Presidents & First Ladies
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
Document Signed, 3” x 8 ½”, Northampton, Massachusetts, March 29, 1929, “Calvin Coolidge,” a partly printed check, also accomplished by Coolidge less than a month after leaving office as U.S. President, drawn on The Hampshire County Trust Co. and made payable to one Mary Ahearn for thirty dollars.
The check is in very good condition, with minor smudging of ink to several letters, a small tear in the upper margin, and a few light vertical folds. The hole-punch cancellation at center affects an insignificant part of the beginning of Coolidge’s signature.
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
Vice President Coolidge Thanks a Journalist from The Nation
Typed Letter Signed, 7” x 9”. Writing on imprinted official stationery, U.S. Vice President Coolidge thanks Marian Tyler, a journalist with The Nation, a liberal weekly magazine first published in 1865, for her letter.
“THE VICE-PRESIDENT’S CHAMBER, WASHINGTON, February 2, 1922. Miss Marian Tyler, The Nation, 20 Vesey Street, New York, N.Y. My dear Miss Tyler: Please accept my thanks for your letter and enclosure. It is always interesting to see the discussion that goes on in the public press. Very sincerely yours, Calvin Coolidge.”
The letter is lightly toned and soiled, with a horizontal fold at the center.
COOLIDGE, CALVIN (1872-1933) Thirtieth U.S. President - 1923-29; U.S. Vice President – 1921-23; Governor of Massachusetts – 1919-21
The Vice President-Elect Thanks a Supporter – Just Two Days after the 1920 Election
Typed Letter Signed, 7 ¼” x 9 ½”, on imprinted stationery as Massachusetts Governor. During the second year of his short tenure as governor - just two days after election to U.S. vice president on the Warren G. Harding ticket - Coolidge thanks “Mr. Ernest M. Hortmann, Boston, Mass.,” for a letter.
“EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, STATE HOUSE, BOSTON. 4th November, 1920…My dear Mr. Hortmann: It was exceedingly thoughtful of you to send me such a gracious message. I want to thank you for your kind wishes which I assure you I reciprocate. Cordially yours, Calvin Coolidge.”
The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with two horizontal folds and a pinhole along the bottom edge.
FILLMORE, MILLARD (1800-74) Thirteenth U.S. President - 1850-53; U.S. Vice President – 1849-50; U.S. Congressman – New York – 1833-35 & 1837-43
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Signed Album Page, 5 ¾” x 7 ¼”, “Millard Fillmore, Buffalo, N[ew] York,” as U.S. Representative from New York, circa 1840. Undoubtedly taken from a period autograph album, the single sheet is also signed, front and reverse, by eight of Fillmore’s colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives: Christopher Morgan, New York; Richard Wigginton Thompson, Indiana (U.S. Navy Secretary - 1877-80); John Maynard, New York; Francis Granger, New York (U.S. Postmaster General - 1841); Samuel Lewis Hays, Virginia; John Campbell, South Carolina; John Patterson Bryan Maxwell, New Jersey; Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, Pennsylvania (U.S. Secretary of the Interior – 1850).
Lightly and evenly toned, with minor staining; old binding chips at the left edge.
JOHNSON, LYNDON BAINES (1908-1973) Thirty-Sixth U.S. President 1963-69; U.S. Vice President – 1961-63
Signed Program, 4” x 6”, as President, “Lyndon B. Johnson.” The program is for a White House event in honor of the President of the Philippines on October 5, 1964, featuring The Harkness Ballet.
The heavy paper is lightly and evenly toned, with superficial wear and soiling.
TRUMAN, HARRY S. (1884-1972) Thirty-Third U.S. President - 1945-53; U.S. Vice President - 1945
Thanking Missouri Constituents for a Christmas Ham
Typed Letter Signed, 7” x 8 ¾”, as President on White House stationery, thanking “Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Holt, 229 Main Street, Boonville, Missouri,” for a Christmas ham.
“Washington, January 3, 1949. Dear Mr. and Mrs. Holt: You certainly were generous to send us that ‘blue ribbon’ ham which I am sure you must have prized very highly. We are using it sparingly so that we may enjoy it for a long time. I cannot tell you how much the family and I appreciate your though of us and we unite in extending all good wishes to you. Very sincerely yours, Harry S. Truman.”
In excellent condition, the letter is lightly and evenly toned, with the usual horizontal fold at the center, and there are a few minor glue stains on the blank reverse of the integral leaf.
TRUMAN, HARRY S. (1884-1972) Thirty-Third U.S. President - 1945-53; U.S. Vice President - 1945
World War II-Date White House Letter – President for Just Eighteen Days, Since the Death of F.D.R., Truman Thanks Supporters
War-Date Typed Letter Signed, 7” x 8 ¾”, as President on White House stationery, to “Dr. and Mrs. Silas P. Bittner, 903 Schaff Building, 1505 Race Street, Philadelphia 2, Pennsylvania.” During the final days of the war in Europe – just eighteen days after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt and, coincidentally, on the day that German Chancellor Adolf Hitler committed suicide in Berlin – the new President thanks the Bittners for their support and well wishes.
“Washington, April 30, 1945. Dear Dr. and Mrs. Bittner: It was thoughtful of you to write to me as you did on April twenty-first. As I go forward with the tasks entrusted to me, I do so with greater strength because of your prayers and your confidence. Very sincerely yours, Harry S. Truman.”
Overall condition is excellent, with very light, even toning and the usual horizontal fold at the center.
TRUMAN, HARRY S. (1884-1972) Thirty-Third U.S. President - 1945-53; U.S. Vice President - 1945
Thanking Major General W.B. Persons for Thirty Years of Military Service
Typed Letter Signed, 7” x 8 ¾”, as President on White House stationery, to “Major General W.B. Persons, Pentagon Building, Washington, D.C.”
“Washington, June 29, 1949. Dear General Persons: I understand you are on the eve of retirement after thirty years service. I just want to expressw to you my hope that you will have a long and happy life anda useful career after your retirement. I was well acquainted with your work in the Congress while I was in the Senate and you made a great contribution to the war effort. Best of luck to you. Sincerely yours, Harry S. Truman.”
After entering the U.S. Army Coast Artillery in 1917, Wilton “Jerry” Persons served in the American Expeditionary Force in World War I and in Europe during World War II, rising to the rank of Major General in 1944. He served as legislative liaison for the Defense Department from 1948 until his retirement in 1949 and as special assistant to General Dwight Eisenhower, 1951-52. Persons campaigned for Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election and served as the President’s special assistant from 1953 through 1958, then as chief of staff from 1958 through 1961.
The letter is lightly and evenly toned, with a few small stains and the usual horizontal fold at the center.
VAN BUREN, MARTIN (1782-1862) Eighth U.S. President - 1837-41; U.S. Vice President – 1833-37; U.S. Secretary of State – 1829-31; Governor of New York - 1829
Civil War-Date Autograph Letter Signed
War-Date Autograph Letter Signed, 5” x 8”, two pages, front and reverse of the first leaf of a folded letter-sheet. From his home in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren sends details of an upcoming trip to an unnamed friend.
“Lindenwald, October 17th [18]61. Many thanks to you my dear Judge for your affectionate & obliging letter. I shall wait till after the election. I hope to be ready to leave home on the day after. I spend the night with you & I hope have the pleasure of your company to Clifton. I will drop you a line in advance. Present me most kindly to Mrs. Page, Mrs. Mumford & the young ladies, & believe me truly yours, M. Van Buren.”
In excellent condition overall, the letter is lightly and evenly toned, with a few superficial stains and three horizontal folds.
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