929202
John F. Kennedy
Scroll down to see images of the item below the description
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1917-1963. 35th President of the United States, 1961-1963. Red, white, and blue Kennedy For President paper campaign shield, signed John Kennedy, from the 1960 presidential campaign.
Kennedy signed this piece in person while campaigning in West Virginia's crucial 1960 presidential primary. He has signed in blue ballpoint pen next to his photograph on the shield.
The West Virginia primary was critical to Kennedy's nomination and, thus, his election. In the wake of the Wisconsin primary, where Kennedy's Catholicism became an issue, Kennedy's 40-point lead in West Virginia over Minnesota Senator Hubert H. Humphrey became a 20-point deficit within a month before the election. Kennedy personally barnstormed West Virginia as key aides, family, and friends also campaigned across the state and trained local campaign workers to handle phone banks, host receptions, and distribute literature door to door. Addressing anti-Catholic bias directly, he told voters that he refused ”to believe that I was denied the right to be President the day that I was baptized.” Two days before the election, in a paid broadcast, Kennedy told Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., who endorsed him, that the presidential oath would require him to defend separation of church and state and that any President who violated the oath would both breach the Constitution and sin against God. In the end, the under-funded Humphrey could not overcome the well-financed Kennedy campaign, and Kennedy won West Virginia with 60.8% of the vote. Humphrey dropped out of the race, clearing the way for Kennedy's nomination.
This shield is a nice piece of memorabilia from the 1960 campaign. We obtained it from a collector who, in turn, acquired it from the lady for whom Kennedy signed it in person. The shield has tape stains across the upper corners and to the right of Kennedy's image, where a tear has been professionally repaired, but none of these is close to Kennedy's bold signature. The piece is slightly soiled and is in good condition overall.
Unframed.
This item is no longer available.
to see other Kennedy pieces and our large offering of presidential autographs.
|
