Las Vegas Sun

April 25, 2024

John F. Kennedy’s WWII letters sell at auction

BOSTON — A collection of letters John F. Kennedy sent to the family of a lost PT-109 crewmate has sold for $200,000 at an auction.

RR Auction, a Boston-based auction house, said the sale happened Thursday, during a two-day auction at the Omni Parker House that also saw the sale of a collection of letters that Kennedy's younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, wrote to a classmate.

The letters from John Kennedy were to the family of Harold Marney, who was killed in 1943 when the PT-109 boat Kennedy commanded was destroyed by the Japanese. Kennedy, who became a war hero for saving crew members, sent condolences to Marney's parents, calling his death a great loss.

The letters Robert Kennedy wrote were sent to Peter MacLellan from 1941 and 1945. They fetched $31, 250.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy