Description:

Reagan Ronald

Ronald Reagan, Long ALS Regarding Taxes, Mental Health, & Education, Ex-Forbes

 

3pp autograph letter fully engrossed by future 40th U.S. President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), then Governor of California, and signed by him as "RR" at the bottom of the third page. The date, May 15, 1967, is docketed in red ink at upper right. On watermarked stationery with "West Coast Latvian Song Festival / San Francisco California - Civic Auditorium - From June 30 to July 4 1967" letterhead. Expected wear including staple holes in the upper left corner, else near fine. 8.5" x 11".  Ex-Forbes Collection.

 

Reagan served as Governor of California between 1967-1975. In May 1967 -- only a few months after his January inauguration -- Reagan wrote a lengthy response to an unidentified constituent named "Mr. Covey", who had recently written a letter (not included here) critical of Reagan's administration. The handful of Reagan's cross-outs, scattered spelling errors, and the unusual choice of writing paper suggest that this was a handwritten draft of the final letter sent to Mr. Covey.

 

Governor Reagan's response to Mr. Covey is remarkable in its clarity and directness. Mr. Covey had evidently disagreed with Reagan's fiscal policy, concluding that it would de-fund significant services related to mental health, education, and the general welfare. Reagan defends his record, such as it was, since he had only served four months in office. (This is Reagan's rather tart last word, also found at the conclusion of this letter.)

 

In full, with unchanged spelling and punctuation:

 

"I appreciate your letter and your attitude toward the payment of taxes. I'm sure you'll agree with me (and I too have had some experience in paying taxes) that every one in public office has a responsibility to see that the peoples money is wisely + carefully spent and that no more should be spent than is absolutely necessary.

 

But from here I'm a little hard put to answer your letter because you seem to have already made up your mind that any + all economies we've attempted in this administration are penny wise, pound foolish and destructive of the peoples health, edu. + welfare. May I point out that a certain segment of the communications media is philosophically opposed to my viewpoint and therefore can hardly be trusted to give an objective account.

 

To suggest that our moves in the field of mental health will result in 'ware housing' of patients (and that is my own expression) is to ignore the fact that we are launching a program to do exactly the opposite. Our state moved into the lead nationally in the field of mental health 15 years ago when it abandoned the hospital as the final answer and moved toward local care in home surroundings. These past four years, in spite of the Short-Doyle act, no push was given this enlightened approach. We are giving that push with the idea of healing the mentally ill instead or stowing them away.

 

As to ed, - by what right do we claim a tradition of free ed. in Calif.? Are $250 in student fees free? If the tradition is so sacro sanct let's put the fees on the back of the tax payer. Every study from the Ford foundation to our own Council on higher ed. has admitted the need for more realistic financing of ed. + tuition has been their inevitable answer. But remember with every suggestion for tuition I have stated my belief that adequate grants should make sure that no qualified student be denied an ed. because of tuition. As it is the percentage of high income bracket families sending sons + daughters to state U's. is as high as the ratio for the independent Universities, I dont believe this was the intended purpose of Public ed…

 

I would ask only one thing of you in all fairness. Apparently you weren't concerned when a previous admin. brought the state to near insolvency over an 8 year period - Why not let me have more than 4 months before charging me with destruction of Calif.

 

Sincerely

 

RR".

 

Reagan mentions the 1959 Short-Doyle Act. This legislation, reflective of a larger national trend in psychiatric medicine, was designed to fundamentally change patient care. Instead of the mentally ill being institutionalized in huge state hospitals, they would be cared for in home-like environments.

 

Governor Reagan is probably referring to his immediate predecessor, 32nd Governor of California Edmund "Pat" Brown, Sr. (1905-1996), as the irresponsible spendthrift whose policies "brought the state to near insolvency over an 8 year period". Governor Brown spent millions of dollars rebuilding state infrastructure, and also embarked on other ambitious and costly projects during his gubernatorial term between 1959-1967. 

 

Provenance: Ex-Forbes Collection. Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), the American owner-publisher of Forbes magazine and a consummate collector, amassed one of the most substantial autograph collections of such breadth and depth that it filled a half-dozen residences on three continents. Many of his manuscripts were sold in a series of multi-million dollar sales by Christie's in the early 2000s. The Forbes name is considered to be the apex of provenance, especially when attached to an item like the above. We are honored to have been chosen by the family to sell at auction the substantial balance of the collection.

 

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.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000