At the time of the 1960 presidential election, I was a little eight year old girl, but I was aware of Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, who were running for election. I have only a vague memory of writing a letter, stating that I thought “he” would be a good President and, if I were old enough, I would vote for him. I likely wrote this note in August or September 1960.

Here is the reply, written on 21 October 1960, exactly 55 years ago today:

Treasured Letter

I was one excited little girl when my mother handed me the envelope!

I was even more surprised at Christmas time 1960 when this came in the mail, also addressed to me:

Christmas Wishes from the President-Elect

Neither of these items has more than sentimental value, as the letter is signed with an autograph machine and the card has his imprinted name and no personalized message. However, I have treasured both these items for years now and they became even more important to me on 22 November 1963.