Collection of quotes collected for John F. Kennedy by his personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, consisting of approximately 24 typed cards, newspaper clippings, handwritten notes, and other ephemera assembled for the president's reference. The group includes: a typed prayer from the Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis; Lincoln's draft of a response to an inquiry about a quote she used in a Saturday Evening Post piece; a typed extract of a letter from John Quincy Adams to his son about Andrew Jackson; a clipping of an off-color quote attributed to JFK about women in politics; the poem 'American Names' by Stephen Vincent Benet; some words on 'Americanism' by Lewis Galantière; some newspaper clippings on T. S. Eliot; a line from Byron's 'Don Juan'; a program featuring words from Lincoln's 1863 "National Thanksgiving Proclamation"; a handwritten copy of a Daniel Webster quote ("If we work upon marble, it will perish...") with typed note clipped to it, "Senator Kennedy told me to save this poem for future use"; a reference card detailing the state motto, song, bird, flower, and tree for Massachusetts; a poster featuring a quote from Edmund Burke; and a typescript of the young Jack Kennedy's 'Plea for a Raise' sent to his father, on White House letterhead. In overall fine condition. An interesting group of material offering insight into the president's literary tastes and political interests—a file undoubtedly drawn upon while drafting speeches or making public remarks.
Provenance: John F. Kennedy: The Robert L. White Collection, Lot 307, Guernsey's, December 2005.