ALS signed “Bob,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 3.5, black-bordered Attorney General letterhead, no date. Letter of thanks to Gene Tunney. In full: “Just a note to tell you how much we all appreciated your coming to Boston for the game. As always you were most thoughtful and helpful. I know it must have been an inconvenience. You have our thanks and best wishes.” In fine condition, with a bit of scattered light soiling to reverse. Accompanied by an unsigned carbon response to Kennedy’s letter, dated May 1, 1964, which reads, in part: “I…find your very thoughtful handwritten note…It was my pleasure and nothing could have been more convenient; you made it so. I had a most delightful time reading every newspaper account of the Massachusetts Democratic primary, and clipped as many as I could to send to Varick. Congratulations on the showing of the Kennedy brothers!”
Following the 1963 assassination of his brother, RFK continued to serve as attorney general under Lyndon B. Johnson for nine months. By the spring of 1964, both he and Senator Edward Kennedy endeavored to keep alive the memory of their slain brother by raising money for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library Fund. As part of the fundraising campaign, the Kennedys recruited political, sports, and entertainment celebrities—Tunney among them—to make an appearance at an April 18, 1964 Red Sox game. Through RFK’s efforts, more than 20,000 fans contributed $36,818.63 via gate receipts donated by then-Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey. In September 1964, Kennedy resigned from LBJ’s cabinet to seek the US Senate seat from New York and eventually make his own bid for the presidency. Unique correspondence from a member of the iconic Kennedy clan to a heavyweight champion, dispatched on stationery that honored his deceased brother. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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