Description:

Theodore Roosevelt III TLS "makes me feel how old we all are", with Typed Response

1p, measuring 7.25" x 10.5", Oyster Bay, Long Island, dated October 19, 1933. Signed "Theodore Roosevelt" and addressed to Hon. John D. Clarke. Roosevelt jokingly writes to his friend about their age, given their two adult children. In full: "I was delighted to hear that your boy is married. That is splendid! Incidentally, it makes me feel how old we all are becoming when I think of you with a married child. I think I shall probably be in the same class too, for my daughter is twenty-two and though there is no one in the offing now, I suppose there will be some one of these bright days." With flattened mail folds, light soiling, and a slight indentation from a removed paperclip. Minor imperfections at the upper right corner.

The letter also comes with Clarke's typed response on onion paper, measuring 8" x 10.5", dated October 26, 1933, addressed to the "Colonel." He expresses his delight at receiving Roosevelt's letter and writes that he met with a mutual friend and drank a toast to his health. Marked at the upper margin, "Personal", the letter has chipped and torn edges, with some areas of paper loss. Unsigned.

Theodore Roosevelt III, also known as Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1887-1944) was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. He served in WWI with the 1st Division and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In the summer of 1918, he was wounded in the leg and gassed at the Battle of Soissons, nearly going blind due to the gas effects. After the war, he was a key figure in the formation of The American Legion, organized to provide relief and employment for soldiers returning home. He later served in WWII, and despite a heart condition and arthritis that required him to use a cane, he led his troops at Utah Beach during the Normandy landings on D-Day, for which he earned a Medal of Honor.

John Davenport Clarke (1873-1933) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York, serving from 1921-1925, and again from 1927-1933. He was tragically killed less than two weeks later as a result of a head-on car crash in Delhi, New York while traveling home from a wedding on snowy back roads.

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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