Description:

William Howard Taft
Beverly, MA, September 21, 1912
Taft on WH Stationary Discusses Appointments of Brigadier Generals
TLS
WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT, Typed Letter Signed, to Charles A. Ricks, September 21, 1912, Beverly, Massachusetts. On "The White House" stationery. 1 p., 7" x 9". Light toning; very good

In this brief letter, President Taft writes to old friend Charles A. Ricks about upcoming appointments of brigadier generals. Confessing he does not know who will be appointed, he tells Ricks he has asked Detroit railway tycoon Charles M. Swift (1854-1929) and Cleveland attorney James H. Hoyt (1850-1917) to visit him in Washington.

Taft wrote this letter during his last summer in Beverly, Massachusetts, where he maintained a summer White House to escape the heat of Washington. There, in the summers of 1909 and 1910, Taft and his wife lived in Stetson Hall, and he had offices at another location in Beverly. In 1911 and 1912, they spent the summers at Parramatta, an eighteen-room cottage and the former estate of a Salem and Boston merchant. Taft left Beverly for the last time on October 26, 1912. Ten days later, he lost his reelection bid to Woodrow Wilson in a three-way race that included former President Theodore Roosevelt, who divided Republican support with the incumbent Taft. In the Electoral College, Taft carried only the states of Vermont and Utah and Roosevelt carried six states, allowing Wilson to win a landslide electoral victory with forty states.

Complete Transcript
Beverly, Massachusetts,
September 21, 1912.
My dear Charley:
I have your letter of September 17th. I have written letters to Charley Swift and to James H. Hoyt, inviting them to come and see me in Washington
I don't know who will be the appointees to the vacancies occurring in the brigadier-generalships this fall and winter.
Sincerely yours,
Wm H Taft

Charles A. Ricks, Esquire,
G. C. Kuhlman Car Company,
Cleveland, Ohio.

William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from Yale College in 1878. He received a bachelor of laws degree in 1880 from Cincinnati Law School. After gaining admission to the bar, Taft worked on the Cincinnati Commercial newspaper full time, covering local courts. After a brief stint as an assistant prosecutor, Taft was appointed to the Superior Court of Cincinnati in 1887. In 1890, President Benjamin Harrison appointed him as Solicitor General of the United States, a position he held until Harrison appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals, where he served from 1892 to 1900. He was Governor-General of the Philippines from 1901 to 1903, then Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1904 to 1908. In 1908, he was elected President of the United States as a Republican over Democrat William Jennings Bryan. After his defeat in the three-way election of 1912, Taft joined the faculty of the Yale Law School from 1913 to 1921, when President Warren G. Harding appointed him as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a position he held until his death nine years later.

Charles Atwater Ricks (1868-1914) was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, the son of U.S. District Judge Augustus J. Ricks and Emma Atwater Ricks. The younger Ricks attended Kenyon Military Academy and Kenyon College. In 1897, he married Margaret Trowbridge. After working in banks in Massillon, Ohio, he moved to Cleveland in 1890, where he became an auditor and traveling salesman for Standard Oil Company, rising to manager of the Cleveland station in 1896. In 1900, he organized the G. C. Kuhlman Car Company, which built electric and steam railway cars, serving as its secretary and treasurer.

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.

  • Dimensions: 7" x 9"
  • Medium: TLS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house world-wide 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 that proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with a signature required option, 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. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

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. 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 10 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 Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

May 15, 2024 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

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