TYPED LETTER TO FUTURE CONGRESSMAN SEYMOUR HALPERN SIGNED BY AMERICAN ASTROPHYSICIST AND SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION CHARLES GREELEY ABBOT.

Abbot, Charles Greeley. (1872-1973). American astrophysicist. Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1928 to 1944.

Published by Washington, DC: January 14, 1931., 1931

About this Item

- 88 words typed on a sheet of 10-1/2 inch high by 8 inch wide cream-colored Smithsonian Institution letterhead with an engraved vignette of the Institution and a list of its departments at the top. Signed "C G Abbot". There is light creasing to the letter. The bottom left corner is creased with a glue stain. Folded twice for mailing. Good. Abbot writes to the young Seymour Halpern who has evidently asked which are the most interesting exhibits at the Institution: "The exhibit in the National Museum which attracts the most attention is Colonel Lindbergh 'Spirit of St. Louis' but there are hundreds of others which are also of very great interest. For instance.the animals collected for the Institution by Colonel Roosevelt in Africa after his Presidency; the Ward Collection of African weapons and sculptures; the exhibit of the dresses of the wives of the Presidents."Charles Greeley Abbot [1872-1973] was an American astrophysicist and the fifth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. As an astrophysicist he researched the solar constant--research that led him to invent the solar cooker, solar boiler, solar still and other patented solar energy inventions.The Queens, New York Republican Congressman Seymour Halpern (1913-1997) started his political career as a campaign aide to New York's powerful mayor Fiorella La Guardia and first served in New York's State Senate for 14 years before seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress. In Albany Halpern sponsored 279 bills that became law, including measures on schools, housing, civil rights, nutrition and mental health. A Liberal, he was something of an anomaly as the lone Republican representative from New York City, and generally garnered support from Labor Unions and endorsement from the Liberal Party. Yet he never even considered switching parties as he considered membership in the Republican Party a family tradition and commitment. While he found ample time for his private pursuits, including painting and collecting autographs, he took his legislative duties very seriously. Of these, he was proudest of his co-sponsorship of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and of the original 1965 Medicare legislation.

Seller Inventory # 36351

Bibliographic Details

• Title: TYPED LETTER TO FUTURE CONGRESSMAN SEYMOUR HALPERN SIGNED BY AMERICAN ASTROPHYSICIST AND SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION CHARLES GREELEY ABBOT.
• Publisher: Washington, DC: January 14, 1931.
• Publication Date: 1931
• Condition: Good
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Americana