Pins, Posters, and Pictures, Oh My!: Horatio Seymour and the Presidential Campaign Paraphernalia of 1868

           Challenging Civil War hero Ulysses S. Grant, Horatio Seymour carried the Democratic banner as their presidential nominee in the election of 1868.  Born in Utica, New York in 1810, Seymour quickly matured into an uncompromising “Democrat by education, by tradition, and by instinct.”[1]  His bid for the presidency began during his days working in Tammany Hall under the influence of giants of the Democratic Party such as Martin Van Buren and Governor William Marcy.  He steadily climbed the New York political ladder, serving as a state legislator, Mayor of Utica, and Governor of New York during the 1850s and 1860s.  Seated as Chairman of the Democratic National Convention in July 1868, Seymour oversaw the adoption of the party platform.  Then, after a divided delegation, compromising measures, and eighteen roll calls, Seymour was eventually unanimously nominated as the Democratic candidate for president.[2]  While public campaigning or “stumping” was not appropriate for a political candidate in this era, Seymour’s team worked diligently to spread their name and message through a variety of avenues.  A closer look at the campaign memorabilia used during Seymour’s race to the White House unveils his primary missions: ensuring white supremacy and a renewed commitment to Jacksonian economic and social ideas.

Wear It!

From ferrotype pins, patriotic ribbons, coin-like lapel buttons, and charms, Horatio Seymour’s campaign distributed thousands of accessories that all proudly displayed his portrait.  The two brass pins (pictured right and left) were commonly worn by both men and women on jackets or scarves.  

The more decorative, colorful, and flashy pieces (pictured right and below) were appropriate accessories for rallies, political conventions, or election week…all collectively serving as a Gilded Age “Get Out the Vote” tactic!   

Some pieces of campaign memorabilia, like the silver medallion pictured here, sparked criticism due to its racist nature.  This charm was proudly engraved with Seymour’s campaign slogan: “This is a White Man’s Government.”  Additionally, sayings such as “Our Motto: This is a White Man’s Country: Let White Men Rule” were stitched into ribbons and other campaign paraphernalia. These pieces should not surprise the modern viewer as “the Seymour-Grant 1868 election was the most overt racist Presidential contest until the 1948 Dixiecrats.”[3]  Indeed, Seymour was committed to using his platform as a presidential nominee to promote (and publish) the banner of “white supremacy” and overtly oppose the Republican Reconstruction aims to bring civil rights to freedmen.   

Read It!

Posters like the ones shown here were popular forms of campaign propaganda. The colored banner pictures the two candidates underscored by a common Democratic slogan utilized in the 1868 race: “Peace, Union, and Constitutional Government.” Strategically, the dual images featured a farmer’s plow and a worker’s anvil and expressed a distinct political message for the 1868 Democrats. As one historian aptly noted, “Seymour subscribed to the political philosophy of Jefferson- a real “reliance on freeholding farmers and artisans.”[4] His commitment to the “working hands” of America was clearly communicated through printed materials like this poster, demonstrating his “sympathy with the wants and interests of our mechanics and laborers” as well as a unique determination to preserve “the farmers of the State.”[5]

A plethora of cartoons were published in newspapers during the 1868 election.  The image pictured below predicted Seymour’s victory as his glowing head hovered above the White House while gazing down upon a befuddled, struggling train of Republican leaders.  Seymour’s public supporters (like the pro-Democratic newspaper The Globe) used pictures like this to reach a wide audience and communicate a strong message to the 1868 voter bloc: the Republicans are corrupt, confused, and controlling.  

Sing It!

By the mid to late 19^th century, upbeat tunes praising both candidate and party were a popular addition to any presidential campaign.  Seymour’s race was no exception.  Published by J.L. Peters during the election year, “Matched!” was the most notable campaign song for Democrats in 1868.  Adapted to the melody “E Pluribus Unum,” its lyrics proudly proclaimed:

            We give them a statesman of honor and fame

            Just the Man for the work of the hour  

            By our platform we’ll win

            By a leader whose name Stands aloft an impregnable tower!

This jingle went on to laud their ticket and predict a sweeping victory:

            Republican bluster will all end in smoke!

            For our ballots will tell them a tale;

            We have slumbered awhile, it is time we awoke

            Give Democracy flag to the gale! 

Other songs pushed the edge with more controversial content, containing what some claimed to be “bigoted” and “brandish” lyrics.  These tunes functioned as 19^th century campaign ads, slamming the opponent and pompously touting party ideology.  As one author wrote, “music supporting Seymour worried about Grant becoming a military dictator and complained that he was a foolish tool of other Republican politicians.”[6]  These songs, such as “The White Man’s Banner,” contained “off-color” mantras that “played on racial prejudices.”[7]  Their lyrics included phrases charging voters to “vindicate our Father’s choice, A White Man’s Government” and satirically saluted “Captain Grant of the Black Marines, the Stupidest man that was ever seen.”[8]  While public “bickering” and “backstabbing” was dishonorable, personal slights set to a melody could pass as a little more “politically correct.”

The plethora of campaign memorabilia found today shows that although Seymour’s bid for the White House was unsuccessful, it was a well-fought race that utilized every tool and tactic at his disposal.  For more information on Horatio Seymour’s personal life, public image, or presidential bid, see the bibliography/suggested reading list below!    

Bibliography and Suggested Reading

On The Personal and Political Life of Horatio Seymour (with primary sources embedded)…

Croly, David Goodman. Seymour and Blair, Their Lives and Services. New York: Richardson and Company, 1868.

McCabe, Jr., James D. The Life and Public Services of Horatio Seymour: Together with a Complete and Authentic Life of Francis P. Blair, Jr. New York: United States Publishing Company, 1868.

Seitz, Don C. The “Also Rans”: Great Men Who Missed Making the Presidential Goal. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1928.

Seymour, Horatio. “Horatio Seymour’s Letter of Acceptance of the Nomination for the Presidency.” The Vicennes Weekly Western Sun. August 15, 1868.

"Horatio Seymour." Oneida County Historical Society. http://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/PublicFigures/LeadersFeatureArticle.asp (accessed on April 26, 2015).

On The 1868 Presidential Election….

“Democratic Party Platform of 1868.” The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29579 (accessed on April 26, 2015).

Roseboom, Eugene H. From George Washington to John F. Kennedy: A History of Presidential Election. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1957.

On Seymour-Blair Campaign Memorabilia…

“Election of 1868.” American Political Buttons. http://americanpoliticalbuttons.com/election-of-1868.html (accessed on April 26, 2015).

Le Hache, Theodore and F. M. Bigney. “White Man’s Banner!”  New Orleans: A.E. Blackmar, 1868.

Miles, William. Songs, Odes, Glees, Ballad: A Bibliography of American Presidential Campaign Songsters. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1990.

Pepper, John and H. Werne. “Seymour, Blair, and Victory!” St. Louis, Missouri: Balmer and Weber, 1868.

Schoening, Benjamin S. and Eric T. Kasper, Don't Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2012.

Slater, Tom. Political and Americana Memorabilia. Dallas: Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers,                     2005. 

[1] David Goodman Croly, Seymour and Blair, Their Lives and Services (New York: Richardson and Company, 1868), 10.

[2] Ibid. 

[3] Stewart Mitchell, Horatio Seymour of New York, (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1938). 

[4] Croly, Seymour and Blair, 154. 

[5] Ibid. 

[6] Benjamin S. Schoening and Eric T. Kasper, Don't Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2012), 71.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.