Signed Jack Ruby Nightclub Union Contract, Shay

Signed Jack Ruby Nightclub Union Contract - This union contract is hand-signed by Jack Ruby, the former nightclub owner who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy. This AGVA Standard Form of Artists Engagement Contract is dated April 26, 1961, written for performer Phyllis Shay. Jack Ruby was born in Chicago, Illinois to Orthodox Jewish parents who had immigrated from Poland. After being drafted in 1943, he served in the Air Force during World War II, honorably discharged in 1946. By 1947, Ruby had settled in Dallas, and was managing a series of nightclubs. At 11:21 a.m. on November 24th, 1963, two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald while the assassin was being transported to the county jail. Oswald died less than two hours later.