October 11, 2014 - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has the distinction of being the only person ever elected President of the United States four times. As Roosevelt had four successful runs for the White House and three different Vice Presidents this created a need for a wide variety of campaign buttons, posters and other election materials.

Roosevelt, also know by his initials FDR, ran his first presidential campaign in 1932 at the height of the Great Depression. Then in his fourth year as Governor of New York, FDR a Democrat faced incumbent Republican President Herbert Hoover.

For his vice presidential running mate FDR, selected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John Nance Garner IV of Texas. Also known by the nickname “Cactus Jack” Garner would go on to serve as Roosevelt’s vice president for two terms.

With the ticket now set, FDR would win a landslide victory on November 8, 1932 scoring 57% of the popular vote and a resounding 472 electoral votes to just 59 electoral votes for Hoover.

Roosevelt would have one more obstacle to overcome on his way to the White House when as President-elect he was almost assassinated on February 11, 1933 in Miami, Florida.  On that day as FDR traveled in an open car through Miami, Giuseppe Zangara would fire five shots. While Roosevelt was not hit, four other people were struck and the Mayor of Chicago Anton Cermak was fatally wounded.

Franklin Roosevelt would take the oath of office as the 32^nd President of the United States on March 4, 1933. Roosevelt was the last President to be sworn in on March 4^th as the date of presidential inaugurations would be moved to the current date of January 20^th starting in 1937.

Picture campaign buttons featuring Roosevelt and some with Garner would be produced for the 1932 campaign. While there are some picture buttons of Roosevelt showing him smiling, most feature a photo of a serious looking FDR as befitting a county then mired in the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

In 1936 with Garner once again as his vice presidential running mate, FDR would go on to record one of the greatest presidential election victories in history.

With his Republican opponent this time being Kansas Governor Alf Landon, Roosevelt would receive 60% of the popular and a then record 523 electoral votes. Landon would acquire just 8 electoral votes having won only two states Vermont and Maine. Landon campaign buttons are known for their frequent use of the sunflower in their design. The sunflower is the state flower of Landon’s home state of Kansas.

While Roosevelt and his predecessors were not restricted to two terms as presidents are now, George Washington the first President of the United States had set the tradition of a president only serving two terms.

In 1940 with World War II already underway in Europe , but with the United States as yet not engaged, there was much speculation that FDR would run for a third term. While publicly not indicating through the first part of 1940 whether he would he would run or not, FDR ultimately decided to seek a third term as president.

 In July of 1940 at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Roosevelt was easily re-nominated. Because of some political differences with his Vice President Garner, FDR selected a new running mate Secretary of Agriculture Henry A. Wallace.

With Garner now off the ticket, some campaign buttons would now feature the images of both Roosevelt and Wallace.

Roosevelt’s Republican opponent would be Wendell Willkie. Many pro Willkie campaign buttons would carry an anti- third term Roosevelt theme. Some of the slogans found on Willkie word campaign buttons would be “No Man Is Good 3 Times”, “No Third Termites”, “8 Years is Enough” and the baseball themed “Force Franklin Out At Third.”

In spite of Willkie arguing against an unprecedented third term for Roosevelt, FDR was re-elected on November 5, 1940.  FDR would win 449 electoral votes compared with 82 for Willkie. While Willkie would score six million more votes than fellow Republican Alf Landon did in 1936, it still was not enough to overcome Roosevelt who received 54% of the vote to Willkie’s 44%.

In 1944 after an unprecedented 12 years in the White House, leading the country through both the Great Depression and World War II and despite being in poor health FDR would again run for President. While it was never in doubt that Roosevelt would be nominated for President a fourth time by the Democratic Party, the issue of his health would result in yet another vice presidential running mate being selected.

In 1944 many Democratic Party leaders and delegates were opposed to re-nominating Roosevelt’s current Vice President Henry Wallace as it was felt he was to left wing. The moderate Senator Harry Truman of Missouri was selected to be FDR’s running mate.

Roosevelt’s 1944 Republican opponent would be fellow New Yorker and then Governor of the Empire State Thomas Dewey. When the November 7 election was held Dewey would fare no better than the other Republicans who had challenged FDR.

President Roosevelt received 432 electoral votes to just 99 for Dewey. In the popular vote FDR would receive 54% of the vote to 45% for Dewey. In an odd footnote to the election this would be the only presidential race in history where both the Democratic and Republican candidate were from the same county, that being Dutchess County, New York.

Of Roosevelt’s three vice presidents, that hardest campaign button to come by is one picturing him with his running mate Harry Truman. Some campaign buttons from the 1944 election would also include references to World War II.

Buttons would feature the FDR quote “We Are Going To Win This War And Win the Peace That Follows.” Others pins would reference his famous “Four Freedoms” speech. In January 6, 1941 Roosevelt in an address to Congress outlined the “Four Freedoms” that people all over the world should enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

1944 would mark the last political campaign for FDR, as he would die only 82 days after he was inaugurated for the fourth time as president.

On April 12, 1945, while at his Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia after complaining of a headache  FDR died  soon after of a stroke. Upon the death of FDR, Vice President Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33^rd President of the United States.

Roosevelt would be buried in the rose garden of his Hyde Park, New York estate. Also located at the site is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The Roosevelt Museum contains a wide collection of FDR memorabilia from throughout his life. Also on display there is a collection of campaign buttons and other political items from his presidential campaigns.

Now some nearly 70 years since his death, FDR is often ranked as one of the five greatest presidents to have ever served. While the presidential campaigns of Franklin D. Roosevelt are now far in the past, the FDR campaign buttons from his four presidential runs continue to inspire and be sought out by political collectors.