Franklin D. Roosevelt: Typed Letter Signed as New York Governor with Holographic Correction.... (Total: 2 Items)

Description

FDR writes in 1932, "...I fear there is no chance of my going to the Olympic Games this coming summer..."

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Interesting Franklin D. Roosevelt signed letter on State of New York/ Executive Chamber/ Albany letterhead dated March 11, 1932, to Mr. John Hooper, President of the Canadian Tourists' Society, with original transmittal envelope. FDR writes: "Dear Mr. Hooper:/ Thanks for your interesting letter. The Hilborne L. Roosevelt was a somewhat distant cousin but I knew him very well when I was a boy. I am glad to hear that you know the New Brunswick country. We still have a summer cottage at Campobello Island [‘Campobello' was originally typed as ‘Campo Bello' and corrected by fountain pen in FDR's own hand]./ I fear there is no chance of my going to the Olympic Games this coming summer or to the meeting of the Society in Los Angeles./ I shall hope to see you one of these days./ Very sincerely yours,/ Franklin D. Roosevelt." FDR's cousin Hilborne L. Roosevelt had a distinguished career in his own right as one of the founders of the Roosevelt Organ Company, which manufactured some of the most notable pipe organs still in existence today. The Roosevelt Organ Company was later absorbed by Farrand & Votey in 1893, which in turn was merged into The Aeolian Company. Hilborne and his brother, the "other" Frank Roosevelt's organs were the finest that money could buy. Their lists of installations, especially in the eastern part of the country, reads like a royal lineage: St. Thomas Church, the Church of the Holy Communion, Grace Church, all in Manhattan; the Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City, Long Island (the largest organ in the world when built in 1879-1883); the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition; the Original Catholic Cathedral in Baltimore (designed by Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the Capital building in Washington, D.C.); numerous large synagogues all over the eastern metropolitan area; the Chicago Auditorium. The Roosevelt brothers' production of fine instruments, a total of 536 organs, is nothing short of spectacular. A very interesting letter by FDR to Mr. Hooper discussing FDR's musical relative and the 1932 Olympic games. Staged in the midst of a worldwide economic depression, the 1932 Olympic Games represented a triumph of the Olympic spirit. Organized on a grand scale, the Games attracted the athletes of 37 nations and more spectators than any previous Games. Crowds of 100,000 filled the main stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, for Opening and Closing Ceremonies; 40,000 to 80,000 attended events there daily. An estimated 500,000 to 1 million people viewed the marathon.