Lot 169

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Description:

John F. & Jackie Kennedy Signed West Virginia Democratic Party Luncheon Program Dating from JFK's 1959 "Undercover Campaign"

A Democratic Party event program signed by then Senator from Massachusetts and future 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) as "John Kennedy -" and by Jacqueline Kennedy (1929-1994) as "Jacqueline Kennedy" in the top half of the front cover. This program from the "Brooke County / Democratic Luncheon / Elks Country Club / Wellsburg, W. VA. / October 10, 1959" shows a cartoon of a personified donkey beating a drum on the front wrapper. 16pp within cardstock covers, featuring a nice biography of Kennedy on the first page. Expected wear including light grime and edge darkening. The inner pages are lightly toned but else clean and crisp. 5.75" x 9." A cream paper napkin with scalloped edges, printed in blue as "Democratic Luncheon / Honoring / Senator John F. Kennedy / October 10, 1959 / Elks Country Club" was tucked in the program and is in pristine condition. Accompanied by a provenance statement from the original collector Albert Lubran, then a high school student from Steubenville, Ohio.

Kennedy visited Wellsburg, West Virginia during the fall of 1959 to drum up support for his imminent presidential campaign. While at Wellsburg--located in the northern panhandle of the state approximately 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh--Kennedy was hosted by Senator from Kentucky Jennings Randolph (1902-1998), who had served in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1933-1947 and in the U.S. Senate since 1958. Also on October 10th in West Virginia, Kennedy delivered a speech entitled "New Uses for Coal" at the Civic Center in Charleston, and participated in an airport press conference in Wheeling.

This signed program dates from the throes of Kennedy's exhaustive "undercover campaign," the three-year period predating his official bid for Democratic candidate for U.S. President in January 1960. Between January and December 1959 alone, JFK, often accompanied by Jackie Kennedy, visited more than 28 states including Hawaii. Kennedy was not well-known on the national stage leading up to his presidential bid and trailed in early polls. He campaigned heavily throughout 1959, addressing union meetings, beauty pageants, farm shows, and school assemblies, He also used radio and television to broadcast his platform.

Kennedy eked out a narrow victory in the 1960 presidential election, defeating Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon by only 112,000 popular votes and 84 Electoral College ballots. Kennedy's first presidential term was cut short by his assassination in November 1963.

Provenance

The signed program and napkin were acquired and preserved by Albert Lubran of Steubenville, Ohio, who attended the event in Wellsburg, West Virginia (about 8.4 miles north of Steubenville). Lubran recalled:

"I grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, a small steel town on the banks of the Ohio River. At the time of that program, I was just beginning my senior year in high school. A good friend, several years older, was attending Steubenville College. The instructor of a political science class he was taking suggested the class members attend that event, and, I think they may have received extra credit for doing so. He invited me to go along with him, and although I wasn’t interested in politics at the time, I accepted because it was a Saturday, was only about a 25 minute drive from home, and was a free lunch.

My memory is not all that good and I recollect very little of the event itself. Also, I forgot to save a picture of the program but I must assume it included various local and state officials and politicians [Cataloger's note: yes, it certainly does; see attached photos.] The food served at that luncheon was equally unmemorable. I joined the line of attendees with my program and reached John first for a signature, followed by Jacqueline. I’ve kept the program and the little table napkin in my possession ever since then."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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April 14, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
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