Al Smith for President 1928

This little election button was recently given to me by a visiting friend from Ireland. She came to the U.S. 1) to see places she'd never been and 2) to be in Chicago during this historic election. I thought it was a very thoughtful little gift since I'm an enthusiastic collector of all things "olde" and I'm also keenly interested in the election.

I love the fact that this election represents so many "firsts" -- first woman candidate (sorry Hil), first African American candidate (go Obama!), first time in 8 years since there has been hope of lifting the heavy storm cloud of the Bush Administration.

However, this little token of an election long since past made me do a little research into the names Smith and Robinson, and I discovered that in his time, Al Smith was also a first in some ways. At the time that he gained the Democratic nomination, he was the first Catholic to be nominated on the presidential ticket. This was shocking at the time due to anti-Catholic sentiments that were felt in politics. Born in 1873 and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, he began his career in politics in 1895 when a friend recommended him for a position as an investigator in the Office of the City Commissioner of Jurors. In 1903 he was elected to the State Assembly of New York, and eventually became a very influential reformer whose interest in the welfare of the working people gained him a reputation as a progressive. He worked hard to put in place safety measures for workers and investigated dangerous working conditions.

Al Smith eventually served four terms as New York Governor where he did a great deal for social conditions in New York, and helped pass reform legislation, including improved factory laws, better housing requirements, and expanded welfare services. In 1928 he was nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, but lost in a landslide to Herbert Hoover. However, his politics ended up being monumentally influential, and he helped create the classless politics that became the New Deal under Roosevelt.

The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner has since remained as an annual white tie charity fundraiser, and a traditional stop along the presidential campaign trail. It is customary for the opponent presidential candidates to roast each other lightheartedly, and this year was no exception as Barack Obama and John McCain met for the 63rd Al Smith Dinner on October 16th. There are clips on youtube which are pretty amusing.

I am very excited about this election and I hope that it will bring the positive changes in the country and world that so many have been praying for. Godspeed, Barack Obama!