TLS as president signed “Wm. H. Taft,” two pages, 8 x 10.5, White House letterhead, November 10, 1912. Marked “Personal” in the upper left corner, a letter to George R. Sheldon, expressing his relief that Teddy Roosevelt was not victorious in his campaign for president, in full: “I cannot tell you how gratefully I appreciated the fine way in which you have discharged your thankless job, or how deeply obligated I feel to you for undertaking a work that was well-nigh hopeless, and in which you encountered many snubs and much contemptuous treatment. I feel that if we had not all gone in and worked as hard as we did, we might have allowed Roosevelt to be elected. He came a great deal nearer success than I supposed was possible, and it now seems to me clear that he and his friends expected to sweep the country. We accomplished his defeat, and you and I, with our ideas of constitutional government and of what is valuable in our country’s constitution, must hold that to be worthy of any effort. With renewed expressions of my obligation and my affectionate regard, believe me, my dear George.” Taft adds a lengthy postscript, in full: “Don’t for a moment suppose that I am cast down or humiliated, or in any way am suffering from disappointment or mental disturbance. While as leader I had to express confidence and had to hope against hope, I am not in any different state of mind now from what I was three or four weeks ago. The truth is, I am glad it is all over. I think I shall be able to look back on my administration as one in which something of usefulness has been accomplished for the people of the country, and shall be able to rejoice that to me has been given the opportunity to exercise the highest office in the land, without reproach.” Both are affixed to slightly larger sheets. In very good condition, with the second page trimmed. During Taft's administration, a deep rift between conservative and progressive Republicans split the party, leading Roosevelt to run against Republican nominee Taft on his newly created Progressive ticket. While Taft was unsuccessful in defeating Democrat Woodrow Wilson, he did take enough votes away from Roosevelt to prevent him from winning—a feat which he seems quite pleased with in this letter. Excellent content from just days after the election. Pre-certified PSA/DNA.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
$75.00
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
