Object ID
2015.24.1
Object Name
Cap
Date Created
1988
Event
1988 Dukakis presidential campaign
Measurements
13.0175000000 cm. H x 23.0200200000 cm. W x 26.0350000000 cm. L This is a hat and dimensions will changed depending on how it is displayed., Item (Overall)
Material
Cardboard; Foam; Plastic
Object Description
A trucker cap. The bill is flat and is made of cardboard covered in some kind of fabric. The part above the bill is made of foam with a white front. There is a crease in the center. Printed in blue letters are the words "Dukakis for President" with a red line underneath. Next to the red line is "'88". There is a blue string that goes across the brim, and one end has been torn away from the hat. The back of the cap is made of blue fabric or plastic mesh. The cap has a snapping fastener made of blue plastic. The inside band is made of plastic covered with fabric. On the top of the cap, there is a plastic button covered in blue fabric.
Origin
This hat was donated by Elaine Thomopoulos. It is a cap from the 1988 Michael Dukakis presidential campaign. Dukakis was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1933 to Greek immigrant parents. He is an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Harvard Law School. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1963 to 1965 and from 1965 to 1971. He was later elected governor of Massachusetts, a position in which he served from 1975 to 1979 and then from 1983 to 1991. Massachusetts experienced strong economic growth during his second stint as governor. In 1988, he won the United States Democratic presidential primary with 42.39% of the vote. He faced George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election and lost decisively, winning only 111 electoral votes to Bush's 426.
Dukakis is one of the most prominent Greek-American politicians in he country's history, and is considered a point of pride among many Greek-Americans. This hat was likely given out as a campaign souvenir, possibly at a rally.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Cap, 1988, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/10947. Accessed 03/28/24.