Pinback Button, "Dave Clarke"

This pinback button is round, like the tires of the bicycle that attorney Dave Clarke (1943-1997) loved to ride around Washington, DC, whether campaigning for elected office, advocating for policy change, or taking pro bono cases. The blue button with white text urges Ward One voters to elect Clarke to City Council with the campaign slogan, “Leadership You Can Count On.” The metal button might hail from his successful reelection campaign in 1978, as his first campaign slogan played on his initials, “Dave Clark for DC, DC for Dave Clarke, and DC for DC.” In the 1974 election, he became one of thirteen candidates elected by DC voters to the first City Council under Home Rule. His legendary devotion to the District included service as City Council Chair from 1982 to 1990 and again from 1993 until his death in 1997. The University of the District of Columbia named its law school for Clarke, a Howard University Law School graduate, in 1998.