Eleanor Roosevelt’s invitation and ticket to John F. Kennedy’s 1961 presidential inauguration. The embossed three-page invitation measures 6.5 x 10, and bears portraits of Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, both with printed signatures; her ticket to the presidential platform, 4.5 x 2.5, with her seating assignment stamped on the reverse, “The President’s Stand,” Row C, seat 9; and a program for the inaugural ceremonies, 6.25 x 9, with its red, white, and blue ribbon. All three items are housed in their original numbered envelope, with Roosevelt’s seating assignment on the front, as well as “Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,” written on the front in another hand. In fine condition. As noted by historian Richard Reeves, Mrs. Roosevelt ‘had refused to sit on the inaugural platform with Kennedy and his family, wrapping herself in a mink coat and an Army blanket in the crowd below the stand.’ While inaugural tickets and invitations are available, those for important dignitaries, with seating very close to the president, are seldom seen. RR Auction COA.
