Benjamin Harrison

This crudely carved portrayal of Benjamin Harrison is a memento from his 1888 presidential campaign. One noteworthy aspect of the contest was the quantity of funds raised to promote Harrison's candidacy. Built up largely through donations from eastern businessmen who supported Harrison's call for a high protective tariff, his presidential war chest contained in excess of three million dollars. By modern standards, that figure seems almost paltry, but in the late nineteenth century it was an extraordinary sum of money.