1965 Inauguration Day pin for Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey
Object number2015.076.0001
Date01/20/1965
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectPin
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal
Dimensions4 in. (10.2 cm)
Collections
DescriptionLarge pin commemorating the inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey in 1965.
On a blue and red background, portraits of Johnson and Humphrey flank a small center image of John F. Kennedy. At the top are the words "Let Us Continue" and at the bottom a slogan for "The Great Society."
The back of the pin has a brass safety pin on a metal backing. Publishing text along the bottom edge of the pin reads: "(c) 1965 Empress Specialty Co, 64 W 23 St. NYC 10010."
Curatorial CommentaryPresident Lyndon Johnson recognized the power of the Kennedy legacy in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, and he used it to great political effect during the 1964 election. Virtually every Democratic presidential candidate since that time has included the image or the words of John F. Kennedy in their campaign materials, holding up the late president as a shining example of party leadership -- and also tapping into the unfulfilled hope and promise that Kennedy represents. Some candidates, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have been specifically compared to John F. Kennedy in terms of their optimism and soaring rhetoric. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
