Description:

FLORENCE HARDING'S CRITICAL ILLNESS
FLORENCE HARDING (1860 – 1924) Wife of President Warren G. Harding and First Lady of the United States from 1921 until her husband's death in 1923. In early September, 1922 she became ill with a serious kidney ailment, and the public was alerted as to the severity of it on September 8 in a medical bulletin. The eminent physician Charles Mayo was called in to treat her. By the time he arrived, Florence was suffering from sepsis and was falling in and out of consciousness. The gates of the White House were opened to accommodate the thousands of well-wishers who came to pray for her. Dr. Mayo insisted that emergency surgery was the only option to save Florence, who did not favor surgery. By September 11 her condition had worsened that, as she later related, she had a near death experience seeing two figures at the end of her bed. Florence insisted she would not die because her husband needed her. Over weeks she fought back to recover from what she called the 'Valley of Death'. Pair of typed medical reports on Mrs. Harding's condition, [White House, Washington], Sep. 9, 1922, comprised of a typed draft with pencil emendations and a finished copy for public release. Changes between the initial draft and the finished product are generally gloomy - at 7:30 PM Mrs. Harding's condition is no longer considered as 'improved somewhat', her temperature measured at 102.2 with respiration at 36, pulse 112. Added notes state: 'Condition still critical. Dr. G. T. Harding, Jr., President Harding's brother joined the medical council...Dr. Chas. Mayo...will arrive at Washington at 9 A.M. Sunday...' Both pages are damp stained with margins a bit ragged. While President Harding would die the following August, Florence would survive another two years before her kidneys would finally fail completely.

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April 2, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000