Lot 639: 3 Letters: Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt

Autographs, ALS and TLS. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945, president 1933-1945), two (2) signed letters and 1 copy of a Roosevelt signed letter. Both of the Eleanor Roosevelt letters were written to Lelia Montague Gordon Barnett (later Noyes). 1st item: Eleanor Roosevelt ALS, single page in pen on 2131 R Street note paper, undated and partially illegible, reads: "Dear Mrs. Barnett, Mrs. Peoples has __ of all __ women & will try to investigate a truce & do what she finds they ___. Poor woman! Very Sincerely Yours, Eleanor Roosevelt." 8" x 4 3/4". Note: this letter likely refers to the controversy over the "Whites Only" policy at the DAR Constitution Hall that prevented opera singer Marian Anderson from being allowed to perform at a concert there. Eleanor Roosevelt and Lelia Barnett were among those who tried to intervene, and both eventually resigned from the DAR in protest. The concert was ultimately moved to the Lincoln Memorial. 2nd item: TLS, single page on White House stationery, stating that "The President and I deeply appreciate your congratulations and good wishes. Thank you too for the very kind things you say of me. I hope to see you before too long. Affectionately yours." Signed in pen. Includes original White House envelope. 9 1/2" x 6". 3rd item: Copy of a letter from President Franklin Roosevelt on White House stationery to Mr. Arthur Clarendon Smith, president of the Lee Highway Association, dated April 24, 1934, paying tribute to Dr. Samuel M. Johnson, General Director of the Lee Highway Association, and dubbing him "National Apostle of Good Roads". The letter lauds Johnson's plan to secure a 200 foot right of way from San Diego CA to Washington, DC, appealing "to the pride and patriotism of the entire nation." Facsimile signature. 10 1/2" x 7".

PROVENANCE: By descent in the family of Lelia Sinclair (Gordon) Dickey Noyes Lucas, the wife of Newbold Noyes, Associate Editor of the Washington Star, and daughter of USMC General George Barnett, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Her family's ancestral home, Wakefield Manor Farm in Virginia, was acquired by wealthy tobacco planter Bazil Gordon in 1822.

CONDITION: All items with signs of light handling and minor toning and creasing. 2nd: item some staining, losses and tears to envelope. Both first lady signatures in very good condition. 3rd item: Some edge staining.