ROOSEVELT ELEANOR: (1884-1962) American Political Leader, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt. First Lady of the United ...

ROOSEVELT ELEANOR: (1884-1962) American Political Leader, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt. First Lady of the United States 1933-45. T.L.S., Eleanor Roosevelt, with several holograph corrections, two pages, 4to, Columbus, Ohio, 29th October 1939, to Miss. von Hesse, on the attractive printed stationery of the Deshler-Wallick Hotel. Roosevelt states that she enjoyed her correspondent's visit and remarks 'The things you are doing for Florida is a grand piece of work, and I like your notes on the radio program very much', continuing to add that she would like to write a piece in her column about it, if von Hesse doesn't feel it would harmful, and also writing 'You have prepared yourself so well for this, and it seems to me that you might get a good clientele from different parts of the country where they will want to advertise some special event. For instance, New Mexico and Arizona are celebrating the four hundredth year of their founding in 1940, and it seems to me that they could do nothing better than to have a radio program about it in order to acquaint the country with what they have to offer of real interest. I think the San Francisco Fair could have done a much better advertising job. Perhaps if you could look around, you could find places where local things are happening which should be of nation wide interest and get the people to sponsor a program. You might build up a very valuable piece of work besides earning a living, doing something which would be intensely interesting'. Roosevelt further asks her correspondent if they can assist in finding a simple house to rent for a month and discussing her requirements, 'I would like it on some beach in south east Florida where it would be warm and sunny. I would not want it in a row near too many neighbours……If there was a maid who went with the house, that would be grand, otherwise it would have to be near a restaurant' and concludes by remarking 'Remember me to your mother and tell her I am apparently doing well with her instructions, because my audiences are good on this trip'. One very slight, minor paperclip rust stain to the upper left corner of the first page, otherwise VG Roosevelt's correspondent was evidently the daughter of Elizabeth von Hesse, the First Lady's speech teacher who had helped her to lower her voice and improve her tone and resonance. Between 1935 and 1941 Eleanor Roosevelt travelled America for the W. Colston Leigh Bureau of Lectures and Entertainments, giving over 700 paid lectures.