The "Politics in Lancaster" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking back over a file on desktop I had titled Politics.  Small file that had a three page word document and various photos I had saved over the past couple of years of politicians who had visited Lancaster at one time or another.  Lancaster wasn't one of the most important places to make a campaign stop, since it was an extremely strong Republican county and Republicans knew they could count of Lancaster County to vote Republican and therefore didn't take much time making visits to the town.  Democrats also knew that it was probably a waste of their time to visit a city that wasn't going to vote for them no matter who the other candidate might be.  Today's story will consist of a few photos I have found in the past that will give you an idea of which politicians made a choice to stop and visit with Lancastrians.  A final photo will tell you a bit about one politician who actually made quite a few visits to Lancaster.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This photo you may have seen posted her before.  It features Abraham Lincoln's stop in downtown Lancaster  on February 22, 1861.  Lincoln had recently been elected President, but had not taken office as of the date.  His train stopped in downtown Lancaster's train station where he walked across the street to the Caldwell House where he went to an upstairs balcony to greet his well-wishers.  He did not have a speech prepared, but instead said, "Ladies and gentlemen of Lancaster County.  I am happy to meet the citizens of this great county face to face, but I do not feel prepared to make a speech to you today.  I have not the time nor the strength and what is more, have no speech to make.  I have come more to see you."  He spent 18 minutes in Lancaster that day.

Wendell Wilkie, Republican Presidential candidate who was running against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, made a stop in Lancaster County during his campaign tour.  

Vice-Presidential candidate Henry A. Wallace, running mate of Franklin D. Roosevelt also made a stop in Lancaster on November 4, 1940.  

Harry Truman made a campaign stop in Lancaster in 1948.

Richard Nixon made a campaign appearance on October 22, 1960 in Lancaster.  There were two local high school bands that played when he arrived.

Also in 1960, John F. Kennedy made a stop at Penn Square in downtown Lancaster, PA in September.  I was part of the crowd that gathered to hear him speak that day.  

Another look at the crowd the day John F. Kennedy spoke in downtown Lancaster.

Ronald Reagan made a stop in Lancaster in April of 1980.

On September 4, 2008 Barach Obama traveled to Lancaster for a rally in Buchanan Park which is next to Franklin & Marshal College.  I was also part of that crowd that had a chance to hear him speak that beautiful fall day.  Wasn't long after that he was voted President of the United States.

This is James Buchanan who not only stopped in Lancaster, but lived in the city of Lancaster.  Pretty neat to say that your town was the home of a President of the United States.  Democrat James Buchanan was the 15th president.  He arrived in Lancaster in 1809 to practice law and took up residence near the courthouse on N. Duke Street in center city.  In 1848 he purchased Wheatland, a Federal style mansion in what at that time was consisted the suburbs.  He was elected president in 1856 and served as President on the eve of the Civil War.  He was a very unpopular President and said to Abraham Lincoln at the latter's inauguration, "If you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed.  He lived the rest of his life at Wheatland which is pictured below.

Wheatland in Lancaster, PA