signed
by A. MITCHELL PALMER
ALEXANDER MITCHELL PALMER (1873-1936). Palmer was the Attorney General of the United States and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. After a career as a stenographer for the forty-third judicial district of Pennsylvania, he practiced law in Stroudsburg, before being elected to Congress in 1909. Originally, President Wilson offered Palmer the position of Secretary of War, but, due to Palmers Quaker beliefs in pacifism, he declined. Wilson, in turn, appointed him Alien Property Custodian, but then made him Attorney General in 1919. During the First Red Scare, he conducted the Palmer Raids, a series of controversial actions against suspected radicals and anarchists. In 1920, he was a contender for the Democratic Presidential nomination.TLS. 1pg. June 5, 1919. Washington. A typed letter signed A Mitchell Palmer to Miss Mary Patten: Your kind message is deeply appreciated. I am very thankful for the escape of my family and myself, and am more determined than ever that, if humanly possible, the Department of Justice under my administration shall be the means of putting an end forever to these lawless attempts to intimidate and injure, if not destroy, organized government in this country. Thanking you for your interest.... In June 1919, there was a bombing of Palmers home in reaction to the Palmer Raids. The letter has light toning and spotting, and is framed. It is in fine condition. A great content letter! (Inventory #: 6367)