Description:

William Taft TLS to Charles Edison Re: Music & Related Ephemera

An archive related to the political career of William H. Taft, including one TLS sent during his time as supreme court justice to the son of Thomas Edison, accompanied by several pieces of related ephemera with a bonus Charles Edison signed postcard. The letter, dated June 8, 1929 on Supreme Court stationery, details an unspecified musical event to be held by Edison, then president of Thomas Edison Inc. Sent less than a year before his death, it is unclear whether Taft was able to attend, but shows enthusiasm on behalf of himself and his wife. Please see accompanying photos for additional information on contents. Features varying degrees of darkened toning and creasing throughout, with evidence of prior mounting on verso to some. Else, a nice collection of diverse items.

The letter reads in full:

"I thank you for your cordial letter of June 6th. I am leaving Washington on the 12th of June and do not expect to return until late in September or the first of October, when I shall look forward with great interest to enjoying the program you so kindly proffer. I shall communicate with you further as to its detail. My wife is a great lover and connoisseur of music, and I know enough to follow her judgement.
P.S. I can not make my wife responsible for this selection, but they are songs I like."

William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was the 27th president of the United States between 1909-1913, and the tenth chief justice of the United States between 1921-1930, the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected president in 1908, the chosen successor of Theodore Roosevelt, but was defeated for reelection in 1912 by Woodrow Wilson after Roosevelt split the Republican vote by running as a third-party candidate. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding appointed Taft to be chief justice, a position he held until a month before his death.

Charles Edison (1890-1969), son of Thomas Edison and second wife Mina Miller Edison, was an American politician who would serve as first Assistant, and later Secretary, of the United States Navy during the late 1930s. Later, between 1941 and 1944, Edison would serve as the 42nd Governor of New Jersey.

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

Unless otherwise indicated, 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. 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 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 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.

September 6, 2023 11:00 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