History In Ink®  Historical Autographs


1222118

William Howard Taft

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From the personal collection of Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark

 

Taft asks the clerk to review his letter to the Governor of Mississippi, likely about a case

William Howard Taft, 1857-1930. 27th President of the United States, 1909-1913; 10th Chief Justice of the United States, 1921-1930. Typed Letter Signed as Chief Justice, Wm H Taft, one page, 8" x 10½", on stationery of the Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, D.C., March 6, 1928. 

Taft asks the Supreme Court clerk to check his letter to Mississippi Governor Theodore G. Bilbo for accuracy and then to mail it.  In full:  “I send to you, to be mailed, the letter I have written to the Governor of Mississippi, to see that it states the case." 

Taft's letter to the governor is not present, but he likely wrote him about the Supreme Court's decision the previous day in Swayne v. City of Hattiesburg, 276 U.S. 599 (1928).  In Swayne, the Court unanimously, and summarily, affirmed a split decision of the Mississippi Supreme Court upholding a state statute that authorized assessment of the cost of street improvements against the abutting property owners.  The Court held that the statute did not, among other things, violate the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

The Chief Justice had good reason to be careful in his dealings with Bilbo, who served twice as Governor of Mississippi.  Bilbo (1877-1947) was an avowed racist and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, supported segregation and criticized his predecessor for calling out the National Guard to prevent a lynching in the state capital.  He has been called a master of scathing rhetoric and a rough-and-tumble fighter in debate.  Bilbo was elected to the United States Senate in 1934 and served in the Senate until he died.

Taft, the only person ever to serve as both President of the United States and Chief Justice of the United States, has signed the letter in black fountain pen with a 2¼" signature.  The letter has paper clip impressions at the top and right margins and a small paperclip stain in a blank area at the left.  There are two normal mailing folds, on of which barely touches the tops of the "W" and "T" in Taft's signature, and one slightly diagonal fold above the top horizontal one.  It is in fine condition. 

Provenance:  This letter comes from the personal collection of Justice Tom C. Clark, who served on the Supreme Court from 1949 until 1967. Justice Clark collected the autographs of Supreme Court Justices dating back into the 19th Century.  This one comes with the backing page, which bears the federal eagle watermark and Chief Justice Taftʼs typed name, that Justice Clark inserted behind the item in the page protector used to house this piece his collection.  This piece is not laid down to the backing sheet.

Unframed.  Please ask us about custom framing this piece.

 

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