, promoted public education projects and advocated making Memorial Day a national holiday. It also lobbied Congress to pay pensions to veterans and actively supported Republican political candidates, including five presidents. They included Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hays, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley. Therefore, the appearance of the GAR’s logon on the reverse of a Benjamin Harrison medalet was to be expected although the symbol almost never appears on other presidential campaign items. Benjamin Harrison was a colonel in the Union army during the Civil War. At the end of the war he became a brevet brigadier general. In contrast, Harrison’s 1888 opponent, Grover Cleveland, did not serve in the Civil War. He paid a substitute to take his place. That practice was perfectly legal, but controversial at the time. In his defense, Cleveland did have a good reason to exempt himself from military service. After his father, a minister of Gospel, died in 1853, he left school at age 16 to support his mother and younger sisters. The family had never had very much money. Over the next ten years, he continued to work to support them, ultimately working as a law clerk. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1859. Cleveland was still sending money home to his family in 1863 when he was drafted. He paid Polish immigrant, George Benninsky $150 to take his place. In addition to his lack of the military record, the GAR had another issue with Grover Cleveland’s presidency. Cleveland believed in small government and limited public expenditures. One of the GAR’s programs was to extend veteran’s benefits to as many men and women as possible. Grover Cleveland reviewed many of the claims and denied those which he judged to be without merit. Those actions added to the GAR’s list of issues that they used to oppose the re-election of Grover Cleveland as president. Cleveland lost the 1888 presidential election to Harrison, despite the fact that he won the popular vote. Cleveland pied up big voting majorities in the South, but he lost New York, which was his home state. Cleveland had significant problems with the Tammany Hall political organization because of his stands against government corruption while he had been the Governor of New York. Benjamin Harrison would serve only one term as president. His high tariff and big spending policies (He presided over the first Congress to spend over a billion dollars.) angered many voters. Harrison was also not personable. Despite the fact that he was an effective public speaker, he was very shy in social settings. Some people who knew him called “the refrigerator” or “the iceberg.” Grover Cleveland defeated him for re-election in 1892 thus making Cleveland the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. An 1888 Grover Cleveland campaign piece. And a matching piece for the first lady.
The GAR was a huge influence in establishing the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home in Xenia Ohio where my wife was raised. Established 1870.
Informative and educational, as always. Thanks for the post John. Cool find to add to your collection.
