ALS signed “Jack,” two pages, 6.5 x 9.25, United States Senate letterhead, no date. Letter to Estes Kefauver after the 1956 Democratic convention. In full, “Many thanks for your most thoughtful note. I appreciated you writing at a time when you are heavily engaged. You and Governor Stevenson have gotten off to an excellent start, and you can be sure that I shall do everything from here in New England to ensure the success of you both. I shall look forward to seeing you both next week in Hartford.” Many Democratic leaders considered Stevenson the only natural choice for the presidential nomination in 1956, and his chances for victory seemed greater after Eisenhower's heart attack late in 1955. The real drama at the convention was the selection of a Vice Presidential nominee. Going into the convention there was talk of selecting Senator Kennedy as Stevenson's running mate. Instead Stevenson decided to open the selection to the convention in an open vote. Thirteen candidates were nominated on the first ballot, including Sens. Albert Gore Sr. and Estes Kefauver of Tennessee and Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Kennedy led the crowded field during the second round of balloting and was within 40 votes of securing the nomination when Gore withdrew from the contest and threw his support behind his Tennessee colleague. A number of delegations jumped on the Kefauver bandwagon. Kennedy came close but fell short in securing the nomination as Kefauver then came from behind and won the prize. It has been written that a 10-year-old boy named Bill Clinton who sat transfixed in front of a black-and-white set in rural Arkansas, watching the frenzied struggle for the vice-presidential nomination at the 1956 Democratic convention. Years later, when first running for president himself, Clinton recalled in an interview that his appetite for politics had been whetted that afternoon. "The Kennedy-Kefauver thing, oh, yeah," he said in a tone of wondrous recollection. "I remember that, and Kennedy's gracious concession speech." In fine condition, with horizontal mailing folds and a couple staple holes to top edges. COA John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and R&R COA.
