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Presidents and First Ladies
president and first ladies
Amazing and historic handwritten letter by George Washington as unites his nation’s first trade commission in Europe: “I now send you, under flying seals, letters to Mr. Jefferson, Doctr. Franklin and Count de Estaing”
1. George Washington Autograph Letter Signed.
Spectacular ALS signed “Go: Washington,” three pages on two adjoining sheets, 7.25 x 8.75, June 2, 1784. Handwritten letter from Mount Vernon to David Humphrys, his former aidede-camp, who was to join John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin on a commission to negotiate treaties of commerce with European nations. In full: “I very sincerely congratulate you on your late appointment. It is honorable, and I dare say must be agreeable. I did not hear of it until I arrived at Annapolis, where I remained but one day, and that occasioned by the detention of my Carriage & Horses on the Eastern shore. Genl. Knox not reaching that place before I left it, your letter of the 18th, only got to my hands on Sunday last, by the Post & I am now writing by its return.
I now send you, under flying seals, letters to Mr. Jefferson, Doctr. Franklin and Count de Estaing; the letter to the Chevr. Chartellux also mentions you and your appointment. My former corrispondence [sic] with England ceased at the commencement of hostilities with that Country, & I have opened no new ones since, but I enclose you a letter to Sir Edward Newenham of Ireland, from whom I have lately received several very polite letters, and a pressing invitation to correspond with him. He has been a warm friend to America during her whole struggle, he is a man of fortune, of excellent character as I am told; and may, if you should go to Ireland, be a valuable acquaintance.
It only remains for me now to wish you a pleasant passage, and that you may realize all the pleasures wch you must have in expectation. It cannot be necessary to add how happy I shall be at all times to hear from you. You will have it in your power to contribute much to my amusement and information; and as far as you can do the latter consistently with your duty & public trust, I shall be obliged, further I do not require, and even here, mark private what you think not altogether fit for the public ear, and it shall remain with me. Mrs. Washington adds her best wishes for you, and you may rest assured that few friendships are warmer, or professions more sincere than mine for you. Adieu. “ Washington also adds a brief postscript which reads, “Just recollecting my old neighbour Colonel (who may now be Lord) Fairfax, I have added a letter to him also, in case you should go to England.” In very good to fine condition, with professional restoration and repairs to intersecting folds, and partial separation along the fragile hinge.
Enjoying his hard-earned peace at Mount Vernon following the Revolution, Washington remained acutely aware of and involved in the country’s progress and development. As the commission formed to begin negotiating the first treaties of the new independent nation, he received notice of his former aide-de-camp David Humphreys’s appointment as secretary. Hoping to immediately unite the members and secure Humphreys place among giants, he includes his letters of introduction to Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, key figures in the commission. In re-establishing relations with the nation they just defeated, the commission has a long road ahead: “My former corrispondence with England ceased at the commencement of hostilities with that Country, & I have opened no new ones since.” While he has no new friendly relations to name, there is one important figure from his past who returned to England before the war: his old neighbor—and the husband of his lifelong love—Lord Fairfax. In an incredible postscript, he returns to this past relationship, offering a letter of introduction on Humphreys’s behalf. Addressed to a man who stood by Washington’s side at the most important moments of his life—as he earned victory at the Battle of Yorktown, as he resigned his post as commander-inchief to the Continental Congress, and as he took the oath of office and became America’s first president years later—this is a wonderfully personal and unusually lengthy letter. Not only does it present incredible introductions to America’s founding fathers, direct reference to conflict with England, and a return to his lost friends the Fairfaxes, but also it is one of the cleanest and most finely penned we have seen—an incredible letter in every regard!. Starting Bid $5000
President Adams welcomes a Massachusetts justice to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2. John Quincy Adams Document Signed as President. Partly-printed DS as president, signed “John quincy Adams,” one page, 13.75 x 9.25, May 24, 1825. Unusual American Academy of Arts and Sciences document certifying election of Samuel S. Wilde as “a Fellow of their Society.” Boldly signed at the conclusion in ink by President John Quincy Adams, and countersigned by the famous orator Edward Everett, Harvard President John Thornton Kirkland, and historian James Savage. The white paper seal affixed at the bottom remains intact. Handsomely double-matted and framed with an engraved portrait to an overall size of 26 x 15.5.. In very good to fine condition, with multiple vertical folds. Starting Bid $200
Van Buren appoints a lieutenant for the Wilkes Exploring Expedition, the voyage that discovered Antarctica
vellum DS as president, signed “M. Van Buren,” one page, 13 x 16.75, July 11, 1838. President Van Buren appoints George F. Emmons as a “Lieutenant in the Navy while on duty in the Surveying & Exploring Expedition.” Signed at the conclusion by Martin Van Buren and countersigned by Secretary of the Navy James K. Paulding. Double-matted and framed to an overall size of 25.25 x 21.25. In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining. Emmons (1811–1884) was commissioned to be a lieutenant aboard the USS Peacock and participate in the famous Wilkes Exploring Expedition of 1838 to 1842, which discovered the Antarctic Continent on January 16, 1840. Starting Bid $200
4.. John Tyler Document Signed
as President. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 15 x 9.25, December 23, 1849. President Tyler appoints Edward A. Mitchell as “Deputy Postmaster at New Haven, in the State of Connecticut.” Prominently signed at the conclusion in ink by President Tyler and countersigned by Secretary of State John C. Calhoun. The white paper seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Handsomely cloth-matted and framed with an engraved portrait and biographical plaque to an overall size of 31 x 21. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Scarce 1864 presidential document signed by Abraham Lincoln, boasting a practically pristine signature
5.Abraham Lincoln Document Signed as President.
Partly-printed DS as president, signed “Abraham Lincoln,” one page, 19.75 x 13.75, September 30, 1864. President Lincoln officially recognizes Friedrich Kuhne as “Consul of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, at New York,” declaring him free to exercise “such functions, powers and privileges as are allowed to Consuls by the Law of Nations or by the Laws of the United States.” Boldly signed at the conclusion in ink by Abraham Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of State William Seward. The official embossed paper seal affixed to the lower left remains intact. In fine condition, with a minor split to the top of the central vertical fold; Lincoln’s signature is exceptionally crisp and bold, and the document as a whole is especially clean and neat. It is certainly one of the finest Abraham Lincoln presidential documents that we have come across in recent memory. Starting Bid $1000
In the immediate aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, President Johnson attends to his new duties by recognizing a Union soldier for “gallant and distinguished services at the battles of Laurel Hill and Peebles Farm, Virginia”
printed vellum DS as president, signed “Andrew Johnson,” one page, 15 x 19, April 20, 1865. President Johnson confers on “A. H. Merritt of the U. S. Volunteers, in the service of the United States, by and with the advise and consent of the Senate, the rank of Major by Brevet… for gallant and distinguished services at the battles of Laurel Hill and Peebles Farm, Virginia.” Signed at the conclusion in ink by President Andrew Johnson and countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. Retains the blue seal affixed to the upper left. In very good to fine condition, with scattered staining, soiling, and the signature several shades light. Johnson had ascended to the presidency only five days earlier, and Lincoln’s assassin was still on the run. With this document, Johnson attends to his duties as commander-in-chief, recognizing the bravery of a Union soldier during the Siege of Petersburg. A supremely desirable document from a moment of upheaval in the United States. Starting Bid $200
7. U. S. Grant Signed Photograph. Exceptional vintage
matte-finish 4 x 5.25 oval portrait of U. S. Grant, signed in black ink. Double-matted and displayed under glass in a beautifully carved period frame from J. S. Bradley of New York, which measures to an overall size of 13 x 14.5. In fine condition, with a semicircular crease to the top, and the signature light but fully legible. Starting Bid $300
8. U.S. Grant Document Signed as President.
Manuscript DS as president, one page both sides, 10 x 14, June 9, 1870. President Grant appoints John L. Stevens as the “Minister Resident of the United States to the Republic of Uruguay” and directs the seal of the United States to be affixed to an “Article providing for the extension of the time for exchanging the ratifications of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between the United States and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.” Signed neatly at the conclusion by U. S. Grant, and countersigned by Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. The original white seal remains affixed to the left side. Double-matted and framed with an engraved portrait of Grant to an overall size of 23 x 20.5; a window to frame backing reveals the first page of the document. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
President Roosevelt commissions a consular interpreter at Hankow, China
9. Theodore Roosevelt Document Signed as President. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 15.5 x 11.25, March 27, 1907. President Roosevelt appoints Willard B. Hull of Iowa as “Interpreter to the Consulate General of the United States of America at Hankow, China.” Beautifully signed at the conclusion in bold ink by President Roosevelt and countersigned by Secretary of State Elihu Root. The white embossed paper seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Handsomely double-matted and framed with a portrait to an overall size of 27.25 x 17.25. In fine condition. A highly appealing document boasting two enormous, bold signatures. Starting Bid $200
10. Woodrow Wilson Signed Photograph. Distinguished
vintage matte-finish 8.25 x 11.75 Harris and Ewing portrait, signed in the lower border in fountain pen, “Woodrow Wilson 1923.” Photo is affixed to an 11 x 14 off-white sheet creating a distinctive border. In fine condition, with a small tear to the lower left corner, affecting only the border. Starting Bid $200
11. Franklin D. Roosevelt Document
Signed as President. Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 22.5 x 18.75, August 17, 1944. President Roosevelt appoints Vice Admiral Aubrey W. Fitch as “a Member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.” Boldly signed at the conclusion by President Roosevelt and countersigned by Secretary of State Cordell Hull. The white paper seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Framed to an overall size of 25 x 21. In very good to fine condition, with creasing in the margins, heaviest at the bottom. Starting Bid $200
A national treasure: chemistry set gifted by President Roosevelt to a bedridden boy in 1933
12. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Chemistry Set Gifted to
Boy Hospital Patient. Remarkable original chemistry set gifted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a bedridden boy for his 8th birthday in 1933. The sad plight of young Eddie Walts, a young boy from upstate New York stricken by a septic blood disease—evidently a form of leukemia—drew national attention when his story was covered in the Syracuse American on June 11, 1933: “Boy Hospital Patient Asks Present Of Chemical Set for 8th Birthday.” Walts had spent weeks at Syracuse’s Crouse-Irving Hospital, undergoing various blood transfusions and treatments in an effort to improve his condition; where others would have given up, Eddie remained optimistic. The piece offers the young fellow’s singular birthday wish: “You ask me what I would like most of all for my birthday. I guess if I could get a chemical set I’d be about the happiest boy in the whole world.”
Little did the child know that his wish would reach the highest halls of the United States government and be granted by none other than President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who—as a polio survivor—evidently felt great sympathy for the boy. FDR dispatched his wife, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to the Syracuse hospital to present him with this chemistry set, a simple wooden box that houses all manner of chemical samples and test tubes. Acting on the president’s behalf, using one of FDR’s cards imprinted “The President,” Eleanor writes a hopeful and sympathetic message to the boy in pencil: “With best wishes for a happy birthday from one who knows what it means to be in bed a long time & hopes you’ll soon be well.” Mrs. Roosevelt’s visit to present the presidential gift was also covered in the local newspapers, clippings of which are included. The chemical set, housed in a dark wooden 16˝ x 5˝ x 7˝ case, contains eleven jars, most with pipette droppers in the caps, labeled: “#1 Sample Bottle,” “#2 Turbidity Standard,” “#3 Phenolphthalein,” “#4 Mixed Indicator,” “#5 Sodium Hydroxide,” “#6 Soap,” “#6 Soap,” “#7 Distilled Water,” “#9 Potassium Permanganate,” and “#10 Potassium Thocynate.” Also includes five test tubes (two with labels, “Iron Standard A” and “Iron Standard B”), and a jar of Sterno ‘Canned Heat’ cooking fuel. Affixed on the lower panel are instructions for conducting an iron test, turbidity test, pH test, and hardness test. Inside the lid are color charts associated with the experiments, one with partial losses to the top. Most of the chemical jars retain some residue of the compounds originally held inside.
In addition to the chemical set, Eleanor Roosevelt’s note, and newspaper clippings documenting the president’s gift, the lot also includes a birthday card sent to Eddie Walts by popular singer Kate Smith, a letter from FDR’s secretary Missy LeHand (“The President…is pleased to know that you liked the chemical set. While the President is sorry you have to remain in bed he feels that the Doctors know what is best for you and that you should follow their instructions”), and some additional newspaper coverage of the young boy’s ailment; he would sadly pass away at age 10 in 1935. As a whole, this chemistry set and accompanying ephemera form an incredible narrative about a president in touch with his people, going above and beyond to comfort one young American during his time of need. Starting Bid $5000
13. Franklin D. Roosevelt Signed Photo-
graph. Unusual oversized vintage matte-finish 10.75 x 14 photo of President Roosevelt in a seated pose, signed in fountain pen as president, “Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dec. 9, 1935.” Reverse bears a Kaufmann & Fabry Co. credit stamp. In very good to fine condition, with the edges painted black, just touching the first letter of the signature. On this date, President Roosevelt gave an address at Notre Dame University in which he highlighted the importance of Philippine independence. Starting Bid $200
14. Dwight D. Eisenhower Signed
White House Card. White House card, 4 x 2.5, signed nicely in fountain pen by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In fine condition, with a small mounting remnant to the center of the reverse. Starting Bid $200
The young Jack Kennedy honors a fallen airman in 1939, two weeks after Hitler invades Poland
“Jack Kennedy,” one page, 8 x 10.5, blindstamped American Embassy letterhead, September 19, 1939. Letter to Charles R. Nasmith, American Consul at Edinburgh, pertaining to a wreath sent for the memorial of Peter George Alexander St. Clair-Erskine, who had been killed while in active service with the Royal Air Force on September 8, 1939, one week after German forces invaded Poland, an event that triggered the start of World War II. In full: “I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of September 18. I am enclosing a check for 25/- in payment for the flowers sent to Rosslyn Chapel. Again I wish to thank you for your kind co-operation in this matter.” The deceased airman was the brother of John F. Kennedy’s friend Anthony St Clair-Erskine, 6th Earl of Rosslyn. In very good to fine condition, with light creasing, and staple holes and a small stain to the upper left corner.
Accompanied by a TLS by Edward E. Moore, private secretary to JFK’s father, enclosing a check from the ambassador as a reimbursement for the flowers; a carbon copy of a letter from Nasmith to Moore, returning the check as JFK had already paid for them; and a carbon copy of a letter from Nasmith to Margaret Whyte, thanking her for delivering the flowers. Unique, early, and poignant correspondence from a young JFK. Starting Bid $500
Kennedy appoints a Manhattan Project consultant as ambassador “to the International Atomic Energy Agency”
16. John F. Kennedy Document Signed as President. Exceptional partly-printed DS as president, one page, 17.25 x 13.5, June 13, 1961. President Kennedy appoints Henry DeWolf Smyth, of New Jersey as “the Representative of the United States of America to the International Atomic Energy Agency.” Signed boldly at the conclusion by President Kennedy, and countersigned by Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Document retains its original large white seal. Handsomely matted and framed to an overall size of 25.25 x 21.5. In very fine condition, with some brushing to the signature. A remarkable commission relating to an untapped energy resource the president would later advocate with the signing of the Atomic Energy Commission Authorization Bill on September 26, 1962. Starting Bid $300
senator, signed “Jack,” one page, 8 x 10.5, personal United States Senate letterhead, August 16, 1957. Letter to attorney Lewis H. Weinstein, in part: “I am planning to spend the months of October and November in Massachusetts and I am attempting to work out my schedule. I am enclosing three invitations which I have received and I would appreciate your advice as to whether or not you feel that I should accept them. I do appreciate your comment on Paul Freund’s letter in the New York Times in your recent letter.” In fine condition, with staple holes and a paperclip impression to the upper left corner. Starting Bid $200
With his appointment of Goldberg to the UN, President Johnson seeks a “road to peace in Southeast Asia”
as president, one page, 7.25 x 10.25, White House letterhead, July 28, 1965. Letter to U Thant, Secretary General of the United Nations, discussing his appointment of Arthur Goldberg as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, in part: “I want you to know from me directly of the very great personal confidence which I place in Ambassador Goldberg. His appointment...[is] strong evidence that this Government places the very highest importance on the work of the United Nations...I hope that you will communicate to us, through Ambassador Goldberg, any helpful suggestions that may occur to you that can strengthen our common search for the road to peace in Southeast Asia.” In very fine condition. Starting Bid $200
19. Lyndon B. Johnson Signed Book and Typed Letter Signed. Signed
book: The Lyndon Johnson Story by Booth Mooney. First edition, first printing. NY: Farrar, Straus and Company, 1956. Hardcover, 5.75 x 8.5, 178 pages. Signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, “To Turner Laine, with best wishes and warm regards, Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S.S. Texas.” Includes the typed transmittal letter, signed “Lyndon B. Johnson,” one page, 8 x 10.5, United States Senate letterhead, July 9, 1957, in part: “I am sending you under separate cover—simply because I would like you to have it—a copy of the book about me that was published last year. I hope you will accept this with my compliments and that it will be of some value to you as reference material from time to time.” Book condition: VG/VG, with light mottled toning to the signed page, a ding to the bottom of the front board, and a few small edge tears and light foxing to the jacket; the letter is in very good to fine condition, with scattered light foxing and staining. Starting Bid $200
20. Richard Nixon (2) Typed
Letters Signed. Two TLSs, both signed, “Dick Nixon,” each one page, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead. Both letters are to Helen Copley, the widow of newspaper publisher James S. Copley, with Nixon adding the greeting in his own hand, as well as a postscript to each letter. The letters are dated December 15, 1975 (“Only during difficult periods does one learn who his real friends are”), and January 6, 1976 (“Late in the evening on Christmas Day...we remarked that of all the Christmas observances we have enjoyed-at the White House, in California, in Florida, and at Camp David-this was without question one of the best”). In overall fine condition. Starting Bid $200
21. Ronald Reagan Autograph Letter Signed. ALS signed “Dutch,” one page both sides, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, March 14. Handwritten letter to “Myrt,” in part: “I had to wait until Mon. to get a schedule from the studio on the picture. They gave me an ‘on or about’ May 1 finish but by then I got a call on another picture scheduled to start by then with a possible overlap...I’ve been busier than that well known cat on the tin roof lately. It seems I can get on more d—n committees and go to more stale banquets than any one should. It’s getting so I can’t eat dinner without stopping to applaud.” In fine condition. Great content from the actor-turned-politician, who had many more “stale banquets” to look forward to during his life in the political arena. Starting Bid $200
dent, one page, 7 x 10.5, White House letterhead, December 21, 1984. Letter to Jeane Kirkpatrick, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, praising her work at the UN General Assembly as “a significant achievement for the United States”—”You took on an enormous task four years ago, Jeane, and have achieved marvelous results for our country. I am personally very grateful and proud.” In very fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Rare signed “Personal Account” check from President Ronald Reagan
23. Ronald Reagan Check Signed as President. Scarce “Personal Account” check, 6 x 2.75, filled out and signed by Ronald Reagan as president, payable to Mr. James Rosebush for $340, April 30, 1984. In very fine condition. James Rosebush was a Deputy Assistant to President Reagan, the Chief of Staff to First Lady Nancy Reagan, and a Senior Advisor at the White House. Checks signed by Reagan while as president remain quite rare and sought-after. Starting Bid $200
TLS as president, one page, 6.75 x 8.75, White House letterhead, September 13, 1982. Letter to Curgie W. Pratt, in full: “I have just learned from our Curator, Clem Conger, of your family’s bound collection of Presidential letters and documents which it is hoped in time may become a gift to the White House. In order that this collection may be complete, I am delighted to send you this note to be included among the documents representing all the Presidents. We are very appreciative of the gifts you and your family have made to the White House through the years.” Affixed to a slightly larger mount and in fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Bush explains his ‘tried to kick a little ass’ remark following the 1984 presidential debates: “I expect each of us, maybe even you, has said things in private that he doesn’t regret but that he would not say in public”
one page, 7 x 9, The Vice President letterhead, October 26, 1984. Letter to “Alex,” an unidentified editorialist, in part: “I have been in politics a long time, and I guess I should have learned that if someone can eavesdrop electronically or other wise you are fair game...I expect each of us, maybe even you, has said things in private that he doesn’t regret but that he would not say in public. Such is the case with my remark...I just want you to know that I had read your commentary, have taken your comments to heart, but cannot be hypocritical by trying to weasel out of what happened. I have not changed, believe me.” In very fine condition. Starting Bid $200
“Read every word!”—Trump sends a Bible to his mistress and future wife, Marla Maples
26. Donald Trump Signed Bible. Signed book: The
Living Bible Paraphrased: A Thought-for-Thought Translation. Executive Heritage Slim Line edition. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1984. Bonded leather softcover, 6 x 8.75, 868 pages. Signed and inscribed on the title page in black felt tip to his mistress and future wife, Marla Maples, “Sept 30/91, Marla—Mrs. DeMoss sent this to me—She and Billy Graham are wonderful people who you made a great impression on. Read every word! Love, Donald.” In fine condition, with a tear running vertically down the extreme left side of the signed page, in no way affecting the inscription. Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Beckett Authentication Services. Trump and Maples met in 1989 and began a public relationship despite the former still being married to his first wife, Ivana, whom he divorced in 1992. Trump proposed to Maples in December 1993 and the couple were soon married at New York City’s Plaza Hotel. Starting Bid $200
