Blog Post

Land-On Roosevelt — a metal elephant from the 1936 election.

What’s in a name?

For politicians, a name can mean a lot. An example, in Florida: various Connie Macks have run for statewide office through the years – all related to the famous baseball manager of the same name.

At one point, a state politician named Ron Howard played off the popularity of the actor who would play “Opie” in the old Andy Griffith Show and later would become a famous movie director. This politician even garnered the “Opie” nickname himself.

This jugate pinback plays on both Alf Landon’s and Frank Knox’s names.

In the 1936 election, the Republicans nominated Alf Landon and Frank Knox for president and vice president, respectively. While the names seem innocent enough, they did offer the GOP a chance to have a little fun with various plays on those two names on political items.

One such item is a metal elephant that has a slogan on it that says “Land-on Roosevelt 1936.” It’s a cute little use of the Landon name to make a point – defeat Franklin Roosevelt.

The word version of the Landon Knox Out Roosevelt pin.

Button manufacturers also had some fun not only with Landon’s name, but with Knox’s as well. Two such pins, a word pin and a jugate (two photo) pin, were made with the slogan “Landon Knox Out Roosevelt.” Both are coveted by collectors.

Finally, a cartoon pin shows Landon flying over the capitol building and says “Land On Washington.” It, too, is quite popular with political collectors.

What’s in a name? A little fun, that’s what.

This Land On Washington pin from 1936 is quite popular with collectors.