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Franklin D. Roosevelt. Historic Typed Letter Signed to Amelia Earhart ("Franklin D. Roosevelt"), conce...
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Description
"...you have shown even the 'doubting Thomases' that aviation is a science which cannot be limited to men only..."
Franklin D. Roosevelt. Historic Typed Letter Signed to Amelia
Earhart ("Franklin D.
Roosevelt"), concerning her solo
flight from Honolulu to California. Washington [D.C.], January
18, 1935. One page of a bifolium, measuring 9 x 7 inches. On White
House letterhead and matching envelope, with typescript address
reading, "Miss Amelia Earhart / Oakland, California." Minor
offsetting, creased along old folds, a touch of bleed present in
the signature."The Vega landed at the Oakland airport at 1:31 p.m. PST, 18 hours and 17 minutes after Earhart had taken off from Wheeler Field [Honolulu, HI - 11 January 1935]. A tumultuous crowd of five thousand people was at the airport to greet her on arrival. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to have flown from Hawaii [to California], and the only pilot to have flown it solo," (Long).
A personal and deeply touching memento of the wonder and love the American people had for Earhart, all the way up to the trailblazer FDR himself. This letter marks one of the last record-breaking flights of Earhart's lifetime, revealing a glimpse of her bravery, determination, and curiosity, and foreshadowing much of the passion and grief that would surround her eventual disappearance in 1937.
Roosevelt writes, in full:
"My dear Miss Earhart:
I am pleased to send you this message of congratulations. You have scored again.
By successfully spanning the ocean stretches between Hawaii and California, following your triumphant trans-Atlantic flight of 1928, you have shown even the "doubting Thomases" that aviation is a science which cannot be limited to men only.
Because of swift advances in this science of flight, made possible by Government and private enterprise, scheduled ocean transportation by air is a distinct and definite future prospect.
The trail-blazers who opened to civilization the vast stretches of this Continent of ours, who moved our boundary from the Atlantic to the Pacific, were inspired and helped by women of courage and skill. From the days of these pioneers to the present era, women have marched step in step with men. And now, when air trails between our shores and those of our neighbors are being chartered, you, as a woman, have preserved and carried forward this precious tradition.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin D. Roosevelt"
Roosevelt's words further highlight the importance of Amelia's efforts, not only in the name of brilliant women reaching for the stars each day, but in the science of aviation as a whole; an effort, as Roosevelt notes, which transcended gender roles and expectations. Amelia's experiments and trials revealed critical information concerning radio transmission, air navigation, fuel calculations, and airplane engineering specifications. A beautiful and tangential moment in history: for women, science, and the world.
Long, Amelia Earhart; The Mystery Solved, pages 51-52.
Provenance: From the estate of record-breaking aviator, Amelia Earhart author and researcher Elgen M. Long and his wife, fellow Earhart scholar, Marie K. Long.
Auction Info
2022 July 16 Historical Platinum Session Signature® Auction #6258 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2022
16th
Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 1
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Page Views: 1,252
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