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TLS signed “Jack,” one page, 8 x 10.5, House of Representatives letterhead, no date but circa 1952–1953. Letter to constituent Helen Keyes of Dorchester, Massachusetts, in part: "Since I just returned from Europe, I have been delayed in telling you how grateful I am for your wonderful efforts during the past months of the campaign. The tremendous enthusiasm for the Teas was certainly a tribute to the interest and hard work of you and your group, and I know that they proved to be of great importance in our ultimate victory. I am deeply grateful to you for the time and energy you gave so unselfishly." He adds a handwritten postscript: "This expresses very inadequately my thanks for all that you did. As Neal O'Hara said at the Cloves Club dinner Mr. Lodge was drowned in 500 gallons of tea—which you had poured." In very good to fine condition, with slightly irregular overall toning.
An astute political observer, John F. Kennedy 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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