Pinback button promoting Charles Hughes for president and Charles Fairbanks for vice president, 1916. P.H. Weil, New Haven, Connecticut.
Republicans broke with convention and nominated a Supreme Court justice for president in 1916. Charles Hughes had been governor of New York before accepting an appointment to the high court by President Taft, and was a unifying choice, supported both by progressive and Old Guard Republicans. His running mate was the former vice-president under Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Fairbanks of Indiana (he had turned down McKinley's offer in 1900, and otherwise would have become president instead of Roosevelt). The ticket posed a strong challege to the incumbents, Wilson and Marshall, and came within a few thousand votes of winning in November.
Jugate pinbacks for Hughes and Fairbanks are quite uncommon, with most designs selling for upwards of $1000. Not surprisingly, we have a hard time keeping this one in stock.
