Edmund Muskie, a governor and Senator from Maine, was the highest ranking Polish-American in government and, before the 1972 race, was the favorite for the Democratic nod to the White House.

He was supported by very unimaginative buttons.

His button-makers unerringly believed in reverse type on white print. Stands out on dark coats you see.

Muskie won the first primary, in Iowa, but George McGovern made a strong play there. Muskie won New Hampshire, but his victory was small and momentum was fleeting.

The campaign itself imploded after some attack ads, both from the McGovern camp and from forged documents issued by Richard Nixon's re-election campaign.

After that Muskie stood to defend his wife on a cold New England day and the press reported he cried. He said it was snowflakes melting on his cheeks, but either way it was a lasting image in the voters' minds, and McGovern surged to the nomination.

Muskie many years later said the incident didn't hurt his campaign, which may be true; it was already in trouble. He later returned to the Senate and would serve as Secretary of State for Jimmy Carter. He was a part of the Tower Commission during the Iran-Contra Scandal and lived out his retirement in Washington D.C. until his 1996 death.

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