TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY JOSEPH J. EARLY, PUBLISHER OF THE BROOKLYN TIMES UNION, SENDING HIS AUTOGRAPH TO A FUTURE CONGRESSMAN.

Early sends a warm letter and his autograph to future congressman Seymour Halpern, then a young autograph collector. Halpern is the son of an old friend of Early: "Be sure to give my kindest regards to your good Father. He is a gem. He was one of my valued and old friends at Albany and while we see each other seldom, I value him highly and you are a lucky chap to be his son". Early also encourages Halpern in his pursuit of a career.

Joseph J. Early served as president of the Legislative Correspondents Association in Albany in 1912. He was the president and publisher of The Brooklyn Times Union from 1924 to 1927. He later served as legislative representative for the New York State Publishers Association and the Associated Dailies of New York State. He died in 1949.

The Queens, New York Republican Congressman Seymour Halpern (1913-1997) started his political career as a campaign aide to New York's powerful mayor Fiorella La Guardia and first served in New York's State Senate for 14 years before seeking a seat in the U.S. Congress. In Albany Halpern sponsored 279 bills that became law, including measures on schools, housing, civil rights, nutrition and mental health. A Liberal, he was something of an anomaly as the lone Republican representative from New York City, and generally garnered support from Labor Unions and endorsement from the Liberal Party. Yet he never even considered switching parties as he considered membership in the Republican Party a family tradition and commitment. While he found ample time for his private pursuits, including painting and collecting autographs, he took his legislative duties very seriously. Of these, he was proudest of his co-sponsorship of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and of the original 1965 Medicare legislation.