Pinback button promoting William McKinley for president and Garret Hobart for vice president, 1896. Whitehead & Hoag Co., Newark, New Jersey.
When William McKinley was nominated for president in 1896 on a platform of hard money and high tariffs, Garret Hobart of New Jersey was a natural choice for the VP spot. He came from a densely populated state and was an avid supporter of the gold standard. His one important act as vice-president was to cast the tie-breaking vote in 1899 against an amendment to the treaty with Spain that would have promised future independence for the Phillipine Islands. He died shortly thereafter. We offer a celluloid button, one of the first made for a presidential campaign, picturing the victorious Republicans.
