Description:

Taft William

William H. Taft ALS: Imminent Departure for Philippines, Unable to Pay Card Game Debt

 

3pp autograph letter inscribed overall by future 27th U.S. President William H. Taft (1857-1930), then newly appointed Commissioner of the Philippines, and signed by him as "WmHTaft" at the center of the third page. Written in Washington, D.C. on April 3, 1900. On cream blue-ruled stationery with "The Shoreham / John T. Devine" hotel letterhead, complete with a dragon rampant logo. Expected paper folds and light overall toning, else near fine. 5.5" x 8.5". Accompanied by the original transmittal envelope from the Shoreham, also hand-inscribed by Taft. Bearing two cancelled 2 cent George Washington carmine stamps and postmarked from Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati. Letter-opened at top and with expected weathering.

 

The letter reads in part:

 

"My address in San Francisco will be the Palace Hotel and you would better send everything there that will reach there before April 15th - There is a big Poque bill that has not come and which I shall not have money enough to pay. You might go and see them. I enclose a check their favor for $125-00 which you can give them on account - Say that I'll send the rest as soon as I can - …"

 

Taft had resigned his judgeship of the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals just two weeks earlier, on March 15, 1900, in order to assume his new presidential appointment of Commissioner (and eventually Civil Governor) of the Philippines. Taft would depart from San Francisco on April 15, 1900 and arrive in the Philippines in early June. The 5-member Taft Commission--chaired by its portly namesake--would mold Filipino politics, economy, and society after its own image. The Taft commission (and its later iterations) served as the sole legislative body of Filipino government between 1900-1907, and as one of two legislative bodies between 1907-1916. Its commissioners issued laws, established infrastructure, organized a civil service, codified public health standards, conformed education, and set up a judicial system--all during the Philippine-American War. Taft himself oversaw the commission between the spring of 1900 and his return to the United States in December 1903.

 

Before departing for the Philippines, Taft would stay at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Established in 1875, The Palace was considered the largest and most sumptuous accommodation in the West. It had modern amenities, like private bathrooms and electric elevators, and a glorious 7-story-high skylighted Palm Court. Although the Palace remained standing after the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, subsequent fires necessitated its demolition.

 

In Washington, D.C., ex-federal judge Taft stayed at the tony Shoreham Hotel, even though he admitted in his letter to Leonard that he couldn't pay his "big Poque bill". The Shoreham folded in 1927 but was popular in the early twentieth century with Washington politicians.

 

"Poque" is the French spelling for poch, a card game similar to poker that originated in fifteenth-century Germany. Its 3-6 players use either 32-card or 52-card decks and manipulate them around an octagonal board. The winner is determined by both combinations and chance. Taft was able to pay $125, or approximately $3,800 in 2019 currency, to his creditors, though this sum represented only a portion of his debt. (The smaller photo of our catalog cover photo is from the collection of the Library of Congress and shows Taft, Mrs. Taft, and two others playing a card game (but not poque) en route to the Philippines in 1900).

 

Little is known about Taft's correspondent George W. Leonard, except that he too was a lawyer associated with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. During his travels, Taft addressed numerous pieces of correspondence to Leonard--most including copious instructions relating to both work and Taft's personal life--that indicate Leonard performed secretarial and paralegal duties for Taft.

 

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***

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.Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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