HOME       About Us

1919 Calvin Coolidge Letter As Governor of Massachusetts To Cartoonist Albert T. Reid Acknowledging Receipt of Original Cartoon And Thanking Him For Campaign Support

Calvin Coolidge wrote and signed this letter during his 1919 campaign for reelection as Governor of Massachusetts and shortly after the incident that made him famous nationally, the Boston Police Strike. Had it not been for his decisive actions in the Boston police strike and famous telegram to Samuel Gompers, nationally prominent cartoonist Albert Reid would have taken no notice of him and Coolidge the following year would not have been drafted as the Republican candidate for Vice President.

Coolidge inspecting the State Militia During the 1919 Police Strike

During the police strike nearly three fourths of the Boston force left work. Mobs roamed Boston, breaking windows and looting stores for two nights and people were murdered. The mayor managed to restore order with local militias. Then Coolidge called in the entire state militia and broke the strikers' will. The president of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), Samuel Gompers, telegraphed Coolidge and suggested a compromise: the striking policemen would return to work if the city agreed to address their grievances. Coolidge answered with a terse statement "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime." That famous statement reverberated with the middle classes concerned about rising labor radicalism and Coolidge thus rose from obscurity to being a household name nationwide and easily won reelection as Governor.

The letter measures 7 3/8 x 10 3/8 inches and has some surface soiling.

Price: $350

Pay securely with credit card through PayPal by clicking the button below