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Franklin D. Roosevelt. Typed letter signed ("Franklin D. Roosevelt")....
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Sold on May 7, 2022 for:
$8,750.00
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Description
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Typed letter signed ("Franklin D. Roosevelt"). 1 page, (7.25 x 10.5 inches), Marion, Massachusetts, August 31, 1925, to Julian Goldman. On personalized "Franklin D. Roosevelt" letterhead as Vice President of Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, New York City. Staple hole and paperclip indentation at upper left. Two minute areas of soiling.Roosevelt optimistically discusses his rehabilitation efforts following the polio diagnosis to a close friend and advisor.
Roosevelt writes, in part:
"The course of treatment and the exercises is so strict that I fear I could hardly catch a glimpse of you if you came on... Because of all this (or in spite of it) the old legs are doing wonders. There is no question that the muscles have very nearly doubled their strength in the past week, and, more than that, I am able to get almost all of my weight on my knees without braces. This doctor has the right idea - he says "the only way to walk is to walk" and I am keeping everlastingly at it..."
After his polio diagnosis in 1921, FDR was left paralyzed from the waist down. However, he was a firm believer in rehabilitation and doggedly underwent various treatments over the next decade, refusing to give up hope. In 1925, he was taking treatments in Marion with Dr. William McDonald, a friend of his uncle Fred Delano. McDonald was a neurologist who was experimenting with the rehabilitation of polio-wasted muscles using a combination of swimming and exercise. FDR stayed there throughout the fall and, in early December, actually walked on his own with only his left leg brace and crutches. His later rehab treatments took place in Warm Springs. Roosevelt aimed to achieve enough mobility in the legs to walk without braces. While he ultimately was unsuccessful, this letter illustrates that he, at least briefly, had regained enough mobility to warrant the optimistic tone he uses throughout.
Auction Info
2022 May 7 Treasures from the Melvin "Pete" Mark, Jr. Collection Signature® Auction #6256 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
May, 2022
7th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 4
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