Lot 19
Johnston, Lyndon B., Exceedingly rare ALS as Vice President, exactly one month before President Kennedy's assassination, in black ink, on a 3¾" x 5¼" card embossed "the Vice President Washington," 1963 Oct. 22. Extremely fine. LBJ writes to Dorothy (Jackson) Nichols, on the occasion of her 50th birthday. LBJ hired then Dorothy Jackson in the late 1030s. She was his first female assistant and she stayed with him until the end of his presidency; she and her husband, Judge Phil Nichols, were close friends with the Johnsons.
Vice President Johnson writes: "A lady turning 50 needs to fire up now and then - so here it is with our love and gratitude always. Lady Bird and Lyndon B. Johnson." The gift was probably a cigarette lighter, so that she could "fire up" and, given LBJ's sense of humor and his affection for Mrs. Nichols, there is certainly some sexual innuendo in the wording. The Vice President signed for himself and Lady Bird and also addressed the accompanying official Vice Presidential transmittal envelope.
Lyndon Johnson is unquestionably the rarest of all Presidents in ALS form, especially during his brief term as Vice President, as he strongly disliked writing in longhand. Virtually no handwritten letters have appeared on the market. This pristine example is the only one we have seen as Vice President.
Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,500
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| Realized $5,520 |
