John F. Kennedy Senator Signature Collage

Presented is a John F. Kennedy inscribed and autographed United States Senate Restaurant menu. Kennedy signed the menu on April 10, 1957, when he was a Senator representing the state of Massachusetts. Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate and served as the junior Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 until 1960.

The signature reads, in dark ink “To Kathleen– / Best Wishes / John Kennedy / Mass,” on the menu’s front cover. The menu is additionally signed by Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, at bottom left. The two interior pages of the menu are printed with the date and descriptions of a number of delectables of the day, including a 12-ounce sirloin steak for $3.50 and a rum pie served with whipped cream for 35¢.

Before becoming the 35th president of the United States in 1961, Kennedy gained national prominence as the junior senator from Massachusetts. He served on the Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor and Management Field, which held public hearings to investigate corruption in American labor unions. He also became a best-selling author, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Profiles in Courage in 1957. That same year, he chaired a special committee to choose the Senate’s Famous Five. When Kennedy became the Democratic nominee for president in 1960, he chose Senate majority leader Lyndon B. Johnson as his vice-presidential running mate.

CONDITION:
Very good condition. Small 4to, folded sheet. Signatures in ballpoint pen, legible with no fading. Paper healthy with only minor scattered soiling to rear cover. Menu dated April 10, 1957.

Menu is framed at center with two black and white photographs of Kennedy on either side and a descriptive plaque. Archival custom-built frame, with dark grey mat, gold spandrels, black linen top mat, UV Conservation Clear glass and black and gold wooden frame. Framed Dimensions: 22″ H x 40 1/2″ W x 1 1/2″ D.