"The Taussig Letter."

The last letter aboard the first airmail flight from Washington was a letter from Postmaster General Burleson to the Honorable Thomas G. Patten, Postmaster at New York City.  This cover bore a bottom margin copy of the 24¢ air mail stamp.  Six high Post Office officials also initialed the selvage of the stamp.  President Woodrow Wilson signed the envelope near the edge of the envelope and just to the left of the stamp.  The stamp is tied by a clear strike of the First Trip cancel.  The address is typed neatly in three lines:  Hon. T. H. Patten.  Postmaster.  New York City.  The use of H for Patten's middle initial instead of G was typical of the events which surrounded the first flight.  Burleson referred to the stamp as being "the first aeroplane postage stamp to be sold by (his) department."

The letter resulted from an idea of Noah W. Taussig, a New York businessman and a life-long stamp collector.  The letter inside became the property of Postmaster Patten.  The cover itself went to Taussig.  He arranged for an auction to benefit the Red Cross and its war-time activities.  Taussig was disappointed when no one topped his guaranteed opening bid of $1,000, and he became the owner of the cover.

In 1978, Philip Silver, President of the American Air Mail Society, tracked down both the letter and the cover.  The letter was still in possession of the incumbent New York City Postmaster.  The cover remained in the possession of the Taussig family.

And Now, For the Rest of the Story

"The Taussig Letter - Part II."

I recently received an e-mail from Mr. Doug Taussig, the grandson of Noah W. Taussig mentioned above.  His told me more about the fate of the noted cover.  His grandfather donated the cover to the Smithsonian sometime in the 1980s.  It is now on display there as:  Taussig Cover.
 

To be Continued.

 Posted April 4, 2000; updated June 21, 2008

Editor's Note:  This series will draw on Donald B. Holmes' Air Mail -- an illustrated history 1793-1981 which is an exceptional piece of philatelic literature and The American Air Mail Catalogue Vol. 1 published by the American Air Mail Society.