John F. Kennedy's personal briefcase was a wedding gift from Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. This briefcase, gold-stamped with the initials "JFK," was used by him through the White House years and is documented as being with Jackie when she moved out of the White House after the assassination. It was also used by John F. Kennedy, Jr. when he attended Brown University. The briefcase has been exhibited at several museums, and is accompanied by over ten pages of documentation. It has been called "The essence of Camelot!"
The famous and highly documented briefcase, made by Crouch & Fitzgerald of New York, was featured in their advertising. Crouch & Fitzgerald also displayed it in their Madison Avenue window in 1999. An original certificate and ad attests to this fact and documents the purchase by Jacqueline Bouvier as a wedding present. The series in the New York Daily News about the book "A Woman Named Jackie" quotes "Neighbors and curiosity seekers jammed the street to watch a procession of movers transport the family's possessions and personal effects - a long rack containing Jackie's fur coats, Caroline's two-wheeler bicycle, a series of boxes marked 'John Jr.'s toys' and identical cages housing the children's pet parakeets. The onlookers also saw a sad reminder - a briefcase with the initials 'JFK', her wedding present to him." After Jackie brought it home, it probably lay as a valued family relic in the Kennedy household. A decade and a half later, the President's son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. used this briefcase while attending the prestigious Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The generous soul that he was known to be, he gave the briefcase to his fraternity brother, Richard Wiese. A notarized letter from Richard Wiese accompanies the case.
From Wiese, this briefcase went to Martin F. Zweig, a trustee of the famous Museum of American Financial History on Wall Street. The museum is run by John Herzog, formerly of the well-known Wall Street firm that bears his name. According to the press release included with the paperwork, museum executive director Brian C. Thompson said, "It is the single most valuable gift to the museum's collection in its ten year history." It was then exhibited at The Florida International Museum where a Kennedy collection of artifacts was exhibited, under the curatorship of Robert White. It was determined that the briefcase needed to be sold to help the budget of the museum. Some years ago, television's "History Channel's Lost and Found" featured this briefcase. Additionally, the book "Remembering Jack: Intimate and Unseen Photographs of the Kennedys" by Jacques Lowe includes a photograph of then-Senator and Democratic Presidential nominee John F. Kennedy on a campaign plane with the briefcase clearly visible and place next to one of his aides. One can only imagine what this briefcase contained on this trip, and throughout its decade-long history of use and ownership by JFK.
The briefcase is in very well-traveled condition. Interestingly, it bears a U. S. Customs inspection stamp. It shows numerous scratches and the leather edges are worn and frayed. The gold colored latches are tarnished and the lid is tenuously attached to the base. 12 x 17 1/2 x 5
* This lot is not part of the Robert L. White Collection