ROOSEVELT, Franklin. D. (1882-1945). Photograph signed ("Franklin D Roosevelt") as President, inscribed to Raymond T. Cahill, n.p., n.d. [Washington, c. 1939-1941]. Additionally signed by Marguerite "Missy" LEHAND (1896-1944) and Grace TULLY (1900-1984).

Photograph, 278 x 350mm (mild foxing at margins, mounted to a slightly warped board).

Franklin Roosevelt and his secretaries. A whimsical and unusual photograph of F.D.R. seated with the two women who served as his personal secretaries during his four terms in the White House. LeHand, who F.D.R. had employed since the 1920s, accompanied him to the White House in 1933 where she became the first woman to serve as a presidential secretary and by 1936 had become the de facto White House chief of staff. Grace Tully began working for Roosevelt during his tenure as governor of New York and followed him to the White House where she served as LeHand's assistant. Raymond T. Cahill began his career in Washington with the Federal Housing Administration as a deputy commissioner in 1938—serving until 1943 when he resigned to join the F.D.I.C. where he remained well into the 1960s. The inscriptions concern presumably an inside joke between the three: F.D.R. writes "For 'Ray' – Sun, Moon, X or Violet?" LeHand adds-"'Sun,' of course," while Tully writes "I know your answer is 'Violet!'" While the precise nature of F.D.R.'s relationship with Cahill is not well-documented, Cahill had been rumored to have been in a romantic relationship with Grace Tully and the pair were planning marriage. This rumor, according to Walter Winchell, had been "debunked by intimates. Been pals for years…" (Winchell, "On Broadway," The Dayton Herald, 8 Feb. 1943). Provenance: Raymond T. Cahill – gifted to the consignor.