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Draft ALS signed “Love, Dad,” one page both sides, 8 x 12.5, April 23, 1968. Partial handwritten draft of a letter to his daughter, Maureen, offering an explanation as to why a friend was not made a Republican delegate. In full: "…a scramble that was beginning as campaigning started for a number of gals. It threatened to split our delegation before we even started. We tried several people before coming to the one who agreed to take it on. Incidentally her nomination was seconded by Ann Bowler. I know there are bad guys as well as good but our party splits have had some of both on each side. Unity doesn't mean a truce with all of us still hating each other. It means finding as many as possible who can learn they were acting like bad guys only because they didn't know the others and thought the others were the bad guys.
It would have been easy to choose a delegation representing only our group and then we could have risen to another glorious triumph like 1964. Maybe I won't be the Moses to lead us to the promised land but I do have a delegation put together that has, for the 1st time, a lot of once hostile Republicans in the same tent. Maybe it'll work. I know there is some unhappiness about delegates but look…We have 20 Repub. state Sen's, 38 Assemblymen another 30 or so Congressmen, 58 County Chairmen, 58 Reagan chairmen, all the volunteer groups, some pretty hefty party supporters & contributors, the state central committee and enough others to bring the first list of availables to more than 2000. Finally after weeks of effort the committee got this down to those who absolutely had to be delegates—there were 250 for 36 spots.
Actually I think we are accomplishing something out here but like the man said, 'You can lose your burro trying to please everybody.' I know you were in some of the close quarter battles, bear some scars & still hurt, so do I. But someone had to try & end the war and it might as well be me. I hope this put some water in the pool." The partial draft is stapled to a two-page retained carbon copy of the final, typed draft of the letter. In fine condition.
Ronald Reagan’s 1968 Republican campaign was an ambitious late entry which positioned him as a conservative alternative to Richard Nixon and Nelson Rockefeller. Though serving as California’s governor for just two years, Reagan gained support from the party’s right wing but struggled to consolidate enough delegates. Ultimately, his campaign fell short at the Republican National Convention, where Nixon secured the nomination.
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