BARRY GOLDWATER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 08/12/1960 - HFSID 321481

BARRY GOLDWATER
As US Senator, he responds to praise of his speech to the 1960 Republican National Convention.
Typed Letter signed: "Barry Goldwater" as US Senator, 1 page, 8x10½. Washington, D.C., 1960 August 12. On his Senate letterhead to Frederick Stoessel, President, Frederick Stoessel, Inc., New York, N. Y. In full: "To have a person as busy as you take the time to convey your feelings about my appearance before the National Convention in Chicago is a source of great strength and reassurance. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sincerely". Barry Goldwater (1909-1998), U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953-1965, 1969-1987), was the unsuccessful Republican presidential candidate in 1964, losing to President Johnson. Although he lost to Johnson in a landslide winning only 38.5% of the vote, his victory in five states of the Deep South foreshadowed the realignment of US politics in the decades which followed. Goldwater's most famous speech was his acceptance speech at the 1964 convention, where he declared "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice; moderation in pursuit of justice is no virtue." However, his speech to the 1960 Convention, noted here, was also influential. Richard Nixon, assured of the Party's nomination, had sought to secure the Republican left wing with assurances to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller which antagonized some on the Party's right. Goldwater, while calling on conservatives to "grow up" and unite behind the Nixon candidacy, also staunchly defended conservative precepts, making him an immediate contender for the nomination he secured four years later. Normal mailing folds. Lightly toned around edges. Otherwise, fine condition.