John F. Kennedy Writes Famed Military Collector Joe Martin, Who Had Sent Him a World War II Navy Cover to Sign
by John F. Kennedy
13/05/1957. PT 109 is an extraordinary World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy's path to power. PT-109 was placed in service in July 1942 and departed onboard a Liberty Ship for duty in the Pacific. Joining Motor Torpedo Boat Two in October, she participated in the Guadalcanal Campaign to stop Japanese reinforcements. In February 1943, the month after the Japanese retreated from Guadalcanal, Lt. John F. Kennedy took command of the boat and... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
A Historical Treasure: The Unedited Original ""Air Force One to White House"" Kennedy Tape from Immediately After the Assassination
by John F. Kennedy
22/11/1963. In the 1970s the National Archives released an edited tape of conversations on board Air Force One on November 22, 1963. This had been assumed to be the only surviving version, as all efforts to find the earlier one ended in failure. The discovery of this crucial piece of history also cast light on the later creation of the highly edited version released to the public in the days of the Johnson administration. There was no record of the... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Signed Photograph of President John F. Kennedy, Presented to Norman Paul, His Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs
by John F. Kennedy
1961. When John F. Kennedy was elected president, Time Magazine commissioned photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt to do a photoshoot of the president-elect. Eisenstaedt took the photographs, and the best one appeared on the cover of Time in the November 16, 1960 issue. JFK liked it, and used the photograph to sign and present to notables after he entered the Oval Office. It is the photograph that he presented to Queen Elizabeth II in 1961.After serving in the Navy, Norman Paul... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
John F. Kennedy’s Letter to the United Negro College Fund After His Great 1959 Speech There, Endorsing the Organization and Praising “the outstanding job the Fund is doing in the fields of education and human relations.”
by John F. Kennedy
15/04/1959. Soon he would donate the proceeds he received for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Profiles in Courage, to the FundThe United Negro College Fund (UNCF) was founded in 1944 by Frederick Patterson, President of the Tuskegee Institute, and Mary McLeod Bethune, an advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Administration, to provide a steady, consistent stream of funding to 27 financially struggling small historically black colleges and universities scattered across the South. It also hoped to support access to higher education... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”: A Signed Photograph of the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy, Showing Him Taking the Oath of Office
by John F. Kennedy
20/01/1961. Kennedy’s inauguration inspired people all around the world, and thrilled them with the possibilities for the futureJanuary 20, 1961, was a cold and clear day, and the nation’s capital was covered with a snowfall from the previous night. This was the day John F. Kennedy, the youngest man ever to be elected president, was to be inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States. In the 1960 campaign, Kennedy pledged “to get this country moving again,” but... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Robert Kennedy Seeks to Document Camelot: “The years in which John Kennedy was active”
by Robert Kennedy
8/4/65. He writes, as the Kennedy family starts to collect materials for the planned John F. Kennedy Library, “I am confident that these interviews will be an invaluable part of the historical record…”Lewellyn E. Thompson was one of the most important American diplomats of the 20th Century. He was the United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, serving two separate tours in the administrations of Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy,... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Memo From Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy to President John F. Kennedy, Informing Him of FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover’s Efforts to Link Communists to the First Major Northern City Race Riot of the 1960s
by Robert Kennedy
30/10/1963. Signed by Robert Kennedy, initialed by Hoover, seen by President Kennedy, and retained in the papers of JFK aide Kenneth O’DonnellOn October 26, 1963, 24 year old Willie Philyaw was stopped by Philadelphia police for allegedly stealing a watch from a local drugstore. Police claimed Philyaw attacked an officer with a knife, but witnesses said he was hobbling away from police on an injured leg. The officer shot and killed him, and a crowd gathered. For North Philadelphia’s... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
In a Back Channel, Secret Communique During the Vietnam War, Senator Robert Kennedy Engages in Diplomacy With the Viet Cong to Free an American Prisoner
by Robert Kennedy
Jun-65. This incredible unpublished letter comes from the estate of the Algerian Ambassador to the United States and has never before been offered for sale1965 marked an escalation in the War in Vietnam. On February 19, 1965, some units of the South Vietnamese Army launched a coup and were able to force a leadership change. In response to this, National Security Council Director McGeorge Bundy and Secretary of State Robert McNamara wrote a memo to President Johnson. They gave... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
In the Wake of the Kennedy Assassination, Robert Kennedy Arranges to Present His Sister-in-Law, Jacqueline, With a Gift From John F. Kennedy’s Cabinet and Intimate Friends
by Robert Kennedy
12/2/64. She moves into her first permanent home after the White House, and her husband's confidants prepare a surprise housewarmingA symbol of strength for a traumatized nation in the winter of 1963–64, Jacqueline Kennedy was in fact falling apart—grieving and endlessly reliving her husband’s assassination, afflicted with what we’d now call post-traumatic stress disorder. Her biographer, Barbara Leaming, writes that unknown but to a few inside her inner circle, the former First Lady had nightmares, a drinking problem, and... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Rudyard Kipling, Whose “Jungle Book” Formed the Early Inspiration for the Boy Scout Organization, Writes of His Interest in the Organization
by Rudyard Kipling
7/4/14. The Scouting program has used themes from The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling since 1916.The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was inspired by and modeled on the Boy Scout Association, established by Robert Baden-Powell in Britain in 1908. In the early 1900s, several youth organizations were active, and many became part of the BSA.In 1914 Baden-Powell announced a Junior Section for Scouting. In 1916, he published his own outlines for such a scheme, to be called Wolf Cubbing.... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Edouard Laboulaye, the French Jurist and Poet Behind the Statue of Liberty, Writes to a Man Hoping to Help Him Obtain a Job in 1871
by Edouard Laboulaye
12/07/1871. Édouard René Lefèbvre de Laboulaye was a French jurist, poet, author and anti-slavery activist. In 1865, he originated the idea of a monument presented by the French people to the United States that resulted in the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.Autograph Letter Signed “E. Laboulaye,” Versailles, July 12, 1871 to an unnamed man who wanted his help in obtaining a position. In French, an incomplete translation reads “I do not know anyone at the Ministry of... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
In a Letter to the Mayor of New York City, Lafayette Introduces an Italian Unification Patriot - “a zealous friend of liberty” - to His American Friends
by Marquis de Lafayette
12/10/1826. Francesco Tadini was in exile from his native land and was visiting France, England and the United States to meet compatriots in those lands Tadini would become the founder of the Italian Liberation Society in 1830Francesco Tadini was an early Italian revolutionary and a friend to liberty. In February 1821 he went to Turin for the first time and settled here in the feverish days that preceded the insurrection of the Alessandria garrison. He took part in the failed... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
In a Letter to Edward Livingston From New York on His Great Tour in June 1825, Lafayette Makes Arrangements for His Reception Following the Laying of the Bunker Hill Monument Cornerstone
by Marquis de Lafayette
1825. He wonders whether he should bring a delegation of surviving military staff from the Revolutionary Warhttps://vimeo.com/947371941?share=copy In 1824, with the nation prosperous, exuberant and in the midst of the Era of Good Feelings, nostalgia was strong for the Revolutionary War generation that had made the U.S. independent and was now passing rapidly from the scene. President James Monroe invited the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the United States, and accompanied by his son, George Washington Lafayette, the old soldier... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
D.H. Lawrence Approves the Prospectus for His Privately Printed Book, “Paintings of D. H. Lawrence”
by D. H. Lawrence
6/3/29. This was formerly owned by journalist Virginia Travers, mother of Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, & Mary fameD.H. Lawrence is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He published many novels and poetry volumes during his lifetime, including “Sons and Lovers” and “Women in Love”, but is best known for his infamous “Lady Chatterley's Lover”. That graphic and highly sexual novel was published in Italy in 1928, but was banned in England until... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The Original Collier Trophy, Awarded to Inventor William Lear for his Invention of the First Jet Autopilot
by William Lear
1949. The list of Collier winners represents a virtual who’s who in aviation, as many of the awards mark major events in the history of flight Very few have ever reached the market; this was acquired directly from Lear’s descendants and has never before been offered for saleThe Robert J. Collier Trophy is awarded annually ""for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
On the Cusp of Greatness, a 26-Year-Old Meriwether Lewis, 3 Months Before His Calling from Thomas Jefferson, Crosses Frontier America By Ferry With His Troop
by Meriwether Lewis
19/11/1800. An extremely rare and early holograph and signature of America’s greatest explorer showing his work in Michigan as paymaster for the First Regiment Meriwether Lewis served in the Virginia militia during the Whiskey Rebellion and enlisted in the regular Army in May of 1795. His career advanced rapidly from ensign (1795) to lieutenant (1799) to captain (1800). Initially assigned to General Anthony Wayne's 2nd Legion, he marched to Fort Greeneville in Ohio Territory arriving in time for the signing... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
From the First Case from the Legendary Law Firm Lincoln & Herndon: an Unpublished Draft with Extensive Handwriting of Both Men
by Abraham Lincoln
30/03/1846. At the time Lincoln wrote this, he was running for CongressIt shows the relationship between perhaps the most famous senior and junior law partners https://vimeo.com/943731365?share=copy In his nearly 25 years as a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln had three partners. He joined John Todd Stuart as a junior partner, then started a new practice as a junior partner with Stephen T. Logan. In 1844 Lincoln and Logan took on William H. Herndon. In the fall of 1844, Lincoln was... Read More
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President Abraham Lincoln Allows a Key Kentucky Advisor to Cross the Lines into the Confederacy to Attend the Trial of His Son
by Abraham Lincoln
29/10/1864. Journalist George D. Prentice's son was a Confederate officer captured by Union forces, who would later be charged with murderGeorge D. Prentice was born in Connecticut on December 18, 1802, and graduated from Brown University in 1823. He came to Kentucky in 1830 to write a campaign biography entitled The Biography of Henry Clay and remained in this state until his death on January 22, 1870, in Louisville. Prentice became the editor of the Louisville Journal, the newspaper... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Attorney Abraham Lincoln Prepares a Pleading Informing the Court That His Client Has Already Been Acquitted of the Offense Alleged
by Abraham Lincoln
30/10/1857. John V. Drake and John C. Moses practiced law in Danville, Illinois. They worked on cases appearing before the Vermilion County Circuit Court. When Abraham Lincoln had a case appearing in that court, he would sometimes affiliate himself with Drake and Moses. Lincoln was before that court in October and November 1857.Hezekiah Ballah sued John Deck and Zachariah Deck in a case heard in the Vermilion County Circuit Court. This was an action of trespass for castrating seventeen... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President Abraham Lincoln Appoints an Officer to the Commissary Department Who Would Later Serve as Aide-de-camp to General James Barnes at Gettysburg
by Abraham Lincoln
28/02/1862. He was later promoted to Lt. Colonel for gallantry in action at the Battle of GrovetonDocument signed, with fine engravings of an eagle, flags and cannons, Washington, February 28, 1862, naming Percy B. Spear a Commissary of Subsistence of Volunteers with the rank of Captain, effective November 30, 1861. The document is countersigned by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The appointment is listed in the U.S. Army Register.The Civil War Commissary Department was responsible for procuring, storing,... Read More
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President Abraham Lincoln Appoints a Signal Corps Officer Who Would Serve with Sherman on the March to the Sea
by Abraham Lincoln
15/07/1864. A real rarity, the first Lincoln appointment to the Signal Corps for an officer active in Sherman’s Georgia Campaign we have seenOn March 29, 1860, the United States House of Representatives approved the Army appropriations bill for fiscal year 1861, which included the following amendment: ""For the manufacture or purchase of apparatus and equipment for field signals, $2000; and that there be added to the staff of the Army one signal officer, with the rank, pay, and allowance... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President Abraham Lincoln Seeks to Reward a Distinguished Soldier from the First Major Conflict of the Civil War, the Battle of Big Bethel, and Honor the Personal Request of His Mother
by Abraham Lincoln
08/08/1861. ""It is said that the young man named within was in the Great Bethel affair. His mother calls on me to ask a Lieutenancy for him"" We have never before a document on the market referencing Bethel by name or referring to the battle as great Part of a private collection assembled at Sesslers more than a half century agoThe Civil War formally began with the bombardment of Fort Sumter on April 12–13, 1861, but the first sustained clash between... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
President Abraham Lincoln Appoints a Cavalry Officer Who Would Soon Command a Regiment and Be Decorated For Heroism at Antietam
by Abraham Lincoln
29/03/1861. James E. Harrison, though born in Virginia, served the Union cause during the Civil War. He received his first appointment as a Second Lieutenant to the 2d U. S. Cavalry in June 1856, and was stationed in Texas and various forts in the West until December 1858, when he was assigned to scouting Indians. He returned East, and with the Civil War imminent he was promoted to First Lieutenant 2d U.S. Cavalry in March 1861 and then to... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
Attorney Abraham Lincoln, Known for Representing Female Clients, Fights for Truth in His Forceful Representation of a Woman
by Abraham Lincoln
03/11/1853. The case is well known and illustrates Lincoln’s penchant for aiding women who had been unjustly treated""Said answers are untrue, uncertain and insufficient, that her Bill is true, certain and sufficient, and he [Lincoln] will so prove it to be"" During his 25-year legal career in Illinois, Abraham Lincoln was involved in a substantial number of cases involving women as litigants. He was known for seeking to represent women, and working to get justice for them, in an era... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC
The Compassion of Abraham Lincoln: In a Letter to his Judge Advocate General, He Directly Intervenes to Reinstate an Officer Who Had Been Dismissed From the Army for Being Derelict of Duty and Breaching Arrest
by Abraham Lincoln
01/09/1863. A powerful letter showing Lincoln's direct involvement with the chief judicial military officer, showing the merciful Lincoln at work, and showing his prioritizing retaining experienced veterans in the serviceThe Judge Advocate General of the United States Army is the senior officer of the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Army. The position was abolished but then reinstated in 1849. In 1862, Lincoln appointed his first Judge Advocate General, Joseph Holt, only the second since 1783. He... Read More
Offered by The Raab Collection, LLC