NOTICE: We will no longer be updating this website after the November 3, 2020 General Election. That said, please enjoy and utilize the history and images chronicling the history up to that point.
This website consists of campaign buttons and other small campaign items such as matchbook covers, fingernail files, campaign cards, and combs that I have collected over the years, or have recently acquired specifically for this project. It should be noted that we have not presented this material, now numbering over 200 individual items for this particular website, in any particular chronological order. In addition, you will find candidates for various offices mixed in with one another. However, to the extent possible we have attempted to identify both the individual, and the year that they sought, or served in office.
Among the local political offices included within this website are Allegany County Commissioners, members of the Board of Education, Mayors and City Council members from Cumberland and Frostburg, candidates for the office of Sheriff of Allegany County, Clerk of the Court, States Attorney, and Register of Wills, Judges of the Orphans Court, Republican and Democratic Party State Central Committee aspirants, members of the Maryland House of Delegates, State Senate, and more.
It is not our purpose to provide a complete chronological and historical listing of all those who have sought or served in the elected positions represented on this website. That information either exists elsewhere or can be developed through diligent research and effort. The office of the Allegany County Clerk has maintained an historical list of County Commissioners as has the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office for that position. However, although the Allegany County Board of Elections, Register of Wills, Circuit Court Clerk’s Office and City Clerk of Cumberland have over decades diligently maintained their respective historical election files, they are not generally organized in an easily discernible way or grouping as it pertains to election year, primary and general election candidates, offices being sought, winners and losers, and more. Although I myself no longer have the time, energy or resources to work on this, I would suggest this as a project for a local high school social studies class, supplemented by oral histories from many of the elected officials who are still around. The information is there, readily accessible, and could be developed and organized relatively quickly and easily by several students assigned to each location.
Mistakes are possible. There are discrepancies among several records as it pertains to the date of an election, the year sworn in or leaving office, as well as personal recollections. It’s also possible that some folks from adjacent Garrett County, Maryland or Mineral County, West Virginia might have sneaked in. I take full responsibility and apologize for any errors or oversights.
Please visit our Maryland Gubernatorial, Senatorial, and Sixth Congressional District Campaign Buttons, Presidential Campaign Buttons, Historic Women of Allegany County, and Allegany County African American History websites, all hosted through WHILBR. These are referenced in the Bibliography.
Albert L. Feldstein
Updated February, 2016
Western Maryland Regional Library is grateful to Al Feldstein for sharing his button and election items and his expertise.