Elections: A History

How have presidential elections evolved over the years? Travel back in time to past conventions and debates featuring figures like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Abraham Lincoln (1866-08-01) by Brady National Photographic Art Gallery (Washington, D.C.)WNET

President Abraham Lincoln

Elected in 1861

Two Lesser-Known Sides of Lincoln with Scholar Harold Holzer (2015-05-21)WNET

Did you know that Lincoln met his vice president two weeks after he was elected to the presidency?

President Roosevelt At Opening Ball Game (1941) by Thomas McavoyLIFE Photo Collection

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Elected in 1933

Image missing

In 1920, FDR was nominated for vice president.

F.D.R. (1944-11) by George SkaddingLIFE Photo Collection

Three years after FDR was elected governor of New York, he sought the presidency.

Roosevelt Fireside Chat (1938-04) by Thomas McavoyLIFE Photo Collection

FDR delivered his first radio address the day after he was elected president, November 9, 1932.

FDR Behind The Wheel (1935-01-01) by FPGGetty Images

FDR was living at the Roosevelt House in New York when he was elected president of the United States.

Treasures of New York: Four Freedoms Park (2013-10-31) by Treasures of New YorkWNET

Jackie Robinson (1954) (1954) by Bob SandbergWNET

Jackie Robinson and the Republican party

1960 and 1964 Elections

Jackie Robinson, Allan Grant, 1950-02, From the collection of: LIFE Photo Collection
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When Jackie Robinson retired from baseball in the late 1950s, he began to show an interest in politics.

Jackie Robinson, 1950-03-03, From the collection of: LIFE Photo Collection
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In the 1950s, many black voters aligned themselves with the republican party.

By Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection

Senator Barry Goldwater won the republican nomination in 1960, splintered the party.

Nixon-Kennedy Debate (1960-10) by Paul SchutzerLIFE Photo Collection

Debates

Not Eligible to Vote, Montclair Teens Petition to Get Female Moderator at Presidential Debates (2012-08-03) by NJTV NewsWNET

The presidential campaigns come every 4 years, but what's been missing for 20 years? A female moderator. In 2012, these Montclair teens petitioned to change that.

Teen Age Voters Georgia (1944-11) by Gabriel BenzurLIFE Photo Collection

Voting

Political cartoon (1895)WNET

Political Cartoon (1895)

“When Theodore Roosevelt was commissioner, he tried to enforce all the laws and all police conduct rules, to the absolute shock of most New Yorkers. He made special efforts to have fair elections. The Bureau of Elections was soon separated from the police department which reduced the police force’s roll in tabulating the votes.”

New Yorkers Line Polls to Vote Despite Storm Troubles by Treasures of New YorkWNET

New Yorkers Line Polls to Vote Despite Storm Troubles

Broken scanners and allegedly disorganized poll staffing at PS 92 on Parkside Avenue in Brooklyn led to waits longer than two hours. The polling site was still packed at 9 p.m., the close of voting time in New York. Photo courtesy Marc Joseph Rosenblatt.

A Lesson On The History Of Super Tuesday (2016-03-01) by MetrofocusWNET

How significant is Super Tuesday historically?

Democratic National Convention (1964) (1964-08-27) by LBJ LibraryWNET

Conventions

Republican Convention, Edward Clark, 1956-08, From the collection of: LIFE Photo Collection
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What is a brokered convention and when was the last time we witnessed one?

Democratic Convention, Ralph Crane, 1960-07, From the collection of: LIFE Photo Collection
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There's a rich history of turmoil within the democratic and republican parties.

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