US POLITICIAN AUTOGRAPHS

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Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder of the Republican party, reformer and politician. His New York Tribune was America's most influential newspaper from the 1840s to the 1870s and "established Greeley's reputation as the greatest editor of his day." Greeley used it to promote the Whig and Republican parties, as well as antislavery and a host of reforms. Crusading against the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's Republican administration, he was the presidential candidate in 1872 of the new Liberal Republican Party. Despite having the additional support of the Democratic Party, he lost in a landslide. When the new Republican Party was founded in 1854, Greeley made the Tribune its unofficial national organ, and fought slavery extension and the slave power on every page. On the eve of the Civil War circulation nationwide approached 300,000. His editorials and news reports explaining the policies and candidates of the Whig Party were reprinted and discussed throughout the country. Many small newspapers relied heavily on the reporting and editorials of the Tribune. He served as Congressman for three months, 1848--1849, but failed in numerous other attempts to win elective office. In 1860 he supported the conservative ex-Whig Edward Bates of Missouri for president, an action that weakened Greeley's old ally Seward. Greeley made the Tribune the leading newspaper opposing the Slave Power, that is, what he considered the conspiracy by slave owners to seize control of the federal government and block the progress of liberty. In the secession crisis of 1861 he took a hard line against the Confederacy. Theoretically, he agreed, the South could declare independence; but in reality he said there was "a violent, unscrupulous, desperate minority, who have conspired to clutch power" –secession was an illegitimate conspiracy that had to be crushed by federal power. He took a Radical Republican position during the war, in opposition to Lincoln’s moderation. In the summer of 1862, he wrote a famous editorial entitled "The Prayer of Twenty Millions" demanding a more aggressive attack on the Confederacy and faster emancipation of the slaves. A month later he hailed Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Although after 1860 he increasingly lost control of the Tribune’s operations, and wrote fewer editorials, in 1864 he expressed defeatism regarding Lincoln’s chances of reelection, an attitude that was echoed across the country when his editorials were reprinted. Oddly he also pursued a peace policy in 1863-64 that involved discussions with Copperheads and opened the possibility of a compromise with the Confederacy. Lincoln was aghast, but outsmarted Greeley by appointing him to a peace commission he knew the Confederates would repudiate. In Reconstruction he took an erratic course, mostly favoring the Radicals and opposing president Andrew Johnson in 1865-66. His personal guarantee of bail for Jefferson Davis in 1867 stunned many of his long-time readers, half of whom canceled their subscriptions. This crushing defeat was not Greeley's only misfortune in 1872. Greeley was among several high-profile investors who were defrauded by Philip Arnold in a famous diamond and gemstone hoax. Meanwhile, as Greeley had been pursuing his political career, Whitelaw Reid, owner of the New York Herald, had gained control of the Tribune.

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Original Horace Greeley autograph, signed on a fly leaf. Hand written: Yours, Horace Greeley. Regular Price - $ 599.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.

Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder of the Republican party, reformer and politician. His New York Tribune was America's most influential newspaper from the 1840s to the 1870s and "established Greeley's reputation as the greatest editor of his day. "Greeley used it to promote the Whig and Republican parties, as well as antislavery and a host of reforms. Crusading against the corruption of Ulysses S. Grant's Republican administration, he was the presidential candidate in 1872 of the new Liberal Republican Party. Despite having the additional support of the Democratic Party, he lost in a landslide.

Original Horace Greeley Autograph, Signed on Paper (glued to card stock). Regular Price - $ 450.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.

DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769 Napanoch, New York – February 11, 1828 Albany, New York) was an early American politician who served as United States Senator and Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal. He was the second son born to James Clinton and his wife Mary DeWitt, daughter of an old Dutch family, and was educated at what is now Columbia University. He became the secretary to his uncle, George Clinton, who was then governor of New York. Soon after he became a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1798 and of the New York State Senate from the Southern District from 1798 to 1802, and from 1806 to 1811. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention in 1801. He was a member of the Council of Appointments in 1801-1802 and 1806-1807. He won the by-election to the United States Senate after the resignation of John Armstrong, Jr. and served from February 9, 1802, to November 4, 1803. He resigned, unhappy with living conditions in newly built Washington, DC, to become the Mayor of New York. He served as Mayor in 1803-1807, 1808-1810 and 1811-1815. While serving as Mayor, he organized the Historical Society of New York in 1804 and was its president. He also organized the Academy of Fine Arts in 1808. He was Regent of the University of New York from 1808 to 1825. Clinton was married twice, first on February 13, 1796, to Maria Franklin, daughter of the prominent New York Quaker merchant, Walter Franklin, by whom he had ten children, four sons and three daughters surviving at the time of her death in 1818. On May 8, 1819, he married Catharine Jones, daughter of a New York physician, Thomas Jones, who survived him. In 1811, defeating the Federalist Nicholas Fish and the Tammany Hall candidate Marinus Willett, he won a special election for Lieutenant Governor of New York - to fill the vacancy left by the death of Lt. Gov. Broome - and served under Daniel D. Tompkins until the end of the term in June 1813. In 1812 Clinton ran for President of the United States as candidate of the Federalists and anti-war Democratic-Republicans, but was defeated by President Madison, Clinton received 89 electoral votes, Madison 128. After the resignation of Governor Tompkins who had been elected Vice President, he won a special gubernatorial election against Peter Buell Porter - Clinton received 43,310 votes, Porter only 1,479. On July 1, 1817, Clinton became the governor of New York. He was re-elected in 1820, defeating the sitting Vice President Tompkins - DeWitt Clinton 47,447 votes, Tompkins 45,900 - and served until December 31, 1822. During his second term, the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1821 shortened the gubernatorial term to two years, and moved the beginning of the term from July 1 to January 1, actually cutting off the last 6 months of the 3-year-term he had been elected to. Also the gubernatorial election was moved from April to November, but Clinton was not renominated by his party to run for reelection in November 1822. In 1824 he was re-elected governor, and served another two terms until his sudden death in office. He was originally buried at the Clinton Cemetery in Little Britain, New York, later he was re-interred at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Clinton was able to accomplish many things as a leader in civic and state affairs, such as improving the New York public school system, encouraging steam navigation, and modifying the laws governing criminals and debtors. The 1831 DeWitt Clinton (locomotive) was named in his honor. While governor he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal. He imagined a Canal from Buffalo, New York on the Eastern Shore of Lake Erie to Albany, New York on the upper Hudson River, a distance of almost 400 miles. So, in 1817 he persuaded the state lawmakers to provide 7 million dollars for the construction of a canal 363 miles long, 40 feet wide, and four feet deep. In 1825, when the Erie Canal was finished, Governor Clinton opened it, sailing in the packet boat Seneca Chief along the Canal into Buffalo. After sailing from the mouth of Lake Erie to New York City he emptied two casks of water from Lake Erie into New York Harbor, celebrating the first connection of waters from East to West. Although railroads did compete with the canal, the advent of railroads did not cause the canal to become defunct. As late as 1852, the canal carried thirteen times more freight tonnage than all the railroads in New York state combined; it continued to compete well with the railroads through 1882, when tolls were abolished. The canal made an immense contribution to the wealth and importance of both New York City and New York State, making boomtowns out of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica and Schenectady. Nevertheless, its impact went much further, as it increased trade throughout the nation by opening eastern markets to Midwest farm products and encouraged western immigration. Clinton, Massachusetts was named after DeWitt Clinton.

Original Dewitt Clinton autograph, signed on cut paper. Regular Price - $ 175.00 / Sale Price - $ 148.00.

John Sherman nicknamed "The Ohio Icicle" (May 10, 1823 – October 22, 1900) was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from Ohio during the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. He served as both Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of State and was the principal author of the Sherman Antitrust Act. His older brothers were Charles Taylor Sherman, a US Judge in Ohio, and Major General William Tecumseh Sherman of Civil War fame. His younger brother was banker Hoyt Sherman. After his marriage, Sherman took up an interest in politics. He was a delegate to the 1848 Whig National Convention which nominated General Zachary Taylor for the presidency and again to the 1852 Whig National Convention which nominated General Winfield Scott. In 1853, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1854, he was elected a Republican to the United States House of Representatives for Ohio's thirteenth district where he served as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means from 1859 to 1861. After Senator Salmon P. Chase resigned to become the Secretary of the Treasury, Sherman was elected to fill his seat. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture from 1863 to 1867 and chairman of the Committee on Finance from 1863 to 1865 and again from 1867 to 1877. In 1877, newly elected President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Sherman Secretary of the Treasury. He served in the position through the entire Hayes administration, 1877 to 1881. In 1880, he sought the Republican nomination for the presidency hoping to become a compromise candidate between Ulysses S. Grant and James G. Blaine, but lost it to his campaign manager James A. Garfield. When his term as Treasury Secretary expired, Sherman was elected back to the Senate to fill the seat which was originally elected to James A. Garfield, but Garfield had also won the election to the presidency that year. Sherman served as chairman of the Committee on the Library from 1881 to 1887, chairman of the Republican Conference from 1884 to 1885 and again from 1891 to 1897 and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations from 1885 to 1893 and again from 1895 to 1897. He was also elected to be President pro tempore of the Senate which he served as from 1885 to 1887. Due to the death of Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks, Sherman was next in line for the presidency after the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Griffin Carlisle from December of 1885 to January of 1886. He had run for the presidency two more times in 1884 and 1888, but, again, lost the bids to James G. Blaine and Benjamin Harrison. In 1890, Sherman wrote and introduced the Sherman Antitrust Act, the first United States Federal Government action to limit monopolies. It is oldest of all antitrust laws in the United States. It was signed by President Benjamin Harrison that year. In 1897, newly elected President William McKinley appointed Sherman Secretary of State. He proved to be ineffective in the position and in 1898, McKinley replaced Sherman with Assistant Secretary of State William R. Day.

Original John Sherman autograph, signed on a fly leaf. Hand Written: John Sherman Ohio. Regular Price - $ 150.00 / Sale Price - $ 95.00.

Henry Clay, Sr. (April 12, 1777 – June 29, 1852) was a nineteenth-century American statesman and orator who represented Kentucky in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He was a dominant figure in both the First Party System to 1824, and the Second Party System after that. Known as "The Great Compromiser" and "The Great Pacificator" for his ability to bring others to agreement, he was the founder and leader of the Whig Party and a leading advocate of programs for modernizing the economy, especially tariffs to protect industry, a national bank, and internal improvements to promote canals, ports and railroads. As a War Hawk in Congress demanding the War of 1812, Clay made an immediate impact in his first congressional term, including becoming Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In his early involvement in Illinois politics, Abraham Lincoln was a great admirer of Clay. Although his multiple attempts at the presidency were unsuccessful, to a large extent he defined the issues of the Second Party System. He was a major supporter of the American System, and had success in brokering compromises on the slavery issue, especially in 1820 and 1850. He was part of the "Great Triumvirate" or "Immortal Trio," along with his colleagues Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun. In 1957, a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy named Clay as one of the five greatest senators in American history. Clay continued to serve both the Union he loved and his home state of Kentucky until June 29, 1852, when he passed away in Washington, D.C., at the age of 75. Clay was the first person to lie in state in the United States Capitol. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery and the eulogy was provided by Theodore Frelinghuysen, who ran as Clay's Vice-Presidential candidate in the election of 1844. Clay's headstone reads simply: "I know no North - no South - no East - no West."

Original Henry Clay autograph, Hand signed on cut paper. Regular Price - $ 650.00 / Sale Price - $ 198.00.

James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830 – January 27, 1893) was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine and a two-time United States Secretary of State. He was a dominant Republican leader of the post Civil War period, obtaining the 1884 Republican nomination, but lost to Democrat Grover Cleveland. Blaine was Secretary of State in the cabinets of James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur. After Garfield was assassinated President Arthur kept him on until December, 1881. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for President in 1884, the only nonincumbent Republican nominee to lose a presidential race between 1860 and 1912. (See U.S. presidential election, 1884.) Republican reformers called "Mugwumps" supported Cleveland because of Blaine's reputation for corruption. After heated canvassing, during which he made a series of brilliant speeches, he was beaten by a narrow margin in New York. Many, including Blaine himself, attributed his defeat to the effect of a phrase, "Rum, Romanism and Rebellion", used by a Protestant clergyman, the Rev. Samuel D. Burchard , on October 29, 1884, in Blaine's presence, to characterize what, in his opinion, the Democrats stood for. "Rum" meant the liquor interest; "Romanism" meant Catholics; "Rebellion" meant Confederates in 1861. The phrase was not Blaine's, but his opponents made use of it to characterize his hostility toward Catholics, some of whom probably did switch their vote. Blaine's mother was a Roman Catholic of Irish descent and his sister was a nun, and speculation was that he might gain votes from a heavily Democratic group. However, Catholics were already suspicious of Blaine over his support of the Blaine Amendments, and this confirmed many suspicions. Refusing to be a presidential candidate again in 1888, he became Secretary of State in the Cabinet of President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1892. His service at State was distinguished by several notable steps. In order to promote the friendly understanding and co-operation of the nations on the American continents he projected a Pan-American Congress, which, after being arranged for and led by Blaine as its first president, was frustrated by his retirement. (Its most important conclusions were the need for reciprocity in trade, a continental railway and compulsory arbitration in international complications.) Shaping the tariff legislation for this policy, Blaine negotiated a large number of reciprocity treaties which augmented the commerce of his country. He upheld American rights in Samoa, pursued a vigorous diplomacy with Italy over the lynching of 11 Italians accused of being Mafiosi who murdered the police chief in New Orleans in 1891, held a firm attitude during the strained relations between the United States and Chile over a deadly barroom brawl involving sailors from the USS Baltimore; and carried on with Britain a controversy over the seal fisheries of Bering Sea—a difference afterwards settled by arbitration. Blaine sought to secure a modification of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, and in an extended correspondence with the British government strongly asserted the policy of an exclusive American control of any isthmian canal which might be built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Blaine resigned on June 4, 1892, on the eve of the meeting of the Republican National Convention. His name, when once again submitted for consideration by the delegates, drew little support. During the leisure of his later years he wrote Twenty Years of Congress (1884-1886), a brilliant historical work in two volumes. Blaine played a role in founding Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and he served as a longtime trustee (1863-1893) of the college . Blaine received an honorary degree from Bates in 1869. Blaine died in Washington at the age of 62 and was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery. Reinterment took place in the Blaine Memorial Park, Augusta, Maine, in June 1920.

Original James Blaine autograph, signed on a fly leaf. Regular Price - $ 145.00 / Sale Price - $ 95.00.

Stephen Arnold Douglas (nicknamed the "Little Giant" because he was short but was considered by many a "giant" in politics) was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, who he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed series of debates. Douglas was well-known as a resourceful party leader, and an adroit, ready, skillful tactician in debate and passage of legislation. As chairman of the Committee on Territories, Douglas dominated the Senate in the 1850s. He was largely responsible for the Compromise of 1850 that apparently settled slavery issues. However, in 1854 he reopened the slavery question by the highly controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act that allowed the people of the new territories to decide for themselves whether or not to have slavery (which had been prohibited by earlier compromises). The protest movement against this became the Republican Party. Douglas supported the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision of 1857, and denied that it was part of a Southern plot to introduce slavery in the Northern states; but also argued it could not be effective when the people of a Territory declined to pass laws supporting it. When President James Buchanan and his Southern allies attempted to pass a Federal slave code, to support slavery even against the wishes of the people of Kansas, he battled and defeated this movement as undemocratic. This caused the split in the Democratic Party in 1860, as Douglas won the nomination but a breakaway southern faction nominated their own candidate, Vice President John C. Breckinridge. Douglas deeply believed in democracy, arguing the will of the people should always be decisive. When civil war came in April 1861, he rallied his supporters to the Union with all his energies, but he died a few weeks later.

Original Autographed Letter, Signed by Stephen A. Douglas. Dated March 14th 1860. Regular Price - $ 1300.00 / Sale Price - $ 395.00.

Andrew John Volstead (October 31, 1860 – January 20, 1947) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota in the 58th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 62nd, 63rd, 64th, 65th, 66th, and 67th congresses, from 1903 to 1923 and a member of the United States Republican Party. An absolute teetotaler, his name is closely associated with the National Prohibition Act of 1919, usually called the Volstead Act. That was the enabling legislation for the enforcement of national prohibition beginning in 1920. Volstead was born in Kenyon, Minnesota to Norwegian parents. He was educated at St. Olaf College and became a lawyer and was mayor of Granite Falls, Minnesota from 1900 to 1902. While in Congress, he served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1919 to 1923. Although often considered the author of the Volstead Act, he collaborated with Wayne Wheeler of the anti-Saloon League, who conceived and largely drafted the bill. However, Volstead sponsored the bill and championed, promoted and facilitated its passage. He also helped author the Capper-Volstead Act, which enabled farmers to form combines without fear of prosecution under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The law is still in effect. Volstead was defeated in his attempt to be elected to an 11th term in Congress in 1922. Shortly thereafter he was hired as legal adviser to the chief of the National Prohibition Enforcement Bureau. Upon Repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Volstead returned to Granite Falls, Minnesota, where he resumed the private practice of law and died in 1947. His former home there is a National Historic Landmark and he is buried in city cemetery.

Original Andrew Volstead Autograph, Signed on Card Stock. On the Card is Andrew Volstead's Autograph as well as St. Paul Minn. On the back of the card is the date May 7, 1928. Regular Price - $ 149.99 / Sale Price - $ 98.00.

Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852), was a leading American statesman during the nation's antebellum era. Webster first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests. His increasingly nationalistic views and the effectiveness with which he articulated them led Webster to become one of the most famous orators and influential Whig leaders of the Second Party System. As an attorney, Webster served as legal counsel in several cases that established important constitutional precedents that bolstered the authority of the Federal government. As Secretary of State, he negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty that established the definitive eastern border between the United States and Canada. Primarily recognized for his Senate tenure, Webster was a key figure in the institution's "Golden Age." So well-known was his skill as a Senator throughout this period that Webster became a third and northern counterpart of what was and still is known today as the "Great Triumvirate," with his colleagues Henry Clay from the west and John C. Calhoun from the south. His "Reply to Hayne" in 1830 was generally regarded as "the most eloquent speech ever delivered in Congress." Similar to Henry Clay, Webster's desire to see the Union preserved and conflict averted led him to search out compromises designed to stave off the sectionalism that threatened war between the North and South. Webster tried three times to achieve the Presidency; all three bids failed, the final one in part because of his compromises. Similarly Webster's efforts to steer the nation away from civil war toward a definite peace ultimately proved futile. Despite this, Webster came to be esteemed for these efforts and was officially named by the Senate in 1957 as one of its five most outstanding members.

Original Daniel Webster Autograph, Signed on Cut Paper. Regular Price - $ 395.00 / Sale Price - $ 295.00.

Alfred Emanuel "Al" Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was elected Governor of New York four times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928. He was the first Roman Catholic to run for President as a major party nominee. He lost the election to Herbert Hoover. He then became president of the Empire State, Inc. and was instrumental in getting the Empire State Building built during the Great Depression. Governor Al Smith tossed out the first ball on April 18, 1923 at a ball yard in The Bronx. This was Opening Day of brand new Yankee Stadium.

Original Al Smith Autograph, Signed on Card Stock. Dated 1931. Regular Price - $ 875.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.

Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll (August 11, 1833 – July 21, 1899) was a Civil War veteran, American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. Robert Ingersoll was born in Dresden, New York. His father, John Ingersoll, was an abolitionist-leaning Presbyterian preacher, whose radical views forced his family to move frequently. In 1853, "Bob" Ingersoll taught a term of school in Metropolis, Illinois where he let one of his students, the future Judge Angus M. L. McBane, to do the "greater part of the teaching, while Latin and history occupied his own attention". At some point prior to his Metropolis position Ingersoll had also taught school in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Later that year the family settled in Marion, Illinois where Robert and his brother Ebon Clarke Ingersoll were admitted to the bar in 1854. A county historian writing 22 years later noted that local residents considered the Ingersolls as a "very intellectual family; but, being Abolitionists, and the boys being deists, rendered obnoxious to our people in that respect." While in Marion he studied law under Judge Willis Allen and served as deputy clerk for John M. Cunningham, Williamson County's County Clerk and Circuit Clerk. In 1855 after Cunningham was named register for the federal land office in southeastern Illinois at Shawneetown, Illinois, Ingersoll followed him to the riverfront city along the Ohio River. After a short time there he took the deputy clerk position with John E. Hall, the county clerk and circuit clerk of Gallatin County, and also a son-in-law of John Hart Crenshaw of the infamous Old Slave House. On November 11, 1856, Ingersoll caught Hall in his arms when the son of a political opponent assassinated his employer in their office. When he moved to Shawneetown he continued to read law under Judge William G. Bowman who had a large library of both law and the classics. In addition to his job as a clerk, he and his brother opened their law practice under the name "E.C. & R.G. Ingersoll". During this time they also had an office in Raleigh, Illinois, then the county seat of neighboring Saline County. As attorneys following the court circuit he often practiced along side Cunningham's soon-to-be son-in-law John A. Logan the state's attorney and political ally to Hall. As the trial of Hall's assassin dominated the scene and with his earlier mentor Cunningham having moved back to Marion following the land office's closing in 1856, and Logan's move to Benton, Illinois after his marriage that fall, Ingersoll and his brother moved to Peoria, Illinois where they finally settled in 1857. For a period of time, Rev. John Ingersoll filled the pulpit for American revivalist Charles G. Finney while Finney was on a tour of Europe. Upon Finney's return, Rev. Ingersoll remained for a few months as co-pastor/associate pastor under Finney. His son apprenticed himself to lawyers there and hung out his shingle. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, he raised the 11th Illinois Cavalry Regiment and took command. The regiment fought in the Battle of Shiloh. Ingersoll was later captured, then released on his promise that he would not fight again, which was common practice early in the war. After the war, he served as Illinois Attorney General. He was a prominent member of the Republican Party, and though he never held an elected position, he was nonetheless an active participant in politics. His speech nominating James G. Blaine for the 1876 presidential election was unsuccessful, as Rutherford B. Hayes received the Republican nomination, but the speech itself, known as the "Plumed Knight" speech, was considered a model of political oratory. (Franklin Roosevelt probably used it as a model for his "Happy Warrior" speech when nominating Alfred E. Smith for president in 1928). Ingersoll was involved in several prominent trials as an attorney, notably the Star Route trials, a major political scandal in which his clients were acquitted. He also defended a New Jersey man for blasphemy. Although he did not win acquittal, his vigorous defense is considered to have discredited blasphemy laws and few other prosecutions followed. Ingersoll was most noted as an orator, the most popular of the age, when oratory was public entertainment. He spoke on every subject, from Shakespeare to Reconstruction, but his most popular subjects were agnosticism and the sanctity and refuge of the family. He committed his speeches to memory although they were sometimes more than three hours long. His audiences were said never to be restless. His radical views on religion, slavery, woman's suffrage, and other issues of the day effectively prevented him from ever pursuing or holding political offices higher than that of state attorney general. Illinois Republicans tried to pressure him into running for governor on the condition that Ingersoll conceal his agnosticism during the campaign, which he refused on the basis that concealing information from the public was immoral. Many of Ingersoll's speeches advocated freethought and humanism, and often poked fun at religious belief. For this the press often attacked him, but neither his views nor the negative press could stop his rising popularity. At the height of Ingersoll's fame, audiences would pay $1 or more to hear him speak, a giant sum for his day. Ingersoll died from congestive heart failure at the age of 65. Soon after his death, his brother-in-law, Clinton P. Farrell, collected copies of Ingersoll’s speeches for publication. The 12-volume Dresden Editions kept interest in Ingersoll's ideas alive and preserved his speeches for future generations. Ingersoll is interred in Arlington National Cemetery (Section 3, Lot 1620, Grid S-16.5). In 2005, a popular edition of Ingersoll's work was published by Steerforth Press. Edited by the Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page, "What's God Got to Do With It: Robert Ingersoll on Free Speech, Honest Talk and the Separation of Church and State" brought Ingersoll's thinking to a new audience.

Original Robert G. Ingersoll Autograph, Signed Card Stock. Dated Dec 30 97. Regular Price - $ 250.00 / Sale Price - $ 198.00.

Royal Samuel Copeland was born on November 7, 1868 – dies June 17, 1938. Royal S. Copeland was an American academic, homeopathic physician, and politician who held elected offices in both Michigan (as a Republican) and New York (as a Democrat). He represented New York in the United States Senate from 1923 until 1938. Born in Dexter, Michigan to parents Roscoe P. Copeland and Frances J. (Holmes) Copeland, Royal Copeland graduated from the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) with a bachelor's degree. In 1888, he taught school in Sylvan Township, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a degree in medicine in 1889. After graduate studies in Europe, Dr. Copeland practiced medicine in Bay City, Michigan, from 1890 to 1895. Copeland was admitted to the Homeopathy Society of Michigan on May 21, 1890, and was made secretary of the society in October 1893. He was a professor of Ophthalmology and Otology in the University of Michigan Medical School's Homeopathic Department from 1895 until 1908. During his time as a medical professor in Ann Arbor, Copeland was active in municipal politics. He served as Republican mayor of Ann Arbor from 1901 to 1903, as president of the Ann Arbor Board of Education from 1907 to 1908, and as president of the Ann Arbor Board of Park Commissioners. On July 15, 1908, Copeland married Frances Spalding. The same year, Copeland moved to New York City to take a position as dean at the New York Flower Hospital and Medical College, a position he left in 1918 to serve as President of the New York Board of Health. He gained much positive public attention for keeping New Yorkers calm during the influenza outbreak of 1918. In 1922, Copeland ran as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate, defeating first-term Republican Senator William M. Calder. Franklin D. Roosevelt served as his honorary campaign manager for this election. Copeland was re-elected in 1928 over Republican challenger Alanson B. Houghton, the U.S. Ambassador to Britain and a former U.S. Congressman. Copeland was again re-elected in 1934, this time defeating future U.S. Congressman E. Harold Cluett. During his three terms in the U.S. Senate, Copeland served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration from 1933 to 1936 and chairman of the Committee on Commerce from 1935 to 1938. Copeland served as primary author and sponsor of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, an important consumers right law. Copeland was close to the regular Democratic organization in New York, the boss-led Tammany Hall. He was a conservative Democrat and not especially supportive of his fellow New Yorker, President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies. Copeland was known for his successful efforts to bring air conditioning to the Senate. In 1937 he lost the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City to Judge Jeremiah T. Mahoney, and the Republican nomination to incumbent Republican Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. Senator Copeland died in office on June 17, 1938 and was buried at Mahwah Cemetery in Mahwah, New Jersey. Original Royal S. Copeland Autograph, signed on a United States Senate Washington D.C. Card. Written: Yours for health Royal S. Copeland 1935. Approx. Size 3 x 5 inches. Regular Price - $ 48.95 / Sale Price - $ 29.95.

John Edgar Hoover was born January 1, 1895 – died May 2, 1972. Hoover was generally known as J. Edgar Hoover, was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972. Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modern innovations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories. Hoover was highly regarded by much of the U.S. public, but after his death he became an increasingly controversial figure. His many critics assert that he exceeded the jurisdiction of the FBI. He used the FBI to harass political dissenters and activists, to amass secret files on political leaders, and to use illegal methods to collect evidence. It is because of Hoover's long and controversial reign that FBI directors are now limited to 10-year terms.

J. Edgar Hoover 6 1/2 x 8 Color Photograph Mounted and Framed. Original J. Edgar Hoover Autograph, written: To Robert O. Sypolt Best Wishes J. Edgar Hoover 1.18.68. Overall Size with Frame 9 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches. Regular Price - $ 535.00 / Sale Price - $ 295.95.

Original Richard Nixon Republican Annual Dinner Program - Wednesday, October 30, 1968. The Cover of the Program is hand signed by Nelson Rockefeller, Ray Shafer, Hugh Scott, Arlen Spector and Arlen Adams. Regular Price - $ 295.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.

Original Unused Republican Party Dinner Ticket. Annual One Hundred Dollar Dinner. Convention Hall Philadelphia Pennsylvania - Wednesday October 30, 1968 at 7:00 O'clock. Sponsored by Republican City Committee - William J. Devlin, Chairman. Ticket Number 2931.

Close up view of the Republican Party Dinner Ticket. Autographed by: Nelson Rockefeller, Arlen Specter, Ray Shafer, Hugh Scott, and Colin Adams. Approx. size 3 1/4 x 7 inches. Regular Price - $ 165.00 / Sale Price - $ 95.00.

James (Jim) Aloysius Farley (May 30, 1888–June 9, 1976) was an American politician who served as head of the Democratic National Committee and Postmaster General. Farley was the campaign manager for New York State politicians Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt's gubernatorial campaigns as well as Roosevelts presidential campaigns in 1932 and 1936. Farley predicted large landslides in both, and was responsible for pulling together the New Deal Coalition of Catholics, labor unions, and big city machines. Farley was heavily concerned with party issues as well as aspects of policy, and supported the liberal New Deal programs. Farley, and the administration's patronage machine he presided over, helped to fuel the social and infrastructure programs of the New Deal via the Postal Department and WPA/PWA programs. Farley opposed Franklin Roosevelt breaking the two term tradition of the presidency, and broke with Roosevelt on that issue in 1940. Farley, served as the #2 commissioner on the second Hoover Commission, which helped to develop American modern law in regards to executive powers and the presidency. The Landmark James Farley Post Office (James A. Farley Building/former General Post Office Building) in New York City, is designated in his honor.

Origianl James Farley Autographed Photo, 8 x 10 Black & White. Signed: Sincerely James Farley PostMaster General. This is a Bachrach Photograph. Regular Price - $ 375.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.

Original James Farley Autograph, signed on a typed letter. Typed on letter: June 28, 1937. Mrs. Anna White Presbyterian Hospital 39th and Filbert Street West Philadelphia Dear Mrs. White: In compliance with your recent request, I am glad to send an autographed picture with this letter. I am sure that a hobby of collecting is a very interesting way to pass the time. I wish to thank you for your generous references to me, for which I am grateful. Sincerely, James Farley. Approx. size 7 x 83/4 inches. In the top left corner is an embossed seal on The United States of America Post Office Department (an image of a man on a pony). Also at the top of the letter it is embossed with: THE POSTMASTER GENERAL WASHINGTON. Regular Price - $ 165.00 / Sale Price - $ 95.00.

Original James Farley Autograph, signed in green on a Fly Leaf. Written: With Every good wish James A. Farley. Approx. size 5 7/8 x 9 inches. Regular Price - $ 135.00 / Sale Price - $ 65.95.

Solomon Weathersbee Downs was born in 1801 – died August 14, 1854. Solomon was a United States Senator from Louisiana. Born in Montgomery County, Tennessee, he pursued classical studies and graduated from the Transylvania University (in Lexington, Kentucky) in 1823. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1826 and commenced practice in Bayou Sara, Louisiana. He moved to Ouachita, Louisiana and then to New Orleans in 1845. Solomon engaged in the practice of law and was a successful planter. Downs was United States Attorney for the district of Louisiana from 1845 to 1847 and a member of the State constitutional convention. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1847 - March 3, 1853, and while in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Engrossed Bills (Thirtieth Congress) and a member of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirtieth through Thirty-second Congresses). He was appointed by President Franklin Pierce collector of the port of New Orleans in 1853. He died in Crab Orchard Springs, Kentucky and was buried on family plantation. (later reinterred in Riverview Cemetery, Monroe, Ouachita.)

Original Solomon Weathersbee Downs Autograph, signed on Cut Paper (signed cut paper is glued-mounted to heavy card stock). Approx. size of Cut Paper 3/8 x 1 7/8 inches (approx. size of heavy card stock 2 x 3 1/2 inches). Regular Price - $ 52.00 / Sale Price - $ 35.95.

Birch Evans Bayh II was born January 22, 1928. Birch Bayh is a former United States Senator from Indiana (1963 to 1981). He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election but lost to Jimmy Carter. He is the father of former Indiana governor and current U.S. Senator Evan Bayh. Bayh was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Leah Ward Hollingsworth and Birch Evans Bayh, Sr. After serving in the United States Army, he attended the Purdue University School of Agriculture, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega, and graduated in 1951. Bayh later attended Indiana State University, and graduated from Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington in 1960. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1954 to 1962. In the House, he rose to the position of Speaker and, in 1961, was admitted to the Indiana bar. He won the 1962 US Senate race in Indiana. On June 19, 1964, Bayh, his wife, Senator Ted Kennedy and legislative aide Edward Moss were on board a small plane that crashed in heavy fog near Springfield, Massachusetts. Senator Bayh pulled a badly injured Senator Kennedy from the wreckage. Senator and Mrs. Bayh were relatively unhurt, while the pilot and Moss were both killed in the crash. Bayh was influential in the passing of Title IX to the Higher Education Act, which gave women equal opportunities in sports and academics in public education. As Chairman of the Senate subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments, Bayh was the principal architect of two constitutional amendments: The 25th Amendment, which established the rules for presidential succession and disability. The 26th Amendment, which lowered the minimum voting age to 18. Bayh was also the principal Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment, which passed both Houses of Congress, but was not ratified by the states. The proposed constitutional change with which he was most closely associated in his final years in the Senate was his attempt to eliminate the Electoral College (the method of electing the President of the United States) and replace it with a popular vote in the 1960s and 70s. One of Bayh's proposals passed the House easily but was filibustered in the Senate. In 1977 he introduced reform legislation into the Senate, but it never achieved the required two-thirds vote in either house of Congress. In 2006, he joined the National Popular Vote Inc. coalition, which aims to effect Electoral College reform through an interstate compact, and wrote a foreword to the book Every Vote Equal. He was a co-sponsor of the Bayh-Dole Act which allowed US universities, small businesses, and non-profit organizations to retain intellectual property rights of inventions developed from federal government-funded research. Additionally, he served for many years on the Senate judiciary committee and was involved in two nominations in which the nominee was declined. Bayh intended to run for the 1972 Democratic nomination for president, but his wife was diagnosed with cancer and he put his plans on hold. Before her death in 1979, Marvella Bayh became a leading cancer activist. In October 1975 Bayh announced his candidacy for the 1976 Democratic nomination. Bayh was considered a leading choice out of 12 candidates, and he was popular with organized labor and other liberal groups. However, his late start put him at a fundraising and organizational disadvantage. In January/February, Bayh finished third in Iowa behind Uncommitted delegates and Jimmy Carter and third in New Hampshire behind Carter and Morris K. Udall. A week later, Bayh finished a weak seventh place in the Massachusetts primary and ended his candidacy. He ran for reelection for a fourth term in the 1980 election. Bayh and his opponent, Congressman and future vice president Dan Quayle, engaged in seven debates. In those debates, Quayle attacked Bayh's liberal voting record, which hurt Bayh, and he was defeated for reelection in the Republican landslide year, 46% to Quayle's 54%. Bayh has since resumed his law practice. He currently resides in Easton, MD with his wife Kitty, is a fellow at the C.V Starr Center of Washington College in Chestertown, MD, and is a partner at the Washington, DC, law firm Venable LLP. Original Birch Evans Bayh Autographed Black & White Photo. Approx. size 8 1/8 x 10 inches. Written: Best regards to Eddie Sousa! Birch Bayh. Regular Price - $ 195.00 / Sale Price - $ 98.00.

John Vliet Lindsay was born November 24, 1921 – died December 19, 2000. John Lindsay was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1959 to 1965 and as mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973. With the outbreak of World War II, Lindsay completed his studies early and joined the United States Navy in 1943 as a gunnery officer. He obtained the rank of lieutenant, earning five battle stars through action in the invasion of Sicily and a series of landings in the Pacific theaters. After the war, he returned to Yale and received his law degree in 1948. He was admitted to the bar in 1949 and rose to became a partner in his law firm four years later. He also gravitated toward politics, serving as one of the founders of the Youth for Eisenhower club in 1951 and as president of the New York Young Republican club in 1952. Elected to Congress as a Republican from the "Silk Stocking" district in 1958, Lindsay established a liberal voting record, in light of his advocacy of civil rights legislation and various federally-funded social programs. Also known for his wit, when asked by his party leaders why he opposed legislation to combat communism and pornography, he replied they were the major industries of his district and if they were suppressed then "the 17th district would be a depressed area". Lindsay launched a brief and unsuccessful bid for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. He attracted positive media attention and was a successful fundraiser. Lindsay did well in the early Arizona caucus, coming in second place behind Edmund Muskie and ahead of eventual nominee George McGovern. Then in the March 14th Florida primary he placed a weak 5th place, behind George Wallace, Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and Scoop Jackson (though he did edge out George McGovern). Among his difficulties was New York City's worsening problems, which Lindsay was accused of neglecting; a band of protesters from Forest Hills, Queens who were opposed to his support for a low income housing project in their neighborhood, followed Lindsay around his aborted campaign itinerary to jeer and heckle him. His poor showing in Florida effectively doomed his candidacy. Meade Esposito called for Lindsay to end his campaign with the much-publicized comment "I think the handwriting is on the wall; Little Sheba better come home". After a poor showing in the April 5th Wisconsin primary, Lindsay formally dropped out of the race. Lindsay retired to practice law but never lost his faith in the "liberal dream". His 1980 campaign for the Senate was unsuccessful, as he lost the Democratic primary to Elizabeth Holtzman, the U.S. representative from Brooklyn and later the New York City comptroller. Lindsay polled 146,815 votes (15.8 percent). His previous liberal Republican ally, Senator Jacob K. Javits, lost renomination to the more conservative Alfonse D'Amato of Long Island. D'Amato defeated Holtzman in the general election. After the folding of several law firms for which he had worked, including Webster & Sheffield, Lindsay in the 1990s was left in failing health and without health insurance. Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani appointed Lindsay to several largely ceremonial posts as a way to qualify him for municipal health insurance. In 2000, he died at the age of seventy-nine of complications from pneumonia and Parkinson's disease, in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he and his wife, the former Mary Harrison (October 30, 1926 – March 9, 2004), had moved the previous year. The couple had married on June 18, 1949. In addition to Mary, Lindsay was survived by their son, John V. Lindsay, Jr.; three daughters, Katharine Lake, Margaret Picotte and Anne Lindsay; two sons-in-law, Stephen Lake and Michael Picotte; a brother, Robert V. Lindsay; and grandchildren Jessica and Stephanie Lake and Nicole, Joseph and Michelle Picotte. Memorial services were held on January 26, 2001, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Lindsay was Episcopalian. Memorial contributions were requested to the John V. Lindsay Fund, Lincoln Center Theater. For many years, Lindsay was a Lincoln Center trustee. Anne Lindsay found inspiration in her father's career and actively participated in the presidential campaigns of Democrats Howard Dean and then John Kerry in 2004. In 2001, the East River Park was renamed John V. Lindsay/East River Park in his memory. He is featured on a poster picture with Governor Rockefeller at the groundbreaking of the former World Trade Center in the city history section of the Museum of the City of New York at Fifth Avenue and 103rd Street. Original John Lindsay Autographed Black & White Photo. Approx. 8 x 10 inches. Regular Price - $ 295.00 / Sale Price - $ 98.00.

Edward William Proxmire was born November 11, 1915 – died December 15, 2005. Proxmire was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989. Proxmire served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1951 to 1952 and was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Wisconsin in 1952, 1954 and 1956. Proxmire was elected, in a special election on August 28, 1957, to fill the remainder of the term vacated due to the death of Senator Joseph McCarthy, on May 2, 1957. He was reelected in 1958, 1964, 1970, 1976 and 1982. His re-elections were always by wide margins, including 71% of the vote in 1970, 73% in 1976 and 65% in 1982, when he ran for a fifth six-year term. Proxmire holds the U.S. Senate record for consecutive roll call votes cast: 10,252 between April 20, 1966 and October 18, 1988. The previous record of 2,941 was held by Sen. Margaret Chase Smith of Maine. Proxmire served as the Chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs from 1975 to 1981 and again from 1987 to 1989. He was an early, outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. He frequently criticized Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon for their conduct of the war and foreign policy decisions. He used his seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee to spotlight wasteful military spending and was instrumental in stopping frequent military pork barrel projects. His Golden Fleece Award was created to focus media attention on projects he felt were self-serving and wasted taxpayer dollars. He was also head of the campaign to cancel the American supersonic transport. Despite his support of budgetary restraint in other areas, he normally sided with dairy interests and was a proponent of dairy price supports. As Chairman of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Proxmire was instrumental in devising the financial plan that saved New York City from bankruptcy in 1976–77. In his last two Senate campaigns of 1976 and 1982, Proxmire refused to take any campaign contributions, and on each spent less than $200 out of his own pocket — to cover the expenses related to filing for re-election and return postage for unsolicited contributions. He was an early advocate of campaign finance reform. Proxmire was famous for issuing his Golden Fleece Awards, which identifed wasteful government spending between 1975 and 1988. The first was awarded in 1975 to the National Science Foundation, for funding an $84,000 study on why people fall in love. Other Golden Fleece awards over the years were "awarded" to the Justice Department for conducting a study on why prisoners wanted to get out of jail, the National Institute of Mental Health to study a Peruvian brothel ("The researchers said they made repeated visits in the interests of accuracy," reported the New York Times), and the Federal Aviation Administration, for studying "the physical measurements of 432 airline stewardesses, paying special attention to the 'length of the buttocks.'" Proxmire's critics claimed that some of his awards went to basic science projects that led to important breakthroughs, such as the Aspen Movie Map. For example, Proxmire was criticized in 1989 for the Aspen Movie Map incident by author Stewart Brand, who accused Proxmire of recklessly attacking legitimate research for the crass purpose of furthering his own political career, with gross indifference as to whether his assertions were true or false as well as the long-term effects on American science and technology policy. Proxmire later apologized for several of those, including SETI. As with pork barrel spending on defense projects, he successfully stopped numerous science and academic projects of dubious value. One winner of the Golden Fleece Award, Ronald Hutchinson, was so outraged that he sued Proxmire for defamation in 1976. Proxmire claimed that his statements about Hutchinson's research were protected by the Speech or Debate Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that that clause does not immunize members of Congress from liability for defamatory statements made outside of formal congressional proceedings (Hutchinson v. Proxmire, 443 U.S. 111 (1979)). The case was later settled out of court. From 1967 until 1986, Proxmire gave daily speeches noting the necessity of ratifying The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. After giving this speech every day that the Senate was in session for 20 years, resulting in 3,211 speeches, the convention was ratified by the U.S. Senate by a vote on 83–11 on February 11, 1986.

Close up view of William Proxmire. Original William Proxmire Autograph, signed on a Typed Letter (signed Bill Proxmire). Congress of the United States Joint Economic Committee Washington, D.C. 20510 Letterhead. Typed on Letter: December 4, 1974 Mr. Roman J. Nakielny 2230 Lincoln Way East Chambersburg, Pa. 17201. Dear Mr. Nakielny: I appreciate receiving your thoughts on my recent criticism of the great increase in super grade positions in the federal government. Certainly the points you make are very good and I appreciated your taking the time to let me have you thoughts. But it is really alarming to realize that super grades now comprise 23 percent of Civil Service Jobs. Moreover, in some agencies almost half the white collar workers hold GS 12 or higher positions. Since I have in the past criticized the great increase in admirals and generals in the military, I felt it only fair to call attention to the disproportionate amount of super grades within the Civil Service. Best Wishes. Sincerely, William Proxmire, U.S.S. Approx. Size 8 x 10 3/8 inches. Included Original Envelope not shown. Regular Price - $ 110.00 / Sale Price - $ 48.00.

EDWARD MOORE "TED" KENNEDY WAS BORN FEBRUARY 22, 1932. KENNEDY IS THE SENIOR UNITED STATES SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS AND A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. IN OFFICE SINCE NOVEMBER 1962, KENNEDY IS THE SECOND MOST SENIOR MEMBER OF THE SENATE, AFTER PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE ROBERT BYRD OF WEST VIRGINIA. THE MOST PROMINENT LIVING MEMBER OF THE KENNEDY FAMILY, HE IS THE YOUNGEST BROTHER OF THE LATE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY AND THE LATE SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY, AND THE FATHER OF CONGRESSMAN PATRICK J. KENNEDY. KENNEDY IS ALSO THE SOLE SURVIVING SON OF JOSEPH KENNEDY AND ROSE FITZGERALD KENNEDY, AND ONE OF THREE OF THEIR SURVIVING CHILDREN (ALONG WITH EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER AND JEAN KENNEDY SMITH). TED KENNEDY IS A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF LIBERAL PRINCIPLES, AND IS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AND ENDURING ICONS OF HIS PARTY. ON MAY 20, 2008, DOCTORS ANNOUNCED THE KENNEDY HAS A MALIGNANT BRAIN TUMOR. DIAGNOSED AFTER HE EXPERIENCE A SEIZURE AT THE KENNEDY COMPOUND IN HYANNISPORT, MASSACHUSETTS THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND. ON JUNE 2, 2008, KENNEDY UNDERWENT BRAIN SURGERY AT DUKE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. ORIGINAL TED KENNEDY AUTOGRAPH, SIGNED ON A INDEX CARD. APPROX. SIZE 3 X 5 INCHES, FAINT TONING TO INDEX CARD. Price - $ 195.00.

Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist in the areas of consumer rights, humanitarianism, environmentalism and democratic government. He helped found many governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Public Citizen, and several Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), including NYPIRG. Nader has been a staunch critic of corporations, which he believes wield too much power and are undermining the fundamental American values of democracy and human rights. Nader has run for President four times (in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004). In 1992 he ran as a write-in in both the New Hampshire Republican and Democratic primaries, and other primaries. In 1996 and 2000, he was the nominee of the Green Party; in 2004, he ran as an independent, but was also endorsed by the Reform Party. Original Ralph Nader Autograph, Signed on cut paper - mounted on a photo mat with a picture of Ralph Nader. Regular Price - $ 125.00 / Sale Price - $ 85.00.

Edward Irving Koch (born December 12, 1924; pronounced kɔtʃ) was a United States Congressman from 1969 to 1977 and the Mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Black & White 8 x 10 Photo Hand signed To Donald - Ed Koch. Regular Price - $ 95.00 / Sale Price - $ 48.00.

William Lyne Wilson was born May 3, 1843 – died October 17, 1900. William was a Bourbon Democrat politician and lawyer from West Virginia. Born in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), Wilson attended Charles Town Academy, graduated from Columbian College in 1860 and subsequently studied at the University of Virginia. During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Confederate Army and served as a private in the 12th Virginia Cavalry. For several years, he taught school at Columbian College during which he graduated from law school and was admitted to the bar in 1869, commencing practice in Charles Town. Wilson was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880 and was chosen as president of West Virginia University, taking office on September 4, 1882. He was elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives shortly afterwards and won reelection five times afterwards, serving from 1883 to 1895. He served as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means from 1893 to 1895 during which he co-authored the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act which slightly reduced the United States tariff rates from the numbers set by the McKinley Tariff of 1890, though the logrolling that raised the rates disgusted him. After leaving Congress, Wilson was appointed Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Grover Cleveland and served from 1895 to 1897. During that time, future Secretary of War Newton D. Baker served as his private secretary. In 1896, he broke party lines by opposing the Free Silver Movement led by Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan and, like many Bourbon Democrats, supported the National Democratic candidate John McAuley Palmer who supported the traditional gold standard, limited government and opposed protectionism. After leaving office as Postmaster General, Wilson served as president of Washington and Lee University. He died in Lexington, Virginia on October 17, 1900 and was interred in Edgehill Cemetery in Charles Town. A portion of U.S. Route 340 between Harpers Ferry and Charles Town, West Virginia is designated the William L. Wilson Freeway in his honor.

Original William Lyne Wilson Autgraph, signed on Card Stock. The Card is signed Yours Truly, William L. Wilson. Approx. Size 2 x 3 5/8 inches. Regular Price - $ 85.00 / Sale Price - $ 34.95.

Patrick Joseph Leahy was born March 31, 1940. Patrick Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont. He is a member of the Democratic Party, the first and only Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history, the current chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and has the distinction of being the first and only Senator to cameo in a Batman film. As of 26 August 2009 Leahy is also third most senior U.S. Senator.

Original Patrick Leahy Autograph, signed on a two page typed letter. Approx. size 6 1/2 x 8 5/8 inches. Typed on Patrick Leahy United States Senate Washington D.C Letterhead. Original Envelope included. Regular Price - $35.00 / Sale Price - $ 25.00.

Mary Jodi Rell was born June 16, 1946. Jodi Rell is a Republican politician and has been the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut since July 1, 2004. She was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut under Governor John G. Rowland, who resigned during a corruption investigation. Rell is Connecticut's second female Governor, after Ella T. Grasso. On Nov. 9, 2009, Rell announced she would not seek re-election in 2010. Original Jodi Rell Autographed 5 x 7 inch Color Photograph. Price - $ 9.95.

John Henry Hoeven III was born March 13, 1957. John Hoeven is the current Governor of North Dakota and a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He has been serving as Governor since December 15, 2000, making him the longest-serving current Governor in the United States. Prior to his election to the Governor's office, Hoeven served as the President of the nation's only state-owned bank, the Bank of North Dakota, from 1993 to 2000. He polls as one of the nation's most popular governors. Original John Hoeven Autograph, signed on a State Of North Dakota John Hoeven Business Card. Approx. size 2 x 3 1/2 inches. Price - $ 9.95.

James "Jim" Aloysius Farley was born May 30, 1888 – died June 9, 1976. James Farley was an American politician, business executive, and dignitary who served as head of the Democratic National Committee and as Postmaster General. James A. Farley is the first nationally successful Roman Catholic politician in American History. Farley was known as a political "kingmaker", and was responsible for Franklin D. Roosevelt's rise to the presidency. Farley was the campaign manager for New York State politicians Alfred E. Smith 1922 gubernatorial campaign and Franklin D. Roosevelt's gubernatorial campaign's as well as FDR's Presidential campaigns in 1932 and 1936. Farley predicted large landslides in both, and revolutionized the use of polling, and polling data. Farley was responsible for pulling together the New Deal Coalition of Catholics, labor unions, blacks, and farmers for F.D.R..

Original James Farley Autographed 8 x 10 1/2 inch Photo and Original Mailing Envelope. Written on photo: To Frank Tricker Sincerely James Farley. Envelope is postmarked: Washinton, D.C. Oct. 5 11 am 1937. Return address: Post Office Department Office of the Postmaster General. Addressed to: Mr. Frank Tricker 1308 S. Ruby Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Regular Price - $ 345.00 / Sale Price - $ 195.00.