NY-01. Socialist Candidate for Mayor, George R. Lunn. Cello, one inch.
A minister, Lunn ran for mayor of Schnectady, New York in 1911 and won.
For more information about his career, see our Buttons
& Ballots article on the subject.
NY-02. Socialist Candidate for Mayor, George R. Lunn. Cello, one inch.
Similar to NY-01, but has the design features a white ring around a dark
circular photo area. See NY-01 for more information about Lunn.
NY-03. For Mayor, George R. Lunn. Cello, 7/8 inch. Lunn was elected
mayor of Schenectady on a Socialist Party ticket in 1911, but soon after
his 1915 reelection he broke with the Socialists (or they with him). Subsequently
he won additional terms as mayor as a Democrat. This pin may date from an
election in which he was running as a Democrat. For more information about
Lunn's career, see our Buttons
& Ballots article on the subject.
NY-04. For Congress, George R. Lunn. Cello, one inch. Lunn ran for Congress
several times, first as a Socialist and then as a Democrat. This pin may
date from an election in which he was running as a Democrat.
NY-05. We Use Citizens Cooperative Ice at Cost, Do You? 25 Cents for
100 Llbs., George R. Lunn & Associates, Schenectady, New York. Cello,
one inch. Mayor Lunn's Socialist administration tried to launch a city-owned
ice plant, but met setbacks in the courts. Lunn then launched a private
co-operative ice plant under the name George R. Lunn and Associates.
NY-06. Friend of Steinmetz. Litho, 13/16ths inches. This pin pictures
Charles P. Steinmetz, who was an active Socialist while the party was running
Schenectady. Steinmetz was considered a genius in his expertise in electrical
matters. In 1916 he was the party's candidate for president of the Common
Council, and in 1922 he ran for state engineer as a Socialist.
NY-07. For Alderman, 2nd District, Socialist Party, S.P. Kramer. Cello,
7/8 inches. The note that came with this pin stated that Kramer was from
New York and "the U.S. Supreme Court ruled he could serve."
NY-08. For Judge, Jacob Panken, S.P. Cello, 7/8 inch. Panken was an
active member of theSocialist Party in New York city, and ran for a number
of offices over the years. He was elected municipal judge as a Socialist
candidate in 1922. See also the following two pins.
NY-09. Socialist Party, For Congress, 14th District, Elect Panken. Litho,
13/16ths inches. Jacob Panken ran for this congressional seat in 1922 and
1930, winning more than one-quarter of the vote each time. New York city
item.
NY-10. For Mayor, Jacob Panken, Socialist Party. Cello, 7/8 inch. Jacob
Panken was the Socialist candidate for mayor of New York City in 1921.
NY-11. For Congress, 12th Dist., Meyer London. Cello, 7/8 inch. London
was a Russian Jew who immigated to this country in 1891. He became an attorney
prominent in labor circles, and was an active Socialist for three decades.
He won a seat in Congress in 1914 and 1916, then was defeated. He won the
seat back in 1920, and was defeated in 1924.
NY-12. For Congress, 13th Dist., Algernon Lee. Cello, 7/8 inch. This
handsome button backs noted Socialist Algernon Lee for Congress from New
York's 13th District. The date was 1918, and Lee won an impressive 33 percent
of the vote as the Socialist Party's nominee. Lee was a very active Socialist
leader and ran for office a number of times.
NY-13. For Congress, 10th District, A. I. Shiplacoff. Cello, 7/8 inch.
Shiplacoff was a New York City Socialist.
NY-14. For Mayor, Morris Hillquit. Cello, 7/8 inch. Noted New York City
Socialist Morris Hilquit was the partys' mayoral candidate in 1917, 1929,
and 1932.
NY-15. Vote Socialist, Thomas for Mayor. Litho, 13/16ths inches. Norman
Thomas ran for president six times, and for mayor of New York three times—in
1925, 1929, and 1937. In the latter year Thomas withdrew from the race before
election day.
NY-16. Vote Socialist, Thomas for Governor. Litho, 13/16ths inches.
Barring the enormously expensive—and probably one of a kind—Thomas-Maurer
jugate, this is the only Norman Thomas button ever issued that had the candidate's
photo. Thomas ran for governor of the Empire State in 1924 and 1938.
NY-17. Parrish for City Council, Vote Socialist. Cello, one inch. Richard
Parrish was the candidate of the Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation.
His campaign committee was headed by Norman Thomas and A. Phillip Randolph.
The first Socialist to run for local office in New York City in eleven years,
Parrish won only a tiny fraction of the votes. He was an African American
public school teacher, had run for city comptroller as a Socialist in 1949.
NY-18. Socialist Party, Vote for Real Democracy. Mayor, F. P. Brill.
Commissioner, F. Ehrenfried. Buffalo, New York, circa 1918. Brill (with
or without Ehrenfried) is also supported by one other button and a couple
of ribbons.
NY-19. Socialist Party, With a Program of Reconstruction. Franklin P.
Brill for Congress, 41st Dist. This pin is from the Buffalo area, and is
from the 1918 election. Brill won 18 percent of the vote in this election.
