National Museum of American History’s Whistle-Stop Artifacts

Written By Edward Segal

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Claire Jerry, a political history curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, discusses the work of the museum and the artifacts in its political history collections related to whistle-stopping candidates, including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Adlai Stevenson. She also talks about William Jennings Bryan’s presidential campaigns and items from Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 “Lady Bird Special” that toured the South in support of her husband, President Lyndon Johnson.

Takeaways

  • Acquiring and Preserving Political Collection

  • Collecting Contemporary Campaign Items

  • Item Display and Digital Accessibility

  • Harry Truman’s 1948 Campaign & Museum Collection

  • Adlai Stevenson’s Campaign Train Tours

  • Dwight Eisenhower’s Campaign Train & Microphones

  • Lady Bird Johnson’s Whistle Stop Tour & Collection

  • Viewing the Museum’s Collection & Contacting Claire Jerry

Quotes

“Embracing the essence of history, we collect not just the commercially made, but also the heartfelt creations of individuals, uniting past and present in every campaign artifact.” —Claire Jerry

“The Lady Bird Special Collection showcases local officials and remarkable women’s history, making it stand out in our collection.” —Claire Jerry

Featured in this Episode

Edward Segal
Author of Whistle-Stop Politics
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardsegal/

Claire Jerry
Curator of Political History at the National Museum of American History
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-jerry-0abb4351/

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:18 - Political history curator's experiences and collection.

04:05 - Collecting campaign materials summary.

07:18 - Technological changes and campaign objects.

11:11 - Truman's Campaign Memorabilia Collection

12:21 - Truman's Pre-Release Itinerary for 1948 Tour

13:44 - Stevenson's Silver Spring Station Invitation

15:50 - The Significance of Whistle Stop Tours

16:48 - The Eisenhower Victory Microphones Saga

18:20 - Lady Bird collection: Southern tales.

20:59 - Presidential campaign train memorabilia.

22:29 - Outro

Produced by http://www.heartcastmedia.com

Edward Segal