Description
Letter from President William H. Taft regarding a recent injury, during the 1912 presidential campaign. President Taft noted that “…a few more days of rest, and I’ll be out on the links again.”
Letter written on White House stationery, measures 8″ x 7″, previously folded for mailing. Light toning and creasing along bottom half.
Full letter reads: “My dear Charlie: Thank you for your kind letter of September 7th. It won’t be necessary for me to try Doctor Phillips’ remedy this time, for, I am glad to say, my ankle is very greatly improved. A few more days of rest, and I’ll be out on the links again. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, old man! Sincerely yours, Wm H. Taft.”
(Provenance: Christie’s Auctions, Sold in 2003, Sale #1246, Lot 2465-012.)
On September 4, 1912, President Taft sprained his ankle while playing golf in Washington, D.C. He was ridiculed in the press for playing golf during the height of the 1912 presidential campaign, but he maintained his previous schedule despite the injury. He traveled to campaign events in New York the following day, then onto his home in Beverly, Mass, where this letter was written on September 9th. His ankle improved quickly and the newspapers reported that he resumed playing on September 11th, 1912. The recipient of this letter, Charles A. Ricks (1869-1914) was a manager at Standard Oil Company in Cleveland and the founder of the G.C. Kuhlman Car Company.
