Goldwater Miller Campaign Pins
Several campaign pins spread out across a white tablecloth. Photo Courtesy of Historic Huguenot Street.
These are campaign pins preserved from the 1964 Presidential Election for Barry Goldwater and William Miller of the Republican party. Giving the modern onlooker a glimpse into the past, these pins help contextualize the political engagement of New Paltz in its local, state, and federal elections as well as provide insight into the campaign efforts in the area.
Description:
These seven pins span 1.25 inches in diameter—they are white with a red border and black-and-white images of the candidate and his running mate, Goldwater and Miller, though the outer edges show signs of weathering due to their age (roughly 60 years). Above their heads in blue and white reads the Dutch phrase, “EEN PLOEG VOOR VRYHEID,” which roughly translates to “A Team for Freedom/ Liberty.” The pins are composed of thin metal and are stored in a cardboard tube, which is marked by a red, white, and blue sticker labeled “EEN PLOEG VOOR VRYHEID GOLDWATER MILLER.”
The cardboard tube where the campaign pins are stored. Photo Courtesy of Historic Huguenot Street.
A campaign pin placed against a measuring tape, spanning 1.25 inches in diameter. There is visible wear and tear on the pin, though its image, colors, and slogan are still legible. Photo Courtesy of Historic Huguenot Street.
A close-up image of the union label stamped onto the campaign sticker on the side of the cardboard tube where the pins are stored. Photo Courtesy of Historic Huguenot Street.
Provenance:
Though the Historic Huguenot Street currently owns the pins, they were donated by a member of the community. Information surrounding that chain stops there. One replica of the pin is currently being sold on popular commerce site eBay, with the seller located in Greenbackville, Virginia. Its container—a cardboard tube—only contains one identifying label, which traces its roots back to a union called the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, with Local 820 “representing sign & display workers, paint manufacturing and other industrial workers,” according to the union’s website. Local 820 falls under District 3, which serves Western Missouri and Kansas, identifying the origins of these pins in these Midwestern regions.
The Dutch phrase itself is one of many translations of this pin from the period– during the time pins were printed in multiple languages: Italian, Japanese, Ukranian, German, etc. These show that multilingual campaign materials were one strategy for garnering support from different ethnic communities. Though there is no direct explanation for Dutch on this pin, it is worth noting the correlation between the Dutch influence within New Paltz, as this pin could be catering towards that historical demographic.
Narrative:
The 1964 Presidential Election came at a tumultuous time. Less than a year after the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. Lyndon B. Johnson was selected as the Democratic Party nominee, while Barry Goldwater, an Arizona Senator, was selected as the Republican Party nominee.
Goldwater was controversial at the time, as he was seen as a much more extremist candidate. He was highly critical of Republican moderates, against big government involvement, and infamously voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Nevertheless, he won the bid, stating in his Republican National Convention acceptance speech, “extremism in defense of liberty is no vice” and that “moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue.” It was clear from the get-go that this campaign would be putting in all it could, from national rallies to local on-the-ground work, to the very materials distributed in support of the Republican ticket.
When it comes to national campaigns, local chapters and organizations carry out much of the education and mobilization processes. These efforts were often reported on by local newspapers. According to these sources, at SUNY New Paltz, the Social Science Club worked to mobilize students to vote. An archived paper from The Oracle, the SUNY New Paltz student-run newspaper, dating back to November 6, 1964, details the campaign efforts on campus. From the Social Science Club emerged two groups—the Young Democrats and the Young Republicans. Between October 20 to October 28, the two groups worked to sway voters in the direction of their party’s candidates. “The [College Union Building] tables were stacked with literature, bumper stickers, and bowls full of campaign buttons. In all, about 2400 buttons were given out.” It was not confirmed whether the campaign pins owned by Historic Huguenot Street are the same pins as the ones distributed, but nonetheless they belong to the same campaigns. The two groups served as informational centers, with the Young Republicans group reportedly, “[playing] tapes of ‘Let’s Put Barry in the White House’ and ‘Keating, Keating.’” The Young Democrats, as noted in the October 23 issue, “have volunteered their time to work in the New Paltz area for the election of Lyndon Baines Johnson and Hubert Humphrey.” Much of the work these two groups engaged in contributed towards similar things: voter registration, ballot information, and engaging with local politicians. Campaign materials, such as pins like the Goldwater- Miller ones, were used to further engage the voter bases at the university level. Even though many could not vote (the minimum voting age was set to 21 until 1971), political party education was at the forefront of their efforts.
Looking at the town of New Paltz, mobilization and education efforts were largely spearheaded by their respective party chapters—New Paltz Republican Club and the Democratic Club of New Paltz. The New Paltz Independent and Times, a local defunct paper, detailed the various events these organizations would host. The Democratic Club hosted a Torchlight Parade and Rally as well as a Voter Registration Drive (seen in the October 7, 1964 article), whereas the Republican Club hosted an event on October 13, 1964 for the SUNY New Paltz Young Republicans Club, bringing in Bernard Kramer, the secretary to Republican Congressman J. Ernest Wharton, to speak on Wharton’s policies and platform. Kramer used this time to also “[reiterate Wharton’s] support of the entire Republican ticket from Barry Goldwater down the line.” It was not uncommon for local politicians to cross these lines and endorse every member on their party’s ticket, from federal to state to local. In an editorial piece on October 28, 1964, the Democratic Club wrote to “urge [voters] to vote on November 3 for the entire Democratic team,” endorsing the Johnson-Humphrey ticket as well as every other Democrat. There was an exceptional effort poured in on behalf of political organizations to ensure that every candidate on their party’s ticket was properly campaigned for.
The New Paltz Independent and Times and New Paltz News reported on the results on November 4 and 5 respectively. The town of New Paltz voted in favor of Johnson, leading by 59% in all four districts, reflecting the same Democratic percentage of Ulster County at 59.1%. Johnson ultimately won New York and its 43 electoral votes. At the national level, Johnson won 486 of the electoral votes, winning the election in a landslide.
These pins, when considering their historical context, were part of not just the Republican Party’s campaign, but a larger mobilization effort on both parties to advocate and campaign for all candidates specific to New Paltz. Campaign pins were a way to demonstrate support and further carry the messages of their preferred politicians across communities of all cultural backgrounds. These educational efforts can be seen in our own modern advocacy networks, with nonpartisan groups such as the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) working throughout the fall 2024 semester up until election day to register voters, educate students on voting options, and provide resources on candidates and ballot information. Despite the 60 years that separate us from the Goldwater-Miller campaign, the preservation of these campaign buttons illustrates the long-lasting work of local political organizations to connect with, educate, and mobilize voters.
~Sara Vala
Works Cited
Holden, Charles J. “The Republican National Convention That Shocked the Country.” TIME, Time, 17 July 2024, time.com/6991064/rnc-history-1964-republican-convention/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. “Locals IUPAT District Council 3 Serving Western Missouri and Kansas.” International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 3, 2014, iupatdc3.com/locals/820. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Leip, David. 1964 Presidential General Election Data Graphs – New York by County. Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Elections, 1999, uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1964&fips=36&f=1&off=0&elect=0. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
McGee, Suzanne. “How Barry Goldwater Brought the Far Right to Center Stage in the 1964 Presidential Race.” HISTORY, 20 Oct. 2020, http://www.history.com/news/barry-goldwater-1964-campaign-right-wing-republican. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
New Paltz News. “Johnson Wins in New Paltz.” New Paltz News, 5 Nov. 1964.
The Democratic Club of New Paltz. “Vote on Nov. 3.” The New Paltz Independent and Times, 28 Oct. 1964.
The League of Women Voters. “1964 Voters Guide.” New Paltz News, 22 Oct. 1964.
The New Paltz Independent and Times. “Democratic Club Met October 1st.” The New Paltz Independent and Times, 7 Oct. 1964.
—. “Johnson Elected in Historic Landslide.” The New Paltz Independent and Times, 4 Nov. 1964.
—. “New Paltz Republican Club to Host College Students.” The New Paltz Independent and Times, 7 Oct. 1964.
—. “Wharton Record Outlined at Republican Club.” The New Paltz Independent and Times, 14 Oct. 1964.
The Oracle. “Social Science Club: New Paltz Sweep for Johnson.” The Oracle, 6 Nov. 1964.
—. “Young Democrats.” The Oracle, 23 Oct. 1964.
WorthPoint. “GOLDWATER 1964 - 7 Different Foreign Language Pins.” Worthpoint.com, 2025, www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/goldwater-1964-different-foreign-161783441.