The Visitor’s Book From the Office of Philadelphia Mayor, Bernard Samuel, Including Notable Visitors Such As Babe Ruth and Frank Sinatra

Bernard Samuel served as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1941-1952, the longest tenure in Philadelphia’s history. During that time his office kept a visitor’s book, recording notables that visited in both official and unofficial capacities. We have just obtained this book from the Samuel family descendants, and offer it here for the first time.

There are hundreds of signatures, and all in person. The principle signatories are: Babe Ruth, legendary baseball player whose authentic autograph is quite uncommon; Frank Sinatra, who used secretaries to sign things he placed in the mail; Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, top stars of their day, whose “Road to” films link their names in movie history; the great band leader Tommy Dorsey; actor Buck Jones, who helped create the genre of westerns, signed just three days before he was killed in the famed Coconut Grove fire; King George II of Greece, in exile as the Nazis were occupying his country; Ireland’s President Eamon de Valera; Antanas Smetona, the first (and last) President of Lithuania, signing when he country had just been absorbed by the Soviet Union; Prince Bernhard, consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, signed when their nation was under Nazi occupation; parents of the 5 Sullivan brothers, all U.S. navy sailors killed when their ship was sunk in 1942; Eve Curie, biographer of her mother, Madame Curie; Joseph Martin, Speaker of the House of Representatives; opera star Lauritz Melchior; the wife of war hero Colin Kelly; actor Walter Pidgeon; boxer Barney Ross; and Miss America 1943 Jean Bartel.

This is the first Babe Ruth autograph we have carried in over 25 years, and our first of Sinatra since 1999.