Black <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_(boat)#Current_Natchez" class="extiw" title="w:Natchez (boat)">SS Natchez</a> hat with gold thread embroidering and chinstrap. Includes a brown leather sweatband on the inside. Given to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._President_Gerald_Ford" class="extiw" title="w:U.S. President Gerald Ford">U.S. President Gerald Ford</a> by the captain of the SS Natchez on September 25, 1976 during Ford's campaign trip down the Mississippi River. While on the campaign trip, which was about a month after Ford was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Republican_National_Convention" class="extiw" title="w:1976 Republican National Convention">nominated</a> for re-election as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" class="extiw" title="w:President of the United States">President of the United States</a>, Ford campaigned from the SS Natchez during the 6-hour Saturday cruise from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutcher,_Louisiana" class="extiw" title="w:Lutcher, Louisiana">Lutcher, Louisiana</a> to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Square_(New_Orleans)" class="extiw" title="w:Jackson Square (New Orleans)">Jackson Square, New Orleans</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-South_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-South-1">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[2]</a></sup> a historic park in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Quarter" class="extiw" title="w:French Quarter">French Quarter</a> of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans,_Louisiana" class="extiw" title="w:New Orleans, Louisiana">New Orleans, Louisiana</a>. From there, Ford planned to spend three days in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States" class="extiw" title="w:Southern United States">the south</a> appealing to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatism_in_the_United_States#Southern_conservatism" class="extiw" title="w:Conservatism in the United States">Southern conservatism</a> by depicting his opponent, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter" class="extiw" title="w:Jimmy Carter">Jimmy Carter</a>, as a free-spending liberal.<sup id="cite_ref-South_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-South-1">[1]</a></sup> The Natchez trip was key to Ford’s campaign strategy to garner votes in southern states.
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_R._Ford_Presidential_Museum" class="extiw" title="w:Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum">Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum</a>