Congressional Campaign Buttons: In Memorium

First, the answer to yesterday’s question: that’s Bella Abzug in silhouetted profile on her campaign button. Abzug was an activist and politician who frequently receives credit for paving the way for a new generation of women to enter politics.

Today’s selection of campaign buttons honors two recently deceased members of Congress: Arlen Specter and George McGovern, who both died this month.

Little known fact about USCHS: our offices were once used by the Warren Commission investigating John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Arlen Specter, who worked for the commission, wandered into our offices one day after President Gerald Ford died, reminiscing about the days that “he and Jerry had desks facing one another” in one of our offices. After the Warren Commission concluded, Specter returned to Philadelphia and his work as a district attorney/lawyer. He later served 30 years in the Senate, from 1981 to 2010.

George McGovern represented South Dakota in the US House for two terms before serving as senator for 18 years, from 1963 to 1980. He ran for president in 1972 but lost to Richard Nixon.

Click here for the first post in this series.