Thomas E. Dewey

Substantial collection of 65 TLSs from Thomas E. Dewey, covering over three decades from 1938 to 1970, with the majority overlapping his 12-year tenure as the 47th Governor of New York. The letters, each one page, are quotidian in nature and consist of pleasantries and messages of thanks for birthday and holiday wishes and acceptances and declinations of invitations; a handful of letters express his gratitude for the campaign support of future President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Some of the more noteworthy recipients include: Ellsworth B. Buck, New York Congressman; Hy Gardner, entertainment reporter and syndicated columnist for the New York Herald Tribune; Ernest Gruening, Governor of Alaska; Paul W. Johnston, president of the Erie Railroad; Carroll D. Kearns, Pennsylvania Congressman; Joseph W. Martin, Jr., Massachusetts Congressman; Mary Margaret McBride, radio interview host and writer deemed ‘The First Lady of Radio’; Robert G. Simmons, Nebraska Judge and Congressman; and Walter Buckingham Swan, Nebraska painter. Included is a four-page questionnaire from Gardner, which contains 26 questions directed to Dewey in June 1959; Dewey answers each question in type, with one amusing example as follows: “Why is a male in the public eye even in his late fifties still attractive to young girls?” with Dewey responding: “I did not know that he was.” The collection is housed in a modern three-ring binder. In overall fine condition.

Format: Letters