# AC591 - 8/4/2005, USA, John F. Kennedy 35th President, Presidential Libraries
First Day Cover Honors JFK Presidential Library
On August 4, 2005, the US Postal Service issued the Presidential Libraries stamp. This cover was postmarked at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston on the First Day of Issue of the stamp. The picture (cachet) on the cover shows Kennedy as President, in his famous Carolina Rocker chair, and Three-year-old John Kennedy, Jr. saluting his father's casket on the day of JFK's funeral. This cover is a fitting reminder of a well-loved President and the presidential library that now holds his papers.
Presidential Libraries Act Passed
Prior to this, presidential papers were seen as the president’s personal property. Most presidents took their papers with them after they left office. Some of these were destroyed, sold, or split up between multiple people.
It wasn’t until Franklin Roosevelt was president that these practices began to change. Roosevelt believed that presidential papers were part of the national heritage and should be open to the public. In 1939, Roosevelt bequeathed his papers to the government and donated part of his Hyde Park, New York, estate for a library.
Franklin’s successor, Harry S. Truman, saw the value in his idea for a presidential library and in 1950 decided that he would build one of his own. He tasked one of his assistants to work with the archivist of the United States on arranging the transfer of his papers to the government. They worked together to draft the Federal Records Act, which gave the government permission to accept presidential records. However, shortly after the act was passed in 1950, it revealed several problems. It didn’t protect Truman’s papers from unauthorized access and it didn’t allow the government to accept land and a building for the library.
First Day Cover Honors JFK Presidential Library
On August 4, 2005, the US Postal Service issued the Presidential Libraries stamp. This cover was postmarked at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston on the First Day of Issue of the stamp. The picture (cachet) on the cover shows Kennedy as President, in his famous Carolina Rocker chair, and Three-year-old John Kennedy, Jr. saluting his father's casket on the day of JFK's funeral. This cover is a fitting reminder of a well-loved President and the presidential library that now holds his papers.
Presidential Libraries Act Passed
Prior to this, presidential papers were seen as the president’s personal property. Most presidents took their papers with them after they left office. Some of these were destroyed, sold, or split up between multiple people.
It wasn’t until Franklin Roosevelt was president that these practices began to change. Roosevelt believed that presidential papers were part of the national heritage and should be open to the public. In 1939, Roosevelt bequeathed his papers to the government and donated part of his Hyde Park, New York, estate for a library.
Franklin’s successor, Harry S. Truman, saw the value in his idea for a presidential library and in 1950 decided that he would build one of his own. He tasked one of his assistants to work with the archivist of the United States on arranging the transfer of his papers to the government. They worked together to draft the Federal Records Act, which gave the government permission to accept presidential records. However, shortly after the act was passed in 1950, it revealed several problems. It didn’t protect Truman’s papers from unauthorized access and it didn’t allow the government to accept land and a building for the library.