John Kennedy (Relic from day he was shot)

John F. Kennedy: An Evocative Relic of that Sad November 22, 1963 Day in Dallas-the official Secret Service Tie Clip Worn by One of the Agents in the Presidential Motorcade. This item is accompanied by a letter of provenance from the infamous Martin E. Underwood.

Underwood has become a rather controversial figure in accounts of the events of that day. In Death of a President no less an authority than William Manchester identified him as one of the figures depicted in Cecil Strong's immortal photograph of a grieving Jackie at the swearing-in ceremony of Lyndon Johnson aboard Air Force One. However, according to a 2008 article by journalist Max Holland, Underwood was not aboard Air Force One that day (supported by the official Secret Service manifest of passengers) and, in fact, returned to Washington on Air Force Two.

Underwood was the advance man for the Houston leg of Kennedy's Texas Trip the day before. He did not travel with the presidential entourage to Dallas, and was in fact roused from a sound sleep at the Rice Hotel in Houston and rushed to the airport to join his fellow agents in Dallas upon word of the assassination. He continued in the Secret Service through the Johnson years, and late in life told fanciful tales about his role in Dallas and later as "one of LBJ's closest confidantes, a man who was in charge of Johnson's international security arrangements." These stories, unsupported by independent research, added allegations of a conspiracy behind the assassination. But they brought Underwood much attention, and so he has become one of the "major" names associated with the killing of Kennedy.

The tie clip is offered here along with a notarized hand-written 1992 affidavit from Underwood to collector Robert White. In the letter he states that is was worn by his "S.S. pal" (Secret Service) in the fatal motorcade. It was purchased originally in the famous Guernsey auction of the White Collection, where it hammered for $8400.

John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person to assume the presidency by election and the youngest president at the end of his tenure. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his foreign policy concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the U.S. Congress prior to his presidency.

With One of a Kind Collectibles LOA.

Auction Notepad