President John F. Kennedy Inaugural Event Invitations.

KENNEDY, John F.

$700.00

Item Number: 145456

Group of rare invitations to events surrounding the Kennedy inauguration; from the collection of Helen Keyes, longtime personal assistant for the Kennedy family. The collection includes: An invitation to attend “The Official Distinguished Ladies” reception hosted at the National Gallery by the “Official Hospitality Committee of the Inaugural Committee 1961” on January 18th, 1961; an invitation addressed directly to Helen Keyes requesting her attendance at a reception and buffet hosted by the National Symphony Orchestra “in honor of Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt” on January 19th, 1961 at Constitution Hall, accompanied by the original mailing envelope with stamp and address; and an invitation to attend “The Inaugural Concert” hosted by the National Symphony Orchestra on January 19th, 1961 at Constitution Hall. The recipient, Helen Mary Keyes, had ties to the Kennedy family long before her working association. Her father was the dentist to Joe and Rose Kennedy’s children and the families’ children became friends. Helen played a major role in JFK’s 1952 Senate campaign, hosting famous ‘Ladies Teas’ for the rising star of the Democratic Party. Her involvement continued throughout the Kennedy administration and during both the 1960 and 1964 Presidential campaigns. Each piece measures 7 inches by 9.75 inches with the exception of the letter addressed directly to Mrs. Keyes, which measures 6.5 inches by 8.5 inches. All are in fine condition with light toning.

The 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy, or JFK as he is often referred to, was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election and the youngest president at the end of his tenure. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his foreign policy concerned communist states such as the Soviet Union and Cuba. He increased the number of American military advisers in South Vietnam and authorized numerous operations to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro, including the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961. The following October, U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba; the resulting period of tensions, termed the Cuban Missile Crisis, nearly resulted in the breakout of a global thermonuclear conflict. He also signed the first nuclear weapons treaty in October 1963. As a presidential couple, the Kennedys differed from the Eisenhowers by their relative youth and their relationship with the media. Historian Gil Troy has noted that in particular, they "emphasized vague appearances rather than specific accomplishments or passionate commitments" and therefore fit in well in the early 1960s' "cool, TV-oriented culture". The Kennedys were great entertainers in both the White House and "Winter White House" in Palm Beach Florida, hosting many social events that brought together the most elite figures from politics and the arts.