The Backstory: Presidential campaign stops of Ann Arbor's past

Unprecedented levels of controversy have dogged the 2016 presidential campaign, but a look back at presidential whistle stops in Ann Arbor reveals plenty of mudslinging and malarkey – if not quite up to the intensity of Trump v. Clinton.

Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Tim Kaine are only the latest White House hopefuls to stop off in Tree Town, following in the footsteps of John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, William Jennings Bryan, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Franklin Roosevelt, and Teddy Roosevelt. At least two of these visits – Bryan's in 1900 and Kennedy's in 1960 – are well documented in photographs and news reports, allowing us to take a look back to elections that didn't include questions about email servers and border walls but nonetheless carried controversies of their own.

William Jennings Bryan ran for president on the Democratic ticket for the first time in 1896. Known as the Great Commoner, Bryan is credited with helping to push his party from its small-government roots to the more liberal character it has today. He was known for standing up for the average workers of the day, most notably in his "Cross of Gold" speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention. This speech blasted the moneyed classes who supported the gold standard and endeared Bryan to both his party and the common man.

The battle between the silver and gold standards was quite a thing back then. The October 30, 1896 Ann Arbor Argus reported on the issue, reminding the reader several times that Bryan and his party were the "silver" men and that Washtenaw County was "solid for silver." While the paper did admit that voters should follow their consciences, they should also be sure to vote "silver" as they are "all good, conscientious and capable men." The paper pointed out that the "gold people" had taken to heaping abuse and "vituperation" upon others, but it asserted that this argument was desperate, as people with a "sure thing" do not have to "get mad and call names."

Bryan's Ann Arbor campaign stops reflected the political uproar. During his first campaign, Bryan visited Ann Arbor and stayed in Cook’s Hotel at Fourth Avenue and Huron. Reports indicated that Huron was jam-packed full of people to hear Bryan's speech given from the hotel marquee. Four years later, he returned and delivered a speech at the Ann Arbor courthouse. Unfortunately, a group of students began heckling and jeering him so badly that he had to cancel to speech, but not before saying, "I shall be glad to talk to you if you are willing to listen." Sadly, the students did not honor this request. The plucky Bryan ran for president once more in 1908, returning to Ann Arbor in an event some records describe as "Bryan Day."

A mere half-century later, another popular Democrat came to town. By the looks of the pictures, Ann Arborites loved John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was a charismatic and popular candidate, perhaps never more so than when he stood on the steps at the Michigan Union and told a crowd of 8,000 that he wasn’t asking for their support in this election, but for their support of the country in the coming decade. He implored the students in the audience to consider going to newly independent nations that might want to try a free society and help with their development. Kennedy made the impromptu speech at about 2:00 a.m. after touching down at Willow Run Airport barely an hour earlier, fresh off his third debate with Richard Nixon. His U-M speech is now considered the beginning of the Peace Corps.

After staying the night in town, then-senator Kennedy also spoke to about 5,000 people at the Ann Arbor train depot during a whistle stop campaign. He targeted Nixon as a "son of Duke," concluding his speech by pointing out that Michigan had recently beaten Duke University in football and Kennedy would likewise beat "Duke’s favorite son." Needless to say, these remarks elicited loud cheers from onlookers. Kennedy then departed on a nine-city tour of Michigan.

When presidential candidates swing through Ann Arbor these days, they arrive via private planes instead of on trains. They don’t have to cancel speeches because of unruly students. And they don’t have to stay in Cook’s Hotel, which by many accounts was a fire trap. But they still come with thoughts and visions for our nation just as Bryan and Kennedy did in 1896 and 1960. These notions will all affect Washtenaw County in one way or another, so do your civic duty and vote.

Patti Smith lives in Ann Arbor, the best city on earth. By day, she is a special education teacher. By night, she writes novels (that she hopes to sell one day) and articles for Mittenbrew, the Ann, Pulp, the Ann Arbor Observer, and Concentrate.