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Official dipping pen attributed to President John F. Kennedy's signing of the Mental Retardation Facilities & Community Health Centers Construction Act of 1963 (S. 1576). The official 'bill signer' Esterbrook pen measures 6.25˝ long and features a black plastic grip with a Lucite handle imprinted with "The President—The White House." Includes a TLS from Lawrence F. O’Brien, special assistant to the president, White House letterhead, October 31, 1963, forwarding the pen to Illinois Congressman: “The President asked me to send you the attached pen which was used today when he approved S. 1576, Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963. Of course, this is a companion to the legislation which you sponsored.” Both are mounted and framed together to an overall size of 11.25 x 14.25. In fine condition, with rippling to the transmittal letter.
Passed as part of John F. Kennedy's New Frontier, the Community Mental Health Act of 1963 was an act to provide federal funding for community mental health centers and research facilities in the United States. The purpose of the CMHA was to establish mental health centers that provide community-based care as an alternative to institutionalization. Despite considerable deinstitutionalization, the CMHA proved to be a mixed success. Only half of the proposed centers were ever built; none were fully funded, and the act didn't provide money to operate them in the long term. Some states closed expensive state hospitals, but never spent money to establish community-based care, and many patients, formerly warehoused in institutions, were released into the community.
Larry O’Brien (1917-1990) was one of the United States Democratic Party's leading electoral strategists for more than two decades, serving as Postmaster General in President Lyndon B. Johnson’s cabinet. He later became commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1975 to 1984. The NBA Championship Trophy is named in his honor.
Chicago politician Dan Rostenkowski (1928–2010) was one of the most powerful legislators in Congress, especially in matters of taxation. During his career, he held positions such as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, House Democratic Chief Deputy Whip, and Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. However, after 34 years of serving as an Illinois congressman, Rostenkowski was defeated for reelection in 1994 amid an investigation by the Justice Department for his involvement in the House Post Office scandal. In 1996, he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of mail fraud and was fined and sentenced to 17 months in prison, 15 of which he served at the Oxford Federal Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. President Clinton pardoned Rostenkowski in December 2000, remarking that 'Rostenkowski had done a lot for his country and had more than paid for his mistakes.'
