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ALS signed “Jack Kennedy,” one page both sides, 5.5 x 8.5, Hotel Bellevue letterhead, February 8, 1946. Handwritten letter to Mrs. J. H. Muldoon, in full: "I had a wonderful time Monday night and I am very glad you invited me. I think you formed an exceptional club—and I imagine that you are very proud of its members and the work they are doing. I hope I see you soon again." In very fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Kennedy's own hand and incorporating his name, "J. F. Kennedy," in the return address area. Also includes a later Western Union telegram sent by Kennedy to Muldoon, stamp-dated May 13, 1947, in part: "Reference is made to the annual spring tour of the Brighton Women's Club. Am delighted that you are going to be able to stop here in Washington and would like to do something for you and other members during your stay."
Following his stint as a foreign correspondent with Hearst Newspapers, Kennedy returned to America and stayed at the Hotel Bellevue in Boston where his grandfather John F. Fitzgerald, former Boston Mayor and U.S. Congressmen, was spending his retirement. When Kennedy decided to run for Congress in April 1946, his father rented a two-room suite for him at the hotel so he had an official residence in the Congressional district. An astute political observer, JFK understood the power of the women's vote and visited local women's clubs during his early Congressional campaigns. Later on, 'Kennedy Teas'—meet and greets which allowed women voters to meet the candidate and his family in a relaxed, elegant setting—became a hallmark of his 1952 campaign for the Senate. An estimated 70,000 voters attended these events, which was nearly JFK's exact margin of victory over incumbent Republican Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.—who subsequently blamed 'those damn Kennedy Teas' for his loss.
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