TLS as president, one page, 7 x 9, White House letterhead (but written from Warm Springs), March 28, 1938. Letter of thanks to Representative John M. Coffee. In full: “Thank you ever so much for that splendid letter you sent me on March 24th. I am delighted that you approved so highly of my Gainesville speech and appreciate your writing as you did.” In very good condition, with punch hole and partial separation along central horizontal fold, mild edge toning, and scattered light creases.
Roosevelt’s March 23 address to a huge crowd in Gainesville, Georgia is one of his best remembered speeches. After celebrating the determination of the people of Gainesville “to rebuild a better city” following a devastating tornado, he moved on to a pointed political message: “But this nation will never permanently get on the road to recovery if we leave the methods and the processes of recovery to those who owned the Government of the United States from 1921 to 1933.” He refers, of course, to the Republicans. Roosevelt goes on to speak of the “feudal” and “fascist” leanings of these leaders, drawing a dramatic parallel between his domestic rivals and the events in Europe which increasingly engrossed him.
It’s likely that the recipient of this thank-you letter, Democratic Representative John M. Coffee of Washington state, “approved so highly” of the party message as well as the kudos for a rebuilt city.
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