Description:

Roosevelt Franklin

FDR TLS Re: Warm Springs C.C.C.: "You are doing a perfectly splendid job and I am as proud of your boys as you are"

1p TLS signed by sitting 32nd U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) as "Franklin D Roosevelt" at bottom right. Written at the White House in Washington, D.C. on December 10, 1934. Typed in teal on watermarked cream bifold stationery with cobalt blue embossed "The White House / Washington" letterhead. The remaining pages are blank. Minor uneven toning and expected paper folds, else near fine. 7" x 8.875". Comes with a companion "The White House" envelope bearing a cancelled 3 cent George Washington violet stamp, letter-opened at top, else very good.

President Roosevelt wrote this thank you note to Captain Russell Reynolds, commander of the Civilian Conservation Corps' Camp Meriwether, located within the town limits of Warm Springs, Georgia. Roosevelt had inspected the camp a few days earlier, on December 6th. He was in town following one of his regular visits to the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, his hydrotherapy treatment facility for polio patients like himself.

In part:

"I want to send you this little line to tell you how very much I appreciated all the courtesies extended to me and my party by you and the boys at the Camp. Everything that you did was very helpful.

You are doing a perfectly splendid job and I am as proud of your boys as you are…"

Roosevelt frequently visited Warm Springs, the site of a natural hot spring in western central Georgia, after contracting polio in 1921. He sought out its hot (88° F) and mineral-rich waters almost every year between 1924-1945. In 1926, FDR purchased the springs, land, and buildings at Warm Springs and collaborated with friends to establish the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation (now the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation) the following year. The mission of the Foundation was to provide low-cost treatment to polio patients.

It was after one of these routine treatments that President Roosevelt visited nearby Camp Meriwether, the byproduct of another one of his favorite projects--the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (in operation 1933-1942) was one of Roosevelt's most popular New Deal programs. The C.C.C. offered manual labor jobs to unemployed men and veterans between the ages of 17-28. Members of "Roosevelt's Tree Army" worked on tree planting, road and bridge construction, and telephone line installation; they also built state-controlled parks and preserved historic and archeological sites. In addition, the C.C.C. spearheaded environmental initiatives like flood control and forestry maintenance.

The C.C.C. camp at Camp Meriwether (Project No. SP-7, Co. 1429) was established on June 18, 1933. It was one of dozens of other C.C.C. camps in Georgia, and one of the approximately 16,000 camps nationwide that operated during the 9 years the C.C.C. operated.

A remarkable letter in which President Roosevelt, a part-time resident of Warm Springs, Georgia, praises the Civilian Conservation Corps installation at nearby Camp Meriwether! The success of pilot programs like Camp Meriwether would ensure the longevity of the C.C.C.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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