Name/Title
Don Chafin Sheriff Campaign ButtonEntry/Object ID
DE.0009Description
Laminated pin with sharp pin back, photo of Don Chafin, from one of his campaigns for election to Sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia.Context
As sheriff of Logan County, Chafin was a fierce opponent of unionization and received hundreds of thousands of dollars from coal mine operators in return for his violent suppression of the United Mine Workers union.Collection
Clothing and AdornmentsMade/Created
Date made
circa 1920 - 1924Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
PrintingLocation
front of buttonTranscription
FOR SHERIFF DON CHAFINInterpretative Labels
Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Election button, Don Chafin
Industrial dominance of West Virginia depended on the creation of a class of local elites who ruled their respective counties as their own political fiefdoms. Those elites who facilitated absentee corporate control received heavy campaign funding. This election button, typical of the era, touts one of the coal industry’s most reliable supporters.
collection of Doug Estepp
