Bracelet, John F. Kennedy, 1960

As women became a more active segment of the electorate in the mid-twentieth century, campaigns encouraged their participation by producing inexpensive costume jewelry. This bracelet promoting John F. Kennedy, the 1960 Democratic candidate for president, highlighted his service in the United States Navy during World War II with a replica of his boat PT-109. As commander, Kennedy led his surviving crew members to safety after PT-109 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. This dramatic story figured prominently in the material produced for his 1960 presidential campaign which resulted in his defeat of the Republican candidate Richard Nixon, also a World War II Navy veteran.