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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 2024
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Mary Surratt's Daughter Petitions Andrew Johnson for the Return of Her Mother's Remains
February 5, 1869
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 2033
Mary Surratt was hanged as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She was also the first woman executed by the United States government. Here, her daughter, Anna, successfully petitions President Andrew Johnson for the return of her body.
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Signed Photograph
1 page
SMC 2076
The iconic photograph of Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office hours after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated; inscribed to Cecil Stoughton, the photographer.
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A Last Thing Signed: John F. Kennedy Autographs a Dallas Newspaper on the Morning of His Murder There
November 22, 1963
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Ephemera
1 page
SMC 2168
An edition of The Dallas Morning News signed by President John F. Kennedy on the morning of his assassination. Kennedy was shot at 12:30, making it very likely that this was the last thing he ever signed.
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John F. Kennedy Letter, Post-Dated November 26, 1963, Signed Before He Left for Dallas
November 26, 1963
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 2181
A letter from President Kennedy wishing Senator Dan Flood a happy birthday, dated November 26, 1963, four days after Kennedy was assassinated. Kennedy had signed the letter before leaving for Dallas.
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"Kennedy Slain on Dallas Street" - The Dallas Morning News November 23, 1963 Edition
November 23, 1963
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Ephemera
1 page
SMC 2356
Newspaper from the morning after Kennedy's Assassination. Kennedy had signed the same newspaper on the very day of his assassination.
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Lincoln Assassination Eyewitness Recalls Running to Fetch Dr. Liebermann Who Attended Lincoln's Deathbed
April 24, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
8 pages
SMC 2388
Samuel Koontz ran to fetch the Russian-born Jewish Dr. Charles Henry Liebermann, who lived a scant two blocks from Ford's Theatre. The news that Liebermann was the first "important" doctor to attend Lincoln - discounting the gaggle of doctors (seven in all) from Ford's theatre - is significant. He was the first to treat him, owing to the distance between his house and the theatre.
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 116
President McKinley's secretary, George Cortelyou thanks the Mayor of San Francisco on behalf of the McKinleys for all the help they received when Mrs. McKinley had taken ill out West.
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Rutherford B. Hayes Responds to Lincoln's Assassination: Now He is "The Darling of History"
April 15, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 124
On the day Lincoln died, General Rutherford B. Hayes wrote that Abraham Lincoln would ever be remembered as the "darling of history."
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John Wilkes Booth Letter, Written Eight Weeks Before Lincoln's Assassination, Mentions Ford's Theatre
February 9, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 142
John Wilkes Booth writes to his friend to request that he send his card photographs to an address in New York City. After that, he shall collect his mail at Ford's Theatre. Ironically, the cards that Booth has sent for, his "favorite" photo of himself, later became the image on the wanted poster associated with the assassination of President Lincoln.
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On the Day of President McKinley's Death, Asst. Secretary of State Cridler Writes of His Horror and Fury
September 14, 1901
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Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 143
Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Wilbur Cridler expresses his anguish at President McKinley's death, and his rage at the assassin. Cridler, as a religious Christian, expresses difficulty conceiving of why God would allow this tragedy to happen.
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Quintessential Reagan Speech: He's Sick About RFK's Assassination, About Lawlessness, About Blame
June, 1968
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Typed Manuscript
19 pages
SMC 163
Ronald Reagan, speaking here after weeks of unrest at university campuses, the slaying of policemen, and finally, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, takes the current leadership to task for allowing the country to be torn apart.
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Woodrow Wilson Suspends His Campaign on Account of Theodore Roosevelt Assassination Attempt
October 24, 1912
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 172
Here, Governor Wilson tells a political operative that he wishes with all his heart that it were possible for him to address a noonday meeting near the Borough Hall as suggested, but cannot. Wilson resumed his campaign when Roosevelt was discharged from hospital, and went on to win the election.
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Despite Being Shot, Theodore Roosevelt is, Reportedly, "Hearty as a Bull Moose"
October 19, 1912
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 177
Ebert Martin, Theodore Roosevelt's assistant, jumped on Roosevelt's would-be-assassin and wrestled him to the ground. Here he reports from Roosevelt's hospital room that the candidate is improving.
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Extraordinary Eyewitness Account of the Assassination of President McKinley-Dated One Day After
September 7, 1901
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Typed Manuscript Signed
8 pages
SMC 183
De Benneville Randolph Keim, a Washington reporter, was standing right by McKinley when he was assassinated. He took an active role in responding, including carrying the mortally wounded president to an ambulance. This is his account of the assassination.
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Unused Ticket for Ford's Theatre April 14, 1865 - The Night Lincoln Was Assassinated There
April 14, 1865
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Ephemera
2 pages
SMC 214
Unused Ticket for Ford's Theatre April 14, 1865 - The Night Lincoln Was Assassinated There. Autograph note signed in the hand of famed coin dealer James W. Haseltine, dated July 14, 1865, certifying that this original ticket, for the night Lincoln was assassinated, was presented to him by James R. Ford.
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Mary Todd Lincoln Issues 1865 Invitation to Presidential Box At Ford's Theatre
February, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 229
Two months before Lincoln's assassination, Mary Todd Lincoln invites some of Washington's most famous socialites to Ford's Theatre to watch the brother-in-law of John Wilkes Booth perform.
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One of the Last Things Signed by William McKinley: A Souvenir Booklet from the Pan-American Exposition
September, 1901
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Signed Book
16 pages
SMC 233
President William McKinley was assassinated on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo; it's very possible this souvenir booklet was the very last thing he signed.
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Theodore Roosevelt Confidently Reports that the Mortally Wounded President McKinley is Doing Well
September 9, 1901
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 245
Roosevelt feels assured not only that McKinley will recover, but that his recovery will be so speedy that in a very short time he will be able to resume his duties.
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Days After William McKinley's Death, Theodore Roosevelt Swears to Do His Best
September 20, 1901
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 251
Roosevelt, who has just become President due to McKinley's assassination looks forward at what must be done, rather than being "morbid."
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Autograph Sentiment Signed
4 pages
SMC 257
Jerry Parr, who is credited with saving Ronald Reagan's life, gives his account of the assassination attempt. Everything that happened in the three seconds between the first pop of gunfire to the door of the presidential limo slamming shut, is broken down into slow-motion, from the moment Reagan leaves for his luncheon at the Washington Hilton, to his remarks prior to entering surgery.
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Theodore Roosevelt Comments On, and Then Annotates, a Manuscript Detailing the Attempt Made on His Life
February 5, 1913
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Typed Letter Signed
5 pages
SMC 258
Theodore Roosevelt comments on a manuscript detailing, step by step and minute by minute, the assassination attempt made on his life on October 14, 1912.
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John Wilkes Booth Writes to John Ford to Arrange His Performance in a Play Which Lincoln Was to Attend
September 17, 1863
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 304
Though this was not the play at which John Wilkes Booth would jump from the stage and assassinate President Lincoln, here, a year and a half before he would do so, Booth writes to John Ford in order to arrange his performance at the latter's theatre for a play which Lincoln was to attend.
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Ronald Reagan Offers Ethel Kennedy His Help as Robert F. Kennedy, Shot in Los Angeles, Lay Dying
June 5, 1968
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 502
In this telegram, Ronald Reagan, a political opponent of Robert F. Kennedy, sets aside partisanship and offers Ethel Kennedy assistance.
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Rabbi Sabato Morais Sends His Synagogue's Contribution to the Lincoln Monument
June 21, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 538
Rabbi Sabato Morais of Congregation Mikve Israel sends his congregation's contribution to the Lincoln Memorial to be built in Washington. The synagogue was part of an appeal to all religious institutions in Philadelphia, and Morais, who revered Lincoln, was proud to report to the city's mayor that his congregation had raised $300.
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James Garfield on Assassination: "It Can No More Be Guarded Against Than Death By Lightning"
November 16, 1880
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 556
Though he is reviewing the "usual number of threatening letters on that subject," President-Elect James Garfield does not think that assassination is anything to worry about, as it cannot be prevented. He was shot in the back twice by Charles Guiteau eight months later.
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President Harry Truman Writes about the Assassination Attempt on His Life Just the Day Before
November 2, 1950
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 691
The day after a second assassination attempt in November of 1950, President Harry Truman expresses his fury at the stupidity of the would-be assassins, and mourns the two guards killed.
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Rare Ticket to "Texas Welcome Dinner" for President Kennedy, November 22, 1963, at 7:30 PM
November 22, 1963
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Ephemera
1 page
SMC 710
Ticket to the Democratic Party's welcome dinner in honor of President Kennedy; it was to be held in Austin in the evening of the day he was shot in Dallas.
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 712
John F. Kennedy writes a condolence letter to Medgar Evers's widow. Four hours before Evers was shot in front of his wife and children, Kennedy had given a televised speech calling for an end to racial discrimination.
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Five Weeks After Having Been Shot and Almost Killed, Ronald Reagan is Pleased with Recovery
May 4, 1981
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 890
Five weeks after the assassination attempt, President Ronald Reagan writes to his friend Glenn Ford, telling him that he feels fine, and is even surprising the doctors, which, in turn, makes him feel even better.
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The Eyewitness Account of Abraham Lincoln's Assassination by the Physician Who Treated Him at the Scene
May 28, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
8 pages
SMC 1004
Charles Leale, a surgeon and first responder to Lincoln's shooting, gives a detailed summary of the night of the assassination to a friend.
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Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1108
When asked if Chester Arthur should be kept under heavy guard, Robert Todd Lincoln responds that if a deranged person wants to kill the president, "it is impossible to thoroughly guard against those classes of people."
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Pass to President Abraham Lincoln's Funeral in the East Room of the Executive Mansion
April 19, 1865
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Ephemera
1 page
SMC 1116
Pass to Lincoln's funeral, on Wednesday, April 19, 1865.
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A Union Officer in the Field Describes the Reaction to News of Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
April 20, 1865
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1128
Here, an Ohio lieutenant, serving in Alabama, describes how the troops there received, and took, "news of the shocking murder of our president."
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Lucretia Garfield On How Her Husband's Portents at Chicago Convention Foreshadowed His "Fateful Ending"
November 19, 1881
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1150
Lucretia Garfield, President Garfield's widow, writes two months to the day after his death, still in disbelief. She shares with her correspondent that "the spirit of prophecy fell upon" her late husband, with many of his utterances now coming back to her as eerily foreshadowing his own demise.
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Physician of Assassinated President William McKinley Quotes McKinley's Last Words
November 25, 1901
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Autograph Note Signed
1 page
SMC 1182
Matthew D. Mann, the physician who tended to President William McKinley on his deathbed, confirms McKinley's fabled last words.
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A Contemporary Account of the William McKinley Assassination by a 15 Year-Old Girl
October 28, 1901
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 1183
Edna M. Hurry, a fifteen-year-old bookkeeper, goes into striking detail in her eyewitness account of President William McKinley's assassination.
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Secretary of Navy Long: President William McKinley, "Acute and Wise," Will Not Seek Third Term
June 11, 1901
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Typed Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1186
In this private note to his daughter, in which he discusses, amongst other things, a birthday present for his daughter, Naval Secretary John Long reveals that President William McKinley will absolutely not be seeking a third term.
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Edith Roosevelt on Her Husband's Recovery from an Assassination Attempt and the Bullet Left Inside Him
February 3, 1913
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Autograph Letter Signed
3 pages
SMC 1254
Edith Roosevelt writes to a friend who had asked the Roosevelts for medical as well as financial guidance. Mrs. Roosevelt answers that the medical advice should be left to their family physician; Theodore will dispense with the financial advice after the medical issue is resolved. She mentions in passing that the surgeon has deemed it safer to leave the bullet in Theodore's chest, which makes her anxious.
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Ronald Reagan Declares that JFK Was Much More "Intelligent and Perceptive" Than President Johnson
June 2, 1967
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1478
Ronald Reagan admits that he doesn't know exactly what President Kennedy would have done with regards to the Vietnam War, though he is certain that JFK was more "intelligent and perceptive" than Johnson, whom he doesn't name directly.
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Famous Painting by John Falter of the 1912 Attempted Assassination of Theodore Roosevelt
October 12, 1912
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Ephemera
1 page
SMC 1540
This painting depicts the exact moment when Theodore Roosevelt rose to give a speech, and his secretary - an ex-football player named Elbert H. Martin - glimpsed the gun and leapt from the car onto the would-be assassin.
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Newly Sworn-in Theodore Roosevelt Reacts with Foreboding: a Heavy and Painful Task Has Fallen Upon Him
September 14, 1901
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Typed Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1541
Grief-stricken over the death of President William McKinley just hours before, newly sworn-in Theodore Roosevelt describes the task before him as both "heavy" and "painful."
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Mark Twain Says He Cannot Deliver a "Light and Nonsensical Speech" While President Garfield is Dying
August 23, 1881
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Autograph Letter Signed
4 pages
SMC 1693
Mark Twain explains he cannot deliver a "light & nonsensical speech" while fatally wounded President Garfield is dying. Signed as Samuel Clemens.
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First Lady Edith Roosevelt, Two Weeks After McKinley's Death: "Life Does Not Seem Very Simple Just Now"
September 27, 1901
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1778
Two weeks after President McKinley's death and Theodore Roosevelt's assumption of the presidency, First Lady Edith Roosevelt thanks a friend in Boston for her warm wishes, and confides in her that "Life does not seem very simple just now."
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Leon Czolgosz's Incredibly Rare Confession to the Assassination of President William McKinley
September 6, 1901
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Document Signed
2 pages
SMC 1813
Czolgosz's twice-signed confession to assassinating President McKinley, stemming from anarchist convictions.
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Incredibly Rare Czolgosz Letter – 5 Weeks Before He Assassinated McKinley – as "Fred Nobody"
July 30, 1901
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Autograph Letter Signed
2 pages
SMC 1817
A rare and disjointed letter from Leon Czolgosz, ominously written in red ink, approximately five weeks before he would assassinate President William McKinley, signed as his alias, Fred C. Nieman.
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Abraham Lincoln’s Final Hours, Death, and Autopsy Report Documented by Dr. Robert Stone
April 15, 1865
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Autograph Manuscript
7 pages
SMC 1844
An account of Lincoln's death, written by his personal physician, Dr. Robert K. Stone. This seven-page narrative details Dr. Stone’s dramatic rush to the stricken president’s side, and, some eight hours later, Lincoln’s final minutes, decline, death, and autopsy. The report is stained with human blood; it is, very likely, Lincoln’s.
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President James Garfield's Assassin, Charles Guiteau, Convicted and in Jail, Declares He is Not a Lunatic
April 11, 1882
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Autograph Letter Signed
1 page
SMC 1907
Here the disagreeable, disputatious, and insane assassin of President Garfield, Charles Guiteau, declares he is not a lunatic, and that the woman, his sister who raised him, and the brother-in-law who acted as his lawyer at his trial, are nuisances, with whom he, a convicted assassin awaiting execution in jail, wants nothing to do.
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Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, On Hearing that McKinley Has Been Shot, Wires For News
September, 1901
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Autograph Telegram Signed
2 pages
SMC 1939
On the back of a railway timetable, Roosevelt writes the wire instructing the head of the facility in which McKinley was taken after being shot to keep Roosevelt appraised of the president's condition. On the other side of the page, a historian wrote Roosevelt's reaction to the news of McKinley's shooting, as well as his reaction to being told McKinley would survive.
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