Robert F. Kennedy Campaign Buttons

Campaign buttons and   political memorabilia from the campaigns of  Robert F. Kennedy. In January 1961 following the Inauguration of his brother John F. Kennedy as President of The United States, Robert Kennedy became the United States Attorney General. In addition to being Attorney General , Robert Kennedy was  a close confidant and adviser to President Kennedy, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Following the assassination of President Kennedy in November of 1963, Robert Kennedy continued to serve as Attorney General until he left that post in the summer of 1964 to run for the U.S. Senate from New York. RFK won that election and was sworn in as the United States Senator from New York in January of 1965. In March of 1968 , Bobby Kennedy announced that he was running for president. After a whirlwind 85 day campaign, Kennedy won the pivotal California Presidential Primary on June 4, 1968. Shortly after his victory speech in the early morning of June 5, Kennedy was shot as he passed through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angles which had been his election night headquarters. Kennedy died the following day of his wounds. Despite his brief presidential campaign, there are a wide variety of Robert Kennedy campaign buttons for his 1968 White House run some of which are pictured here. 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign.