MATTHEW M. NEELY - PASS SIGNED - HFSID 293701

MATTHEW MANSFIELD NEELY
The U.S. Senator from West Virginia signs a 4x2¾ United States Senate pass card.
Senate Pass Card signed: "M.M. Neely", 4x2¾. Printed card reading: "United States Senate Chamber/Washington D.C. 1951/Admit/To the reserved gallery/For 82nd Congress". Accompanied by transmittal envelope with Neely's ink stamped frank. Matthew Mansfield Neely (1874-1958) was born in West Virginia. After serving as a private in the infantry during the Spanish-American War, he attended the University of West Virginia and graduated from the school's law department in 1902. He practiced law in Fairmont, West Virginia and became the city's Mayor in 1908. He then worked as a clerk of the State house delegates from 1911-1913. Neely was elected to fill the vacant Congress seat of John W. Davis in 1913 and was reelected for the seat three times. In 1922 he was elected as a Democrat for West Virginia to the United States Senate (1923-1929), (1931-1941), (1949-1958). After losing reelection in 1928 he regained his seat in 1930 and served until 1941, when he was elected as Governor of West Virginia (1941-1945). In 1949 he was reelected to the Senate and served in the seat until his death in 1958. While in office, Neely worked as the chairman for the Committee on Rules and chairman for the Committee on the District of Columbia. From the collection Ralph Errington Ward (1926-2009) a fighter pilot and squadron commander in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. Ward became President and CEO of Cheseborough-Ponds, Inc., transforming the cosmetics firm into a major home product conglomerate. Adhesive residue on verso. Otherwise, fine condition.