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President Theodore Roosevelt Condemns Abortion, Birth Control, and Family Planning
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Typed Letter Signed as President, to Rev. Franklin C. Smith, January 24, 1906, Washington, D.C. On White House stationery, with five words added in his hand. 4 pp., 8 x 10½ in.
Decades before the landmark Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade, a passionate Roosevelt expresses his concern for the morality and “virility” of the American people. “As you are a minister of the Gospel I think I ought to say to you that I am so sure of it that I feel that no man who is both intelligent and decent can differ with me …”
Item #21123.99, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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President Theodore Roosevelt Agrees to Write His Famous Speech Attacking Journalistic Muck-Raking as an Enemy of Real Reform
Theodore Roosevelt,
Typed Letter Signed as President, to Elbert Henry Gary, the chairman of the board and president of U.S. Steel (the first billion dollar corporation), March 20, 1906, Washington, D.C. On “The White House” letterhead. 2 pp., 6-7/8 x 8-3/4 in.
“I will go to the limit in enforcing the law against the wealthiest man or the wealthiest corporation if I think he or it has done wrong; but my whole soul revolts at a campaign of foul slander waged against men, … because they have succeeded in business....”
Item #26174.01, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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Theodore Roosevelt, Furious with Cuba's "Pointless" 1906 Revolution
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Typed Letter Signed, to Henry White, September 13, 1906, Oyster Bay, New York. Autograph Endorsement as Postscript. On “The White House” letterhead. 3 pp., 8 x 10¼ in.
“Just at the moment I am so angry with that infernal little Cuban republic that I would like to wipe its people off the face of the earth. All we have wanted from them was that they would behave themselves and be prosperous and happy … they have started an utterly unjustifiable and pointless revolution and may get things into such a snarl that we have no alternative save to intervene - which will at once convince the suspicious idiots in South America that we do wish to interfere after all, and perhaps have some land-hunger!...”
This “Confidential” letter brims with significant content, as Roosevelt comments on hunting, disarmament, the Cuban Revolution, and the American voter. He expressed particular frustration at the inability of the new Cuban Republic to maintain a legitimate democracy. In September 1905, candidate Tomás Estrada Palma and his party rigged the Cuban presidential election to ensure his victory over liberal candidate José Miguel Gómez. The liberals revolted in August 1906, leading to the collapse of Estrada Palma’s government the following month, and to U.S. military and political intervention.
Item #27311, $12,500
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Teddy Roosevelt Attacks Republican Committee for Robbing Him of Presidential Return
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Partial Autograph Draft of a Speech, June 17, 1912. Front and back of a single sheet of imprinted Congress Hotel and Annex letterhead. 2 pp., 6 x 9½ in.
“the National Committee can not defeat the wishes of the rank and file of the Republican voters by unseating delegates honestly elected & seated…” With note on verso, “I think I could probably be nominated”
After former president Theodore Roosevelt won nine of thirteen Republican primaries in 1912, he was convinced that he was the choice of the people to succeed fellow Republican William Howard Taft. After the Republican National Committee refused to seat Roosevelt delegates instead of Taft delegates chosen by state committees, Roosevelt cried foul. Most of his delegates abstained from voting, and Taft just reached the number of delegates needed for the nomination.
In response, Roosevelt formed his own Progressive Party and divided the Republican vote, allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the general election.
Item #24951, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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President Wilson Urges Americans to Support the “Stricken Jewish People” of Europe During World War I
WOODROW WILSON,
Printed Document Signed, Proclamation re “stricken Jewish people,” January 11, 1916, Washington, D.C. 1 p., 8 x 12.25 in.
“I...do appoint and proclaim January 27, 1916, as a day upon which the people of the United States may make such contributions … for the aid of the stricken Jewish people.”
With this proclamation, President Woodrow Wilson responds to a Senate resolution calling for contributions to the American Red Cross to benefit the millions of “stricken Jewish people” in nations involved in World War I. The “Jewish Relief Day” campaign raised $2 million. Just over a year later, the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allies.
Item #27810, $25,000
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Theodore Roosevelt Opposes Wilson and Uses His Own Ancestry to Make a Case for “true Americanism.” (SOLD)
THEODORE ROOSEVELT,
Autograph Letter Signed, “Theodore Roosevelt,” to Theodore C. Blegen, Oyster Bay, N.Y., January 12, 1916, 5 ¾ x 7 ¾ in., 2 pp.
“I am a good example of the melting pot—and I am straight United States.”
From his summer residence in Oyster Bay, Long Island, Theodore Roosevelt writes to historian Theodore C. Blegen. While Blegen would go on to a prominent career in higher education, at this time, he was teaching high school in Minnesota. Here, the former President criticizes Woodrow Wilson’s immigration policies while discussing his own family’s immigration experience.
Item #22297.01-.02, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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Herbert Hoover Drafts Note, and Fredtjof Nansen Sends Letter to Vladimir Lenin, Trying to Get Lenin to Accept Food Aid for Starving Russians During the Russian Civil War
HERBERT HOOVER,
Autograph Note, undated [April, 1919]. Cover sheet: “Draft note (undated) / Dr. Nansen to Lenin in / Mr. Hoover’s handwriting.” 1 p., 8¼ x 10½ in. #24849 With FRIDTJOF NANSEN, Typed Letter Signed, to VLADIMIR LENIN, Paris, France, April 17, 1919. 4 pp., 8¼ x 10¾ in. This compound letter includes Nansen’s proposal for Russian relief to the Big Four allied leaders, their response, and his proposal to Lenin. It is a remarkable compilation of the prospects for and obstacles to efforts to ease Russian suffering.
“The Government and peoples whom we represent would be glad to cooperate, without thought of political, military or financial advantage, in any proposal which would relieve this situation in Russia.”
To combat starvation in Europe during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson created the United States Food Administration by executive order. Under the direction of Herbert Hoover, it became one of the most efficient and successful governmental initiatives in American history. More than 5 million Russians died of starvation before food aid was allowed in 1921.
Item #24850, $4,500
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Bronze Bas Relief Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt: “Aggressive fighting for the right is the greatest sport the world affords”
[THEODORE ROOSEVELT],
James Earle Fraser, Bas-Relief Portrait Plaque made of “medallium,” a type of bronze alloy of copper and tin, signed in the upper right corner. 1920. 10 x 11¾ in.
Roosevelt looks to the right and is wearing his signature pince-nez eyeglasses attached to his clothing by a thin cord, above one of the most famous epigrams attributed to him.
Item #27255, $2,000
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Harding’s Return to Normalcy – and Isolationism – after World War I
WARREN G. HARDING,
Typed Letter Signed as President, to Senator Joseph Medill McCormick, Washington, D. C., August 29, 1921. With autograph emendations in two different secretarial hands. 8 pp.
Key political circular from the first-year Republican President written to influence off-year elections in New Mexico and other places. Harding justifies, and praises, the rapid postwar dismantling of America’s military by Congress, while backhandedly criticizing the inattention of his predecessor – Woodrow Wilson – to the peacetime transition. “Vast expenditure without proper consideration for results, is the inevitable fruit of war.”
Item #21124, $2,600
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Franklin Roosevelt Orders Books on Naval Battles, New York, and Ladies
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
Autograph Notes filling out bookseller’s printed postcard order form, October 28, 1924, 1 p.
Both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were avid readers. With this postcard, the future president orders three books from Pierce & Scopes, Booksellers and Importers, in Albany, New York.
Item #24496, $1,250
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Calvin Coolidge Appoints Trustee of the National Training School for Girls
CALVIN COOLIDGE,
Partially Printed Document Signed, April 18, 1925, Washington, DC. Appointment of Mrs. Otto L. Veerhoff as Trustee of the National Training School for Girls. Countersigned by U.S. Attorney General John G. Sargent (1860-1939); includes a “Department of Justice” red embossed seal. 1 p., 10½ x 16 in.
President Calvin Coolidge reappoints Amy Louise Veerhoff as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Training School for Girls. Originally appointed by President Warren G. Harding, Veerhoff served as president of the Board of Trustees for several years.
Item #26525, $1,500
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Mount Rushmore’s Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt (SOLD)
[MOUNT RUSHMORE.] GUTZON BORGLUM,
Sculptures. “Abraham Lincoln,” signed by the artist, plaster cast, painted ochre, ca. 1927-1941. 4½ x 3 in. “Theodore Roosevelt,” plaster cast, painted ochre, ca. 1927-1941. 4¾ x 3½ in.
Casts of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt from Mount Rushmore. On verso, the Lincoln head has been signed by the artist, Gutzon Borglum; the Roosevelt head bears a period provenance note: “MOUNT RUSHMORE MEMORIAL This is one of the few models taken from the first and final casting of Gutzon Borglum’s Head of Theodore Roosevelt.” (It is entirely possible that the Roosevelt head is signed beneath the affixed note.)
Item #22295; 22295.01, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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Herbert Hoover - Rare Signed Inaugural Address
HERBERT HOOVER,
Printed Document Signed, March 4, 1929. A rare large-print copy of his inaugural address. 21 pp., 9 x 12 in.
“We have emerged from the losses of the Great War and the reconstruction following it with increased virility and strength. From this strength we have contributed to the recovery and progress of the world. What America has done has given renewed hope and courage to all who have faith in government by the people.”
Item #24848, $2,400
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Franklin Roosevelt Thanks Alabama Friend for Compliments on “Forgotten Man” Speech
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
Typed Letter Signed, as Governor, to Samuel H. Tatum, April 14, 1932, Albany, New York. 1 p., 8 x 10½ in.
Item #24492, $950
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Governor and Presidential Candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt Begins Effective Use of Radio
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
Mimeographed Document Signed, press release of radio speech, July 30, 1932, Albany, NY. Prepared for release to the press. “For Release in the Morning Papers After Delivered” in type at top of first page. Signed at bottom of last page, “Franklin D. Roosevelt.” 6 pp., 8½ x 14 in.
“I hope during this campaign to use the radio frequently to speak to you about important things that concern us all.”
On July 30, 1932, New York Governor Roosevelt delivered this speech from Albany, quoting extensively from and explaining many planks of the Democratic National Platform. Four weeks after the Democratic National Convention nominated Roosevelt on the fourth ballot in Chicago, he made this fantastic campaign speech. He turned to a relatively new medium—the radio—to communicate with the American people. Broadcast radio began in 1920 but became more widespread over the next decade. This broadcast went out over the decade-old AM radio station WGY in Schenectady, New York, to the N.B.C. Network at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. Roosevelt’s use of the radio brought his comforting voice into the homes and lives of average Americans and reassured them that he cared for them as part of an “imagined community.”
Employing the radio, Roosevelt could make certain that his message reached the widest possible audience, without the mediation of newspaper editors. He also spoke confidently in standard English at a slow rate to make certain that everyone understood him. He used everyday analogies, stories, and anecdotes to explain his thoughts clearly. Over his unprecedented three terms and a partial fourth term in office as President of the United States, Roosevelt delivered some thirty “fireside chats” to reassure the American people and give them hope during the bleak times of the Great Depression and World War II.
Item #27712, $9,500
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FDR’s First Inaugural Address in the Midst of the Great Depression
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
First Inaugural Address, Typed Manuscript Signed, ca. May 1935, Washington, DC. 5 pp., 7 x 10½ in. Accompanied by Marguerite “Missy” LeHand, Typed Letter Signed, June 5, 1935, on White House stationery, returning the signed typescript to Mr. Barker.
“the only thing we have to fear is fear itself....”
President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his landmark first Inaugural Address at the U.S. Capitol, on March 4, 1933. Many consider the speech to be one of the greatest in American history. On the day of the inauguration, the country was at the lowest point of the worst depression in American history. The banks had closed in thirty-two of the forty-eight states (plus the District of Columbia), unemployment was above 25 percent, farms were failing, and two million people were homeless. The New York Federal Reserve Bank would not be able to open the very next day, as panicky customers had withdrawn huge sums in the previous days. In this context, Roosevelt set forth a positive message addressing the country’s greatest needs: relief, recovery, and reform. His confidence, optimism, and the massive amount of “New Deal” legislation he sent to Congress in the first one hundred days of his administration did much to reassure the American people that better times were on the way.
Item #27122.99, $135,000
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Eleanor Roosevelt Asks Pennsylvania Educator to Serve as Chair of Local Women’s Crusade
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT,
Typed Letter Signed, to Mrs. E. M. Hartman, August 24, 1933, New York, New York. On “1933 Mobilization for Human Needs” stationery. 1 p., 8.5 x 11 in.
“We have been passing through a period of depression longer than that of the World War and more corrosive in its effects. We have before us a work of recovery and reconstruction.”
Item #26385.01, $1,850
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FDR’s Personal Copy of 1934 Textile Industry Crisis Board Report Countersigned by Secretary of Labor Francis Perkins, the First Woman Presidential Cabinet Member
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
Typescript Signed with initials, twice, on the title page. Roosevelt’s personal bound carbon copy of “Report of the Board of Inquiry for the Cotton Textile Industry,” September 17, 1934, Hyde Park, New York. 38 pp., 9 x 11⅜ in.
This typed report was compiled in two weeks amidst a violent nationwide textile strike. In addition to Roosevelt initialing it twice, it is signed by his the chairman of the commission, and by Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve on a Presidential cabinet, in which role she played an important part in writing critical New Deal legislation, including the Social Security Act. The report was personally given to FDR at a meeting at Hyde Park to discuss the board’s findings which successfully brought an end to the strike.
Item #27690, $8,500
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An Anti-FDR Broadside Offering a Government Auction of New Deal Tenets
[FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT],
Broadside. Auction Sale / I will offer for sale to the highest bidder, at the White House (near / the empty Treasury Building), no place, [c. 1936]. 11½ x 5⅜ in., on orange paper.
Item #22817, SOLD — please inquire about other items
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FDR Signed Engraving of White House Bound in The Democratic Book 1936
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT,
The Democratic Book 1936, with limitation page signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt under a beautiful color illustration of the White House. Original presentation Morocco gilt, with original illustrated title and limitation pages, 19 full-page portraits, dozens of in-text half-tones and illustrations, and a facsimile of the Constitution, and illustrated wrappers bound in; copy no. 256 [of 2500] cover gilt stamped inscription to FDR’s first cousin, “Lyman Delano,” 384 pp., 11¼ x 14½ x 1⅝ in.
Featuring Franklin Roosevelt’s acceptance speech at the 1936 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, the 1936 Democratic National Platform, and the results of the election of 1936, this lavish book includes statements by the first lady and cabinet members, sketches of other party leaders, histories of the Democratic Party, Congress, and the White House, and biographies of Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner. With fantastic illustrations and advertisements.
President Roosevelt signed colorful printed illustrations of the White House, which were bound into this souvenir book created by the DNC to pay down the post-election campaign deficit.
Item #27795, $2,000
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