CLARENCE DARROW Lawyer Clarence Darrow wrote about his socialist views - "I am of course a radical as I have always been" - and about his autobiography in this 1933 letter, written on his personalized letterhead. Autograph letter signed "Clarence Darrow.". Black ink notations in bottom left corner in unknown hand. 1 page, 7¼x10½, on Darrow's personal letterhead. Jan. 15, 1933. In full: "My dear Gerson - I am returning the $1.- Of course I am always only sorry that I can't send my best friends books, without their spending money to buy them But really the book is expensive and I have a good many friends (luckily) and I just can't do it. Of course I am glad you liked the book. I am sure that most of it concerns your own ideas. I am of course a radical as I have always been and hoping that our industrial system will be changed. No permanent good can come from the old. If there is any recovery it will last but a short time. I am working some on Technocracy and am glad to see how it is being taken up. If we were not Barbarians no one in the world would be poor. We open talk of you and wish we could see you and [illegible]. You will ever be close to us. read more...

BILL CLINTON This rare and significant letter touches on two of the many scandals of the 42nd U.S. President administration. He handwrote, signed and dated this one-sentence letter in 1993 to Kathleen Willey, who accused him of sexual assault five years later. The letter itself mentions "Vince" - probably Vince Foster, Jr., a colleague of the First Lady. Foster had reportedly committed suicide less than two weeks before this letter was signed Autograph Letter Signed: "Bill". One page. 6½x8½. Written on official White House stationery letterhead. Place: Washington, D. C., Date: July 29, 1993. Addressed to: "Dear Kathleen", his friend (and later accuser), Kathleen Willey. In full: "Thanks for your note about Vince and for your friendship. Best". BILL CLINTON, born William Jefferson Blythe III in Hope, Arkansas in 1946, was Governor of Arkansas (1979-1981, 1983-1992) and the first Democrat reelected President since FDR. read more...

BRIGHAM YOUNG, HEBER C. KIMBALL, NEWELL WHITNEY and THOMAS BULLOCK Collection of paper currency issued in 1849, including notes signed by Young as President and Heber Kimball as First Counselor of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, framed in the Gallery of History style with pictures of both leaders to 33x24 Comprises: (1) Partly Printed Note, not signed, 3¼x2. Great Salt Lake City, 1849 March 28. 25-cent note, not filled in. Slightly creased. Lightly soiled. (2) Partly Printed Note signed: "Brigham Young" as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, "Heber C. Kimball" as First Counselor and "Thos. Bullock - Clerk", 3¾x2. Great Salt Lake City, 1849 January 20. No. 842. In full: "Pay to N.K. Whitney or bearer fifty cents on demand." Embossed seal nicks the "B" of Brigham and the "H of Heber and touches Bullock's signature. (3) Partly Printed Note signed: "B. Young" as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, "H.C. Kimball" as First Counselor and " read more...

ABRAHAM LINCOLN The future 16th President of the United States handwrote and signed this four-page legal document around 1844 on behalf of several petitioners - including his law partner Stephen T. Logan and his brother-in-law Ninian W. Edwards - to partition 17 pieces of property. This is an excellent document from Lincoln's legal career and from early in his political career. Handwritten items by Lincoln are extremely rare. Rare autograph document signed: "Logan & Lincoln, for/Petitioners", 4p, 7¾x12½, front and verso. Christian County, Illinois, circa 1844. Begins: "To the Honorable, the circuit court of Christian county - Respectfully represent unto your Honorable court, your Petitioners Stacy B. Opaycke, Isaac Wickersham, Ninian W. Edwards, and Stephen T. Logan, that they may together with Benjamin Godfrey & Winthrop G. Gilman, Jesse B. Thomas, Thomas Mather Executor of the last Will & Testament of George Borquan L.D.; Benjuamin F. Edwards, Samuel G. Bailey, & Ebenezer Marsh, Miles Peck, Odell Gregory, & John T. read more...

WOODROW WILSON The President of the United States autographed this letter in 1921 lamenting the country's decision to not join the League of Nations Typed Letter Signed, "Woodrow Wilson" on a 7x9 one-page letter. Dated January 22, 1921. On White House letterhead stationery. Six weeks before leaving office, a physically depleted Wilson writes to editor and pacifist Edward Bok, discussing his plans to talk about the League of Nations during his pending retirement. Wilson had conceived the League of Nations to settle disputes without wars, but America never joined the body because Congress did not ratify the Treaty of Versailles. Wilson, who suffered a stroke in 1919, lobbied heavily but unsuccessfully for the ratification of the Treaty, but the United States was the only one of 32 Allied powers that did not accept the Treaty. Wilson's letter states in part: “Thank you for your letter of the nineteenth and your renewal of the suggestion that I speak in Philadelphia on the League of Nations after my retirement from office. I think it depends very much upon the read more...

JIMMY CARTER A revealing collection of documents from his 1976 presidential campaign - including a nine-page draft speech on Israel on Carter's presidential campaign stationery with 67 words of revisions and notes in Carter's hand - showing how a speech on Israel was drafted and revised. Photocopied annotated speech unsigned, with blue ink revision, some in Carter's own hand. 9 pages, 8½x11, loose-leaf sheets, typed on Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign stationery. Titled: "Speech on Middle East Policy". The photocopy already included revisions, to which someone, presumably Henry Owen of the Brookings Institution, has appended additional comment and crossed out some sentences and paragraphs in the interest of brevity. On page 7, Owen has penned additional suggestions from foreign policy expert Zbigniew Brzezinski, who would become President Carter's national security advisor. Carter has added margin notes of his own: On page 1, Carter has replaced the typed text, "stopping in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and Haifa, visiting the Holy Places" with "visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Golan Heights and the West Bank" read more...

HARRY S TRUMAN and his CABINET 16x11 photo of the historic Cabinet meeting of August 25, 1950, signed by the President, by Vice President Barkley, by 9 Cabinet Secretaries,  and by 3 important Presidential aides. At this meeting, Truman announced his decision to seize US railroads to prevent a wartime strike Photograph signed: "Harry S Truman" as President, "Alben W. Barkley" as Vice President, "Charles F. Brannan" as Secretary of Agriculture, "Louis Johnson" as Secretary of Defense, "Maurice J. Tobin" as Secretary of Labor, "Dean Acheson" as Secretary of State, "John W. Snyder" as Secretary of the Treasury, "Oscar L. Chapman" as Secretary of the Interior, "Charles Sawyer" as Secretary of Commerce, "J. read more...

ANDREW JOHNSON Signed 12½x15¼ photo mount dated by him October 5, 1867, and containing an albumen copy (10x11½) of a photograph of Johnson as President, seated at a writing desk Photograph Mount signed: "Andrew Johnson/Washington City/Oct. 5th 1867". Sepia, matted 12½ x 15¼ overall, 10 x 11½ image (two surfaces). Signed below photo, on the mount. Johnson represented Tennessee in the U.S. House (1843-1853) and Senate (1857-1862, 1875) and served twice as that State's Governor (1853-1857, 1862-1865). His second term was as a Military Governor appointed by President Lincoln. A pro-war Democrat fiercely opposed to secession but also opposed to imposition of a stringent Reconstruction regime on the defeated South, Johnson was nominated and elected in 1864 as Lincoln's second Vice President on a National Union ticket. Following Lincoln's assassination, Johnson succeeded to the highest office for a stormy term (1865-1869) in which he was increasingly at odds with the Republican majority in Congress. He was impeached by the House read more...

JOHN F. KENNEDY Appointing a liberal Republican New York Congressman as part of the U.S. delegation to a unification celebration in Italy. Typed Letter Signed: "John F. Kennedy" as 35th U.S. President, 1p, 6¾x8¾. The White House, Washington, 1961 September 14. To Honorable Seymour Halpern, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. In full: "I am delighted to know that you will be able to serve as a Member of the delegation to attend the ceremonies incident to the Centennial Celebration of the Unification of Italy which is being held at Turin. My best wishes for a successful mission." The United Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed at Turin, its capital, on March 17, 1861. SEYMOUR HALPERN was a liberal Republican Congressman from New York City (1959-1973). His Queens district was about 10% Italian, but that was the largest among the many ethnic groups residing there. President KENNEDY knew that Congressman Halpern had been an autograph collector since he was a teenager. Out of consideration to Halpern, the President made a special effort to clearly sign his first name and middle initial. Kennedy usually wrote them in an illegible scrawl. read more...