Billy Graham Three Typed Letters, 2 Signed & 1 Printed Signature

A group of three typed letters, all measuring 7.25" x 10.5", on personal letterhead. Addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Jeremiah Milbank, two of the letters are signed "Billy", and the other has a printed signature "Billy Graham." William Franklin Graham Jr. (1918-2018) was a prominent evangelical Christian and Southern Baptist minister who hosted "Crusades" on television from 1947 to 2006. He supported racial integration and invited to joint preach with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1957. Graham also served as a spiritual advisor to presidents, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama, and he enjoyed particularly close relationships with Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon. The three letters included are as follows:

1. September 21, 1957, No place. 1p signed "Billy", addressed to Mrs. Milbank concerning the New York Crusade. Reading in part: "The prayers of God's people, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the simple Gospel message is the only explanation for that which we saw there in New York, and I do want to thank you for your share in making this Crusade possible. I am very much interested in what you tell me of Mr. Milbank's interest in Cecil B. deMille's production of the "King of Kings." I believe that God greatly used that film and it is still being used in many parts of the world…"

2. July 30, 1964, Montreat, North Carolina. 1p signed "Billy", addressed to Mrs. Milbank, responding to an invitation. Reading in part: "I am honored and overwhelmed to be invited to address the Ladies Christian Union at your Annual Meeting in 1965. I have heard of the great work that you are doing and am completely committed to your cause. However, I have a serious problem in that my plans call for me to be in Hawaii at that time when we will be holding a major crusade in Honolulu and in other cities throughout the Islands during the month of February. There is only the very slightest chance that I could be with you on February 5, and I would not like for you to hold that date open until I was sure as that will be late in the fall…"

3. December 31, 1963, Montreat, North Carolina. 2pp with a printed signature. Addressed to Jeremiah Milbank, recalling his friendship with Cecil B. DeMille. Reading in part: "I first met Mr. DeMille in 1949 right after I had conducted an evangelistic crusade in Los Angeles which had attracted considerable attention and publicity. Mr. DeMille asked me to lunch and then asked me to consider going into motion pictures. I told him that God had called me to preach and that I could not be swerved or deterred. He laughed and said, 'I'm glad that you answered me that way.' From then on we became good friends…"

All letters have flattened mail folds, with a few areas of spotting and soiling. Bold signatures.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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