Haddonfield lawyer immersed in political memorabilia

To some, Joseph Murphy's Haddonfield workplace may look more like a political campaign headquarters than a law office.

Walls, shelves, and display cases are crammed with presidential-election memorabilia dating back to Andrew Jackson's first race in 1824.

They range from treasures such as an 1860 daguerreotype pin of Abraham Lincoln and a Teddy Roosevelt campaign poster to lighthearted items: Ronald and Nancy Reagan slippers, a singing Hillary Clinton doll, and Richard Nixon bubble-gum cigars.

While most other Americans are just beginning to focus on the 2008 presidential contest, Murphy surrounds himself year-round with more than 1,000 artifacts from political campaigns.

"I was always interested in politics," said the lawyer, who lives within walking distance of his office. "And when you're a collector, you want to display your stuff."

On the first floor are original John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Hubert H. Humphrey posters, and bandannas advertising the 1884 candidacies of Democrat Grover Cleveland and his Republican opponent, James G. Blaine.

On a corner shelf is a metal Bob Dole coin bank that's also a toy truck, and a can of Bill Clinton cola ("One Taste to Come Back 4 More"). Next to them is Gold Water soda from Barry M. Goldwater's 1964 White House run. Years ago, its contents burst from the seams, ruining a poster for Johnson, Goldwater's opponent, said Murphy, 59.

The walls near his secretary's desk are covered with a "Forward With Roosevelt" poster from one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's campaigns and a rare green "Harry Truman for President" pennant.

Truman "is my personal favorite," said Murphy, whose office is in an 1890s house. "When I started the museum here, I focused on what would look good in the building.

"When you collect stamps and coins, it's pretty much the same. But there is a variety of things when it comes to presidential campaigns."

Some of the most valuable items are in an upstairs room that's been transformed into a museum, complete with professional display cases.

Among the artifacts is an 1872 campaign button of Ulysses S. Grant, a Warren G. Harding toy that mechanically thumbs its nose, and a red-and-white 1904 Theodore Roosevelt campaign bandanna.

"I'm into politics," Murphy said. "I worked for Bobby Kennedy handing out campaign material in Camden in 1968."

Strategies, he said, have changed over the years.

"If they had something on somebody in the past, they'd use it," said Murphy, president of the Friends of the Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield and former president of the Haddonfield Historical Society. "I think the race between Obama and McCain will be mild. We're more reserved now."

Murphy read lyrics of an 1840 song in which opponents of President Martin Van Buren said he deserved "the lowest place in hell." And he played a CD of a song Thomas Jefferson's supporters used to blast President John Adams. "The reign of terror now is o'er," it goes. "Its hordes of harpies are no more."

Even relatively recent campaigns have been nastier than the current one. Murphy pointed out a button used against Goldwater in 1964:

Goldwater in '64

Hot Water in '65

Bread and Water in '66

Underwater in '67.

Murphy started his collection in 1963 after being inspired by his civics teacher at Williamstown High School.

He and the teacher, John Muits, still share the same passion, buying items online, and at swap meets and collectors conventions. His most expensive score was the Lincoln daguerreotype, for which he paid $860.

One of Murphy's first items was a red, white and blue "Kennedy for President" button that he wore for JFK's 1960 run. The top third is faded by the sun, which he says lends it sentimental value.

"I don't look for things that weren't circulated," he said. "I'm a little unreserved about handling them."

For a program about his memorabilia at the historical society, Murphy outfitted his girlfriend, Judy Weiner of Sewell, with a Bill "Clinton for President" jacket, a Jimmy Carter walking stick, and "I Like Ike" earrings. She sat on a George W. Bush folding chair.

"My house only has a few [campaign] things," Murphy said. "I'm determined not to buy another house just to display more."