Henderson for President

On occasion a collector of political badges will encounter an item that is puzzling. One such item is the Henderson for President badge. I first saw it in 1968, when a lot of reproductions and fantasy badges were being produced. I wondered what the origin of the badge was, but I bought it and kept it, hoping that I would some day learn the story behind it.

Nearly 40 years later, the personal computer and the internet would help me find the facts behind the Henderson badge. It is indeed an authentic campaign item. It was about 20 years old when I first found it.


Leon Henderson (1895-1986, b. Millville, NJ.) was an economist and an official of the Russell Sage Foundation (1925-34). Henderson held several posts as economic adviser in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt before his appointment to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1939. Henderson was the first director of the Office of Price Administration (1941 -42). He played an important role in inspiring the country's massive economic mobilization for World War II and wielded enormous power as overseer of Government rationing and price ceilings. After leaving the OPA, he followed a career in business. He was a Democratic presidential hopeful in 1948.


I decided to post the information on my blog, and make it available to other collectors who may be asking my question.