Today marks the founding of the Republican Party. (March 20, 1854) Is it the party’s foundational principle of anti-slavery that prompts Papa’s memory today? Of course, BUT. The organizing meeting credited as the party’s start happened in the Badger State. In Ripon to be precise. I am always eager to make a connection. The Republican Party, as it still does today, irritated democrats. So much so that those in the South seceded from the nation by 1860. The horrors of the Civil War followed. A conflict of differing principles. Afterwards, the mostly Republican sponsored 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution were adopted.
However, before Papa was aware of history the quiet city of Ripon warmed my heart with a different anticipation. Rippin Good cookies were produced in Ripon. Much is faint to me but a windmill shaped cookie from the company sticks in my mind. It seems the cookie company has ceased production. I checked my other favorite (Johnston) and they also no longer make cookies. But, I do recall my dad driving to West Milwaukee and buying five pound bags of “broken cookies” for $1.00 at the company’s back door.
Papa spent a week in Ripon during 1960. I was selected as a delegate to Badger Boys State which was held at Ripon College. A very good time. Dormitory life. Met new friends. Talks and practical exercises in government. At age 16 it was a first taste of independence from home. Not as significant as men who gathered in Ripon for the purpose of ending slavery.. But, the impact of being near the site of the GOP’s historic founding was stirring for a young man.