Hat

Object Name:

Hat

Object ID:

2018.003.12

Creator:

Lewtan IndustriesManufacturer

Place of Origin:

Hartford, CT

Date:

1978

Description:

Political campaign hat, used by State Senator Mary Louise Hancock (1920-2017) of Concord, NH. Molded white styrofoam. Skimmer style. Oval shape. Flat-topped crown. Flat 2" brim. Paper band around base of crown, 2" wide, printed in red, white, and blue horizontal stripes. Printed in black on front of band: "HANCOCK / FOR STATE / SENATE". White printing on blue on overlap section of band: "LEWTAN LINE / PATENTED U.S.A.", with union bug. Elastic size adapter cord across interior. Raised molded lettering on underside of crown: "PAT. 3,487,472 / LEWTAN LINE / 801-F / MADE IN U.S.A. / M".

Material:

Plastic
Paper

Dimensions:

H-3.5 W-10.3 L-12 inches

Provenance:

Used in donor's New Hampshire State Senate re-election campaign in 1978. Born in Franklin, NH, Mary Louise Hancock (1920-2017) moved with her family to Concord in 1928. It was in her father's drug store that she grew up and absorbed a steady diet of politics from discussions of state workers and politicians who frequented her father's store at 132 North Main Street. Although stricken with polio at age 3, she overcame her disability, going on to graduate from the University of New Hampshire in 1942. In 1943 Hancock began working for the New Hampshire Travel Division, and went on to hold a succession of jobs in the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development, and Office of State Planning, serving as its director from 1960 to 1976. In 1976 she began a career in state politics, serving as the first woman and Democrat representing Concord in District 15 of the State Senate. She became a force in state politics and an advocate for women's rights.

Credit Line:

Gift of the Estate of Mary Louise Hancock

People:

Hancock, Mary Louise (1920-2017)

Subjects:

Political campaigns, Political candidates, Campaigns, Political, Senators (N.H.)