Description:

Fantastic Bill Clinton 38pc Letter Archive to Campaign Worker; [32] TLS, [2] ALS, [4] Christmas Cards

An archive of correspondence spanning nearly twenty years between Bill Clinton and Gloria O'Donnell, a member of his original campaign for Congressman in the mid-70s and later during his governmental years in Arkansas. The collection begins with a handwritten letter to O'Donnell dated October 8, 1981 and ends with a typed letter as president in December 2000, with the majority of pieces having retained their original transmittal envelopes. Following O'Donnell's role on Clinton's Arkansas campaigns, the two would remain pen pals well into his presidential years and beyond. This extensive archive is accompanied by a copy of Letters From Bill: 20 Years of Correspondence with Bill Clinton by Gloria O'Donnell (St. Thomas, PA: Storyline Publishing, 2011. 194pp) which acts as a makeshift guide to much of the materials included here, as well as gives important insights into their friendship over the years. In turn, many of the letters featured in the book can also be found within the archive, excluding those written by Gloria herself. Please note that we have identified a minimum of 10 secretarial or otherwise facsimile signatures, however more could be found upon further inspection. All exhibit varying degrees of toning, flattened letter folds, and minor creasing throughout but are overall very well preserved- An incredible look into Bill Clinton's historic political career!

The lot includes, in chronological order:

Governor Years (ca. 1981-1991)
• ALS, 1p, dated October 8, 1981, Little Rock, AR. Clinton asks O'Donnell, "Please ask around about the next election. Are there people who voted against me who would support me if I ran this time?"
• TLS, 2p, dated November 9, 1981, Little Rock, AR: Discusses his upcoming campaign, stating "I hope we can begin the campaign on a positive note by simply having me admit my mistakes and… then talk about the issues that people are really concerned about-- jobs, interest rates, utility rates, and aid to the elderly."
• TLS, 1p, dated November 24, 1981, Little Rock, AR.
• TLS, 1p, dated December 2, 1981, Little Rock, AR. Docketed on envelope with the initials "BC".
• TLS, 1p, dated July 7, 1982, Little Rock, AR on Governor of Arkansas letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated August 3, 1982, Little Rock, AR on Governor of Arkansas letterhead. Docketed on envelope the words "My Favorite" in Clinton's hand.
• ANS, 1p, dated August 23, 1982, Little Rock, AR and accompanied by handwritten envelope.
• Postcard depicting black and white family photo of the Clintons and Chelsea as a baby (signature is printed), postmarked December 21, 1982
• TLS, 1p, dated June 16, 1983, Little Rock, AR on Office of the Governor letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated July 20, 1983, Little Rock, AR on Office of the Governor letterhead. Signed "Bill" with additional inscription reading "Until the special session is over I can't plan more trips- Thanks for understanding".
• TLS, 1p, dated August 22, 1983, Little Rock, AR on Office of the Governor letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated September 8, 1983, Little Rock, AR of State of Arkansas letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated April 28, 1988, Little Rock, AR on official Governor letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated August 24, 1989, Little Rock, AR on official Governor letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated October 25, 1989, Little Rock, AR on Office of the Governor letterhead. Clinton argues, "We need to put more emphasis on training basic skills and technologies as opposed to spending long periods of time educating people on how to handle equipment that will be outmoded in two or three years."
• TLS, 1p, dated July 6, 1990, Little Rock, AR on official Governor letterhead.
• Typed letter [facsimile signature], dated August 12, 1991, Little Rock, AR. Clinton confides to O'Donnell, "I am still considering whether I should run for president".

Presidential Campaign (ca. 1992)

• TLS [secretarial], 1p, dated February 11, 1992, Little Rock, AR on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead.
• Typed letter [facsimile signature], 1p, dated May 14, 1992, Little Rock, AR on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead.
• TLS, 1p, dated June 17, 1992, Little Rock, AR on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead.
• Typed letter [facsimile signature], 2p, dated July 1, 1992, Little Rock, AR on Bill Clinton for President Committee letterhead. Discusses upcoming Democratic Convention and his hope that Gloria will vote against the new Party Platform an outline of his arguments.

White House Years (ca. 1994-2000)
• TLS, 1p, dated May 19, 1994, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, Clinton informs O'Donnell: "I've asked Mark Gearan, my communications director, to contact you regarding the article you're interesting in publishing."
• TLS, 1p, dated June 9, 1994, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, sending best wishes to O'Donnell's mother.
• TLS, 1p, dated August 24, 1994, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House. Clinton sends his regrets that he didn't have a chance for a visit while in the area.
• TLS, 1p, dated December 22, 1994, Washington, D.C on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House. Clinton comments on the upcoming mid-terms: "…I appreciate what you said about the mid-term elections. We have a great deal of work to do in the next two years…"
• TLS, 1p, dated April 18, 1995, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House. Signed "Bill Clinton" with an additional handwritten inscription reading "Thanks- I like the Taurus. Hang in there".
• TLS, 1p, dated September 25, 1995, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, sending regrets on the passing of O'Donnell's mother.
• TLS, 1p, dated March 15, 1996, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, writing how grateful he is of her support and friendship.
• Typed letter [facsimile signature], 1p, dated August 22, 1996, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House.
• Presidential Christmas card, postmarked December 9, 1996. Features printed signatures from Bill and Hillary.
• TLS, 1p, dated January 6, 1997, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House. Clinton warmly states, "Thanks, too, for your willingness to serve the Administration."
• Typed letter [facsimile signature], 1p, dated April 18, 1997, Washington, D.C on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, giving encouragement regarding a classroom-related internet project.
• Type letter [facsimile signature] 1p, dated July 31, 1997, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, regarding O'Donnell's work on the "Electronic Benefits Transfer project".
• Presidential Christmas Card, postmarked December 9, 1997. Features printed signatures from Bill and Hillary.
• TLS, 1p, dated January 5, 1999, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, Clinton sends encouragement, stating "The new year is rich with possibility".
• Presidential Christmas card, postmarked December 9, 1999. Features printed signatures from Bill and Hillary.
• Presidential Christmas card, postmarked December 1, 2000. Features printed signatures from Bill and Hillary.
• TLS [possible facsimile], 1p, dated December 6, 2000, Washington, D.C. on White House letterhead. With original envelope from the White House, Clinton graciously replies "I am grateful for your affirmation of my presidency and, especially, for your support over the years."

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