As our fellow political junkies know, for some time now we’ve been showing photos of unknown buttons, arranged alphabetically by candidate names, for you to help identify. We can’t make heads or tails of these candidates, most of whom we’ve never heard of. And when we see a “Smith for Congress” or a “Jones for Senator” button, how do we know which Smith or which Jones? So we’ve been posting pictures of these buttons, hoping you will have the answer. Often, you have come through, which is most appreciated.
Thus far, we’ve completed the first 11 letters of the alphabet. (Check out our previous “Who Dats”: Unknowns beginning with the Letter A, Letter B, two pages for Letter C (here and here), Letter D, Letter E, Letter F, Letter G, Letter H, Letter I, Letter J and Letter K.) We even have one of buttons with pictures only — no names. That’s even harder to decipher.
We now bring you to the Letter L. The little we know (or think we know) about these buttons will appear in the descriptions below. Can anyone help with the identification of these buttons?
Some identifications and thoughts since these buttons were put up:
ROW 1 — Jim Largent for Congress (button 3) is Virginia 1962. The Lefkowitz/Newman/Schlesinger (button 4) is thought to be from NY, but that’s it. Joseph Lloyd for commissioner (button 6) has Oakland backpaper.
ROW 3 — Leo Legros (button 2) is from Mass. Lueder for mayor (button 4) is Chicago 1923.
ROW 4 — George Logan for mayor on the Good Government Party ticket (button 4) is Allegheny, Pa. in 1906. Wm. Lambert for state president (button 8) may not be political; it could be for the state president of the Elks in Ohio.
ROW 6 — Richard Limburg (button 5) could be from Westchester County, N.Y.
ROW 7 — Abe Leach for city attorney (button 2) is from Oakland, Calif. in 1905.
ROW 8 — Wm. E. Lewis for senator (button 4) could be upstate New York in 1902.
ROW 9 — Leardi for Assembly (button 5) is a Democrat from Westchester County, N.Y., in 1966.
ROW 10 — Michael Leary for Alderman (button 7) is from Boston.
Liddy – L. B. Liddy, Iowa Sec. of Agriculture in the 1960s
Lees — probably Brian P. Lees, the sacrificial GOP nominee against Edward Boland in Massachusetts 2 in 1986. Went on to become a state senator.
Lees’ Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Lees
“Republican Locke for Senator” — Possibly David H. Locke? He was a Massachusetts State Senator, 1969-93.
Locke’s Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_H._Locke
Clark Lowenfield — This one’s a little off-the-wall. A high-school student named Clark Lowenfield was apparently elected “youth Governor” of something called the “Youth and Government Conference” in Texas in February 1975. Sounds a little like Boys State/Girls State, but sponsored by the YMCA. It’s hard to believe that anyone would actually have buttons printed for something like this, though.
According to this, “The Youth and Government conference is a means for local clubs to simulate the legislative and judicial sections of government in the United States.” https://arlington.bubblelife.com/community/rita_cook_freelance_writer_1/library/35855840/key/351619151/YMCA_Texas_Youth_and_Government_Hosts_1200
Clark Lowenfield references:
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/67531253/
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/68505278/
Lefkowitz-Newman-Schlesinger is probably from 1961 when NYS AG Louis Lefkowitz was GOP candidate for Mayor. Bernard Newman was NY County GOP Leader & may have been a candidate for City Council or Judge. I don’t about Schlesinger.
Lewis-Grieco-Leone-Patrick is from Brooklyn. Albert Lewis was a State Senator & Sal Grieco was a State Assemblyman, who represented the same areas in the late 1960s & early 70s. Leone & Patrick are undoubtedly District Leaders who ran with them
Ken,
I hate to rain on your parade here, but I’m skeptical that the “Jim Largent” pin is from the 1962 Virginia 7th C.D. race, since the Largent who ran in (and lost) the Democrat primary to Judge Jack Marsh was Flournoy Leonard Largent, Jr. So unless Flournoy Leonard Largent, Jr. went by “Jim” — possible, but seems unlikely — I think that’s not the answer.
Here’s a story (https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/47737390/) about that Congressional race from the Petersburg, Va. Progress-Index, July 8, 1962. It identifies one of the candidates as F.L. “Jim” Largent. Can’t blame him for using “Jim” in preference to “Flournoy.”
Daniel Fox to the rescue!
Wm. E. Lewis, a Republican from Utica, NY lost the State Senate race for the 34th district in 1902. George B. Logan was the unsuccessful Good Government candidate for mayor of Allegany, Pennsylvania in 1906.
“We Like Lee for honesty and integrity in public office” – Blair Lee III of Maryland, probably from his U.S. Senate primary campaign of 1962.
The oval “Lueder for mayor” button seems likely to be from Arthur C. Lueder’s 1923 campaign for mayor of Chicago. Lueder, the U.S. postmaster for Chicago, was the losing GOP nominee. He later served as Illinois state auditor.
There was a (Louie?) Lefkovitz that ran for, I’m 99% sure, Attorney General of New York. He had some yellow lithos with black lettering. I believe around 1.0″ or perhaps a tad larger. I’ve got about 20 or so around here somewhere.
This Louie button was made by the Dean Watkins Co. of Lansing, Mich.