LS signed “Ronald Reagan,” one page, lightly-lined, 8.5 x 11, no date. Reagan, as chairman of the California Republican Delegation, requests, in full: “To Chief Page, This is to advise that the California Delegation wants all of its pages to rotate on the convention floor so that all pages will be able to sit on the floor to witness the proceedings.” Reagan had originally started his signature beneath that of the deputy chairman William French Smith (who would later serve as Reagan’s attorney general), signing “Ronal” before crossing it out and signing several lines higher, above the title of chairman. In very good condition, with intersecting folds with two vertical folds passing through the signature, wrinkling, two filing punch holes at the top of the page, and a rusty paperclip impression at the top.
Smith was a member of the California delegation to the Republican National Convention in 1968, 1972, and 1976, serving as its vice chairman of the delegation in 1972 and 1976—the latter being the year in which Reagan was a serious presidential contender. This letter, however, likely dates to the 1972 affair, held from August 21 to August 23 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach in which the GOP nominated incumbent President Richard Nixon. It was also the site where Reagan ensured that all pages would have the opportunity “ to sit on the floor to witness the proceedings.” Interestingly, this particular convention set a new standard, as it was scripted as a media event to an unprecedented degree. Unique associative Republican content. RRAuction COA.
