JOHN F. KENNEDY Kennedy as President and J. Edward Day as Postmaster General sign the appointment of Robert J. Murphy as Assistant Postmaster, a very consequential appointment Civil Appointment signed: "John F. Kennedy", "J. Edward Day", 23x19. Washington, D.C., 1961 March 21. Appointment of Richard James Murphy of Maryland as Assistant Postmaster General. As the youngest elected President, JOHN FITZGERALD (1917-1963) displayed a youthful vitality that inspired Americans to actively participate in politics. While showing his resolve in the Cuban Missile Crisis, he also made strides toward peace with trade liberalization agreements, promotion of civil rights, the nuclear test ban treaty, the Peace Corps, and the Alliance for Progress. In addition to Kennedy's political offices, which included those of U.S. Representative (1947-1953) and U.S. Senator (1953-1960) from Massachusetts, he also received recognition for his World War II heroism (the Navy and Marine Corps Medal) and the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage read more...

NAVY SECRETARY GIDEON WELLES ORDERS THE NAVY TO TRANSPORT CAPTURED FUGITIVE JOHN SURATT BACK TO THE US TO STAND TRIAL FOR CONSPIRING TO ASSASSINATE PRESIDENT LINCOLN GIDEON WELLES Telegram, unsigned, 1 page, 8½x11. 1866 December 6. Telegram partly printed in Portuguese, received from Gideon Welles in Washington, D.C., for transmittal to Admiral Goldsborough, American Squadron at Lisbon, Portugal. Manuscript text of Welles' message (unknown hand): "Send steamer to Alexandria, Egypt to receive Surautt [sic] from Consul Hale and bring him to Washington." [Welles' name has also been misspelled by the telegraph office.] Docketed on verso: "Hon. G. Welles/Secy of the Navy/6th Dec. 1866/Send steamer to/Alexandria, Egypt". Gideon Welles (1812-1878), a Jacksonian Democrat who joined the new Republican Party in 1854 because he detested slavery, was Secretary of the Navy throughout the Presidencies of Abraham Lincoln (who called him "Neptune") and Andrew Johnson (1861-1869). John Suratt (1844-1916) was the son of Mary Suratt, convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Lincoln and the first woman executed (hanged) by the US government. read more...

JOHN F. KENNEDY He signed this typed letter as President in August 1963, thanking Meet the Press moderator Lawrence Spivak for condolences on the death of his son Patrick. Typed Letter signed: "John Kennedy" as President, 1 page, 6¾x8¾. The White House, Washington, 1963 August 14. To Lawrence E. Spivak, Meet the Press, New York, N.Y. In full: "You were kind indeed to think us at this difficult time. Your message was a comfort to me and my family and we are very grateful to you. Sincerely". Accompanied by original typed envelope. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, pregnant with the Kennedy's third child, collapsed during a walk on the beach and was forced to deliver prematurely a son, Patrick, on August 7, 1963. He died less than 40 hours later. The loss is said to have brought Jack and Jackie closer together, while devastating the President. An even greater tragedy loomed ahead, one of so many endured by the Kennedy family, when JFK himself was gunned down during a Dallas motorcade on November 22, 1963. Magazine editor Lawrence Spivak (1900-1994) was a panelist and then moderator of NBC's Meet the Press from 1947 to 1975. read more...

JOHN HANCOCK and JOHN AVERY, JR. As Massachusetts Governor and Secretary of State, both sign a manuscript document appointing Superior Court Justice David Sewall to the Commonwealth's Supreme Court (1781). Ornate Manuscript DS: "John Hancock" as Governor of Massachusetts, 1 page, 21¾x13. On vellum. Boston, 1781 February 20. Countersigned: "John Avery Secy". Appointment of David Sewall as Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. On verso, appears a short Manuscript DS: "John Hancock". In full: "In Council February 20th 1781. Hnble David Sewall Esqr appeared at the Council Chamber Subscribed the Declaration and the Several Oaths prescribed by the Constitution of the Commonwealth to qualify himself for the Office within mentioned." Born in York, Maine, SEWALL (1735-1825), Councillor for the Province of Maine (1766-1777), was Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts (1777-1781) when he received this appointment to the State's Supreme Judicial Court. He served until 1789 when he was appointed Judge of the U.S. District Court of Maine (1789-1817). read more...

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...

ON HIS LAST DAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE, A REFLECTIVE TRUMAN THANKS A TRUSTED AIDE WHO PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN HIS FAMOUS UPSET VICTORY OF 1948. HARRY TRUMAN Typed Letter signed: "Harry Truman", 1p, 7x8¾ with blank integral leaf. Washington, D.C., 1953 January 19. On White House letterhead to Donald S. Dawson, Administrative Assistant to the President, The White House. In full: "I want you to know, before I leave the White House, how grateful I am for your extremely loyal assistance. I remember very well how, in my search for a topnotch personnel advisor in the Government, I found a fellow Missourian in you. You have demonstrated consistently your knowledge and ability in the Government personnel field and deserve the thanks of all of us for your efforts to promote the merit system in the United States Government. You are entitled to pride for your assistance to me in the selection of individuals for Presidential appointments, your efforts to modernize the federal compensation system, especially the Classification Act of 1949 and the Executive Pay Bill, your 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...

JOHN ENDECOTT This exceedingly rare document is from the very earliest history of the American colonies and Massachusetts! It's a five-line complaint signed by John Endecott, colonial governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in Marblehead, Massachusetts in1649. Documents from this early in American history are rarely seen outside of private collections and are highly desirable! Framed to 10x6½ in a gold-colored frame with cream-colored matte. Document signed "Jo: Endecott Gov.". Brown ink and lead pencil notations in top left corner and at left edge. 1 page, 5½x1¼. Framed to 10x6½ in a gold-colored frame with cream-colored matte. Marblehead, Massachusetts, April 24, 1649. Five-line complaint. Endecott (c. 1588-1665), also spelled "Endicott", was a colonial governor (1629-1630, 1644-1645, 1649-1650, 1651-1654 and 1655-1664) and deputy governor (1641-1644, 1650-1651 and 1654-1655) of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the New World. Endecott arrived with 60 other settlers in the Naumkeag, future site of Salem, Massachusetts and already settled by seceders from the Plymouth colony, led by Roger Conant. read more...

BILL CLINTON President Bill Clinton signed this typed letter to Senator Pat Moynihan in 1999 regarding live bombing exercises Vieques, Puerto Rico that had killed a native Puerto Rican earlier that year. He added an autograph postscript that "I will do all I can to bring this to a satisfactory conclusion"... and he did. Typed Letter Signed: "Bill" as President, 2p, 7x10½, separate sheets. The White House, Washington, 1999 October 20. On White House letterhead to The Honorable Daniel Patrick Moynihan, United States Senate, Washington, D.C. Begins: "Dear Pat". In part: "Thank you for your letter on the Navy's target practice at Vieques, Puerto Rico. I especially appreciate your thoughts because of your personal experience as well as the insight you provided on Puerto Rico matters in general. You helped me understand the Puerto Rico issue during the dinner you recalled in your letter and at other points early in my presidency...I also recognize the unprecedented unity and strong feelings Puerto Ricans have regarding Vieques... read more...