Description:

Franklin Roosevelt
Albany, NY, February 10, 1930
Franklin D. Roosevelt Writes to Law Partner Basil O'Connor about Land Issue in Georgia
TLS

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, Typed Letter Initialed, to Basil O'Connor, February 10, 1930, Albany, NY. 1 p., 8" x 10.5". On Executive Chamber stationery. Circular holes at left for binding; general toning; small edge tears.

Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt writes to his law partner Basil O'Connor to ask him to address an issue involving land rights in Georgia.

After Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921, he traveled to Warm Springs, Georgia, sixty miles south of Atlanta, beginning in October 1924 for the relief the natural thermal springs there provided. In 1926, Roosevelt used his personal money to purchase property there. After visiting Roosevelt in Warm Springs, O'Connor joined Roosevelt and a group of friends to incorporate the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation in June 1926 to promote the rehabilitation of those with polio. In August 1927, the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, Inc., incorporated in New York, changed its name to Meriwether Reserve, Inc., incorporated in Delaware, which held title to the property in Georgia. Roosevelt served as the president, and Basil O'Connor was the secretary-treasurer. Roosevelt, O'Connor, and Vice President Raymond H. Taylor were the three directors of Meriwether Reserve. Roosevelt continued to visit Warm Springs throughout his tenure as President of the United States, and his residence was dubbed the "Little White House." He died there on April 12, 1945.

The Georgia Warm Springs Foundation raised more than $1 million at the nationwide President's Birthday Ball on January 30, 1934, and by 1938, it was dubbed the March of Dimes, which eventually became the foundation's official name. Urging Americans to "send your dime to President Roosevelt at the White House," the campaign raised more than $1.8 million in 1938 alone.

Excerpt
"Please read this carefully. I have not the time to.
"I am very clear that the Meriwether Reserve should give no franchise or quit-claim deed to the George Power Company covering any portion of its land or property. The most that should be given is a temporary easement in the form of a lease, at a nominal sum, such lease being revocable by the Meriwether Reserve on reasonable notice, say six months. I have done that in a number of cases [handwritten insertion by FDR:] in Dutchess County.
"I might add that the question of giving a franchise right was never breached by Mr. Arkwright or by anyone else in my presence, and I would not have considered giving such a thing at any time."

Basil O'Connor (1892-1972) was born in Massachusetts and became a newsboy at age 10. He graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School He was admitted to the bar in 1915 and founded his own law firm in New York in 1919. The next year, he met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was running for Vice President on the Democratic ticket and became his legal adviser. From 1924 to 1933, the two men were law partners. During Roosevelt's 1932 presidential campaign, O'Connor was part of his "Brain trust." From 1944 to 1949, O'Connor served as chairman and then president of the American Red Cross.

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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  • Dimensions: 8" x 10.5"
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