Pinback button promoting Theodore Roosevelt for president, 1904. American Badge Co., Chicago.
Theodore Roosevelt remains the youngest man ever to become president. He was not yet 43 when President McKinley died on Sep. 14, 1901. TR's energetic style of leadership and reform agenda shocked many Americans used to the stoic, marble figures who had preceded him, but these same traits endeared the nation's youth. When Roosevelt sought election to the office he had inherited in 1904, the vocal support of young men who would be casting their first presidential ballots was in large part responsible for his landslide victory. Roosevelt "First Voters" clubs sprung up on college campuses across the country, many of which utilized this sepia portrait button in their canvassing efforts.
