Handwritten notes and doodles by John F. Kennedy from the night before his assassination, November 21, 1963, accomplished in pencil on an off-white 4 x 6 stationery sheet from the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas. Jotting down notes, probably while on the telephone, Kennedy writes the year, “1963,” “10 thousand tons,” “50 or 60 %,” “11:45,” and the surname “Smith” twice (ostensibly a reference to his brother-in-law and campaign strategist Stephen E. Smith). Kennedy incorporates his trademark doodles, such as underlines, boxes, and an arrow. In fine condition.
Accompanied by a letter of provenance from Kennedy collector Robert L. White from October 5, 2001, which reads: “This page is special because it was written at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas on Nov. 21, 1963 just 1 day before his assassination in Dallas. Kennedy attended a meeting of the League of United Latin American Citizens at the Rice Hotel. This page came to me in 1995 along with 4 other pages written on this Rice Hotel note paper. Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln gave me them as they were in her personal collection and saved by her.”
President John F. Kennedy arrived at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas at 5:00 p.m. on November 21, 1963, where he stayed for three-and-a-half hours. During this time, he appeared at a meeting of the League of United Latin American Councils and read a statement honoring Joe A. Garza for his work with the organization. After the meeting, he left the Rice Hotel to go to the Coliseum for Congressman Albert Thomas's dinner, and later that night went to the Texas Hotel in Fort Worth where he stayed until morning. Kennedy’s handwriting remains highly coveted by presidential collectors, with examples deriving from his last night alive of an elusive and ever-shrinking group.
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