Doolittle James

James H. Doolittle TLS with George Washington Bicentennial Airplane Flight Postal Cover

1p TLS signed by celebrated aviator James H. Doolittle (1896-1993) as "J.H. Doolittle" at lower right. The undated letter on "George Washington Bicentennial Airplane Flight" letterhead was transmitted in an original postal cover postmarked from Providence, Rhode Island on July 25, 1932. (This was the third stop of Doolittle's historic flight.) Expected light folds, else near fine. 7.25" x 10.5".

James Doolittle conceived of the George Washington Bicentennial Airplane Flight as a flying stunt, meant to illustrate the tremendous progress made in the 157-year-long history of the United States Postal Service. 1932 was chosen to commemorate George Washington's 200th birthday. On a single day--July 25, 1932--Doolittle would replicate part of the colonial postal service route, depositing mail pouches at 30 separate locations across 14 states. Accompanied by passenger Anne Madison Washington, a George Washington descendant, Doolittle traveled the 2,600-mile-long route in 15 hours and 40 minutes. They traveled as far east as Kittery, Maine, as far west as Point Pleasant, West Virginia, as far north as Crown Point, New York, and as far south as modern day Sunbury, North Carolina.

As Doolittle wrote in the letter: "I am making a flight over as many of the routes traveled by George Washington as is possible in a single day from dawn to dusk. I am informed that the average speed made by George Washington may be considered to be about twenty miles a day. The advance since then can best be indicated by the fact that it is hoped to cover in each hour the distance it took Washington nine days to travel."

The original transmittal air mail envelope features a lovely cachet emblazoned "From Dawn to Dusk Over Routes Traveled by Washington". Both the envelope and the letter were addressed to Pennsylvania Congressman Clyde Kelly (1883-1935). Kelly belonged to the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads and earned the soubriquet "father of air mail" because of his efforts to develop a faster, more efficient, modern air postal service.

James H. Doolittle is as much known for his far-reaching contributions to aviation and flight technology as he is for his heroic military service. The World War I flying cadet and test and demonstration pilot made the first transcontinental flight from Florida to California in 1922. A true aviator, he advocated for the universal expanded use of flying instruments, and later influenced combat flight policy. In 1942, Doolittle commanded the famous raid that bears his name, when 16 American B-25's set off on a harrowing one-way mission to drop bombs on mainland Japan.

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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