This is a campaign button from AD 1896, supporting William McKinley, the Republican candidate for the 25th President of the United States. It was provided for supporters to wear.
The obverse side of the button features a black-and-white photograph of McKinley, with his name “Mc. Kinley” printed on his suit collar. The reverse side of the button is engraved with “SWEET CAPORAL CIGARETTE,” a brand under the American Tobacco Company, which sponsored the campaign. Like modern elections, companies would sponsor favored candidates to build political and economic relationships and simultaneously advertise their products. The reverse side of the button also includes a pin for fastening.
Starting in AD 1873, the United States experienced debates surrounding the Coinage Act, specifically regarding the fixed ratio of gold to silver and the minting of silver coins. Meanwhile, European countries, led by the United Kingdom, were establishing the gold standard. The controversy over whether the United States should adopt the gold standard or the silver standard became a pivotal issue in the AD 1896 election for the 25th President.
Republican candidate William McKinley, a lawyer by profession, was supported by Wall Street magnates and campaigned under the slogan “The dollar should be as sacred as gold,” advocating for the gold standard. His opponent, Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan, represented the farmers’ interests and called for the circulation of silver with the rallying cry, “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.” In the end, McKinley won the election with 270 electoral votes to Bryan’s 163, becoming the 25th President of the United States.
In addition to establishing the gold standard, McKinley’s presidency saw the Spanish-American War, which expanded the United States’ overseas colonies. In AD 1900, McKinley was successfully re-elected. However, on September 6, AD 1901, while visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, McKinley was shot at close range by an anarchist with a revolver. He succumbed to his injuries a week later, dying at his home at the age of 58. McKinley became the second U.S. president to be assassinated, after Lincoln. This incident led to the U.S. Secret Service, initially tasked with combating counterfeiting, taking on the responsibility of protecting the President and Vice President.
