N A U R U :: Bernard Dowiyogo ::
Click each to view: Letter | Envelope
In Office: 12.17.1973 - 03.09.2003
Wiki: President Bernard Dowiyogo
Comments: Perhaps my favorite letter of all; an endearing letter from the President of the world's smallest nation (8.1 square miles!!!). "I do not have spare photograph of myself, but I hope this letter will be appreciated all the same." I not only appreciate this letter President Dowiyogo, but I cherish it. I love how simple the letter and envelope are for a head of state. I love the fact that the envelope deems it necessary to give a general idea of where Nauru is located (Nauru Island - Central Pacific). I also love how the postage on the envelope was dated two years prior to the letter being received. President Dowiyogo passed away in 2003 while being treated for diabetes. Nauru unfortunately holds the title for maintaining the world's highest level of type 2 diabetes (40% of population), and 90% of adults have a higher BMI than the world average.
------------------------------------------------------------
M A L D I V E S :: Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope A/B
In Office: 11.11.1978 - 11.11.2008
Wiki: President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Comments: Another favorite from my collection. The unexpectedly heavy package I received from President Gayoom not only contained his letter/autograph, but also a complete set of vibrant Maldives postcards and a bulky, oversized full color 192 page publication, "Journey through Maldives." Oh, and the package also had a brilliant, bold neon green sticker, "Inspected by U.S. Customs," now residing below the bridge on my electric guitar. If the book's photography is a true reflection of this massive atoll chain, then the Maldives is the most spectacularly beautiful country on earth - and the future location of my honeymoon. Gayoom, derided by some as a dictator due in part to his firm grip on office (and as the longest serving Asian head of state), was finally defeated in 2008 by Mohamed Nasheed.
------------------------------------------------------------
D O M I N I C A :: Sir Clarence Henry Seignoret ::
Click each to view: Letter | Auto 1 | Auto 2 | Envelope
In Office: 12.19.1983 - 10.25.1993
Wiki: President Sir Clarence Seignoret
Comments: Sir Clarence enjoyed my request so much he graciously provided two autographs in addition to some informative Dominica touristic propaganda! Queen Elizabeth II awarded Seignoret the Order of the British Empire in 1966 and knighted him in 1985. Seignoret passed away in 2002. Dominica - "Nature Isle of the Caribbean" - spans 290 square miles and is one of the world's least populous countries.
------------------------------------------------------------
M A R S H A L L | I S L A N D S :: Amata Kabua ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: ??.??.1979 - 12.20.1996
Wiki: President Amata Kabua
Comments: I asked President Kabua to sign a letter for me, but he insisted on sending a signed photo instead. Sweet pic, Amata! Kabua was the first President of the Marshall Islands, serving five consecutive terms before passing away in 1996. Not only was Kabua the first Marshall Islands President, but he also composed the music and lyrics for the country's national anthem, Forever Marshall Islands. A true Oceanic Renaissance man indeed.
------------------------------------------------------------
P O L A N D :: Lech Wałęsa ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 12.22.1990 - 12.22.1995
Wiki: President Lech Wałęsa
Comments: One of the world's most famous leaders, Lech Wałęsa is a Polish treasure. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, this co-founder of Solidarność (probably the most famous union in the history of the world) is perhaps my most impressive international autograph. U2's famous track "New Year's Day" was inspired by Wałęsa and his Solidarność movement. Wałęsa eventually lost his reelection bid in 1995 when Aleksander Kwaśniewski capitalized on Wałęsa's rising unpopularity and comically poor understanding of the media's electoral influence, once telling Kwaśniewski to "shake his leg" when offered his opponent's hand after a debate.
------------------------------------------------------------
T R I N I D A D & T O B A G O :: Noor Hassanali ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 03.19.1987 - 03.19.1997
Wiki: President Noor Mohamed Hassanali
Comments: There's nothing like receiving two identical photographs signed by the President of the Trinidad and Tobago and each dated the day before he was initially elected President, six years prior to my receiving them. I suppose he was so confident of his election, he signed a bunch of photos expecting an influx of international mail requesting his signature once he was inaugurated. He only had to wait six years for my request. Hassanali passed away in 2006.
------------------------------------------------------------
A R G E N T I N A :: Carlos Saúl Menem ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 07.08.1989 - 12.09.1999
Wiki: President Carlos Saúl Menem
Comments: My favorite international autograph, only because President Menem warmly inscribed the photograph to me personally, exceptionally unusual for a head of state. He just looks like a happy, nice guy too. Unfortunately, his affable appearance didn't translate well in his native Argentina, where he was arrested and charged with serious corruption charges in 2001. After a brief exile to Chile, Menem returned to Argentina in 2004. His legal issues remain unresolved.
------------------------------------------------------------
A U S T R I A :: Thomas Klestil ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 07.08.1992 - 07.06.2004
Wiki: President Thomas Klestil
Comments: Former Austrian Ambassador to the United Nations as well as the United States, Klestil was elected Federal President of Austria in 1992. Three days before his retirement as President in 2004, he died of a heart attack.
------------------------------------------------------------
F R A N C E :: François Mitterrand ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 05.21.1981 - 05.17.1995
Wiki: President François Maurice Mitterrand
Comments: The only Socialist ever elected President of France, Mitterand remains the longest serving (and oldest) French President. I've always been drawn to the signature of Mitterand's "Chef du Service" on the letter, typed entirely in French. That signature deserves a space at MoMA.
------------------------------------------------------------
I R E L A N D :: Mary Therese Winifred Robinson ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 12.03.1990 - 09.12.1997
Wiki: President Mary Therese Winifred Robinson
Comments: Mary Robinson is smart. Exceedingly smart. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin and Harvard Law School, Robinson rose through the ranks of Irish politics to become the first female President of Ireland. Her post-Presidency downtime included five years as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Honorary President of Oxfam, Chair of the International Institute for Environment and Development, and founder and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. She also received the United States' highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Accomplished much? The anecdote referenced in the letter pertains to my great-grandfather Francis Perry, last survivor of the famed Catalpa expedition.
------------------------------------------------------------
I S R A E L :: Chaim Herzog ::
Click each to view: Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 05.05.1983 - 05.13.1993
Wiki: President Chaim Herzog
Comments: Chaim Herzog's unusual path to the Israeli Presidency commenced with his birth in Belfast, Northern Ireland, continued through his law degree from University College London, and carried on with his British military service during World War II. Following the war, Herzog returned to Israel and was elected President in 1983. He passed away in 1997.
------------------------------------------------------------
F I N L A N D :: Mauno Henrik Koivisto ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 11.27.1982 - 03.01.1994
Wiki: President Mauno Henrik Koivisto
Comments: President Koivisto is one of the few European Presidents to also be a Prime Minister (1968-1970; 1979-1982). Koivisto, a Ph.D., led Finland into the European Community, the terms of which were finalized on his last day in office. No word if he ever competed in Heinola, Finland's annual Sauna World Championships.
------------------------------------------------------------
G E R M A N Y :: Richard von Weizsäcker ::
Click each to view: Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 07.01.1984 - 06.30.1994
Wiki: President Richard von Weizsäcker
Comments: President von Weizäcker is a graduate of Bailol College, Oxford and served as Mayor of West Berlin from 1981 to 1984. His influential lineage includes a Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Württemberg, an Ambassador to the Holy See, a chancellor of the University of Tübingen, and the "Weizsäcker" from the Bethe-Weizsäcker formula. Although the President of Germany is primarily a ceremonial position, the President does get to live in Berlin's Tiergarten at Schloss Bellevue, a ridiculously beautiful 18th-century palace along the river Spree and the former château of Germany's Crown Prince.
------------------------------------------------------------
S W I T Z E R L A N D :: Flavio Cotti ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: ??.??.1991 - ??.??.1991
Wiki: President Flavio Cotti
Comments: Unlike most European Presidents, the President of the Swiss Confederation wields little power and is merely the presiding member of the Swiss Federal Council for a one-year term. It's alright though, Flavio, I still wrote to you.
------------------------------------------------------------
E G Y P T :: Muhammad Hosni Mubarak ::
Click each to view: Letter | Photograph | Envelope
In Office: 10.14.1981 - Present
Wiki: President Muhammad Hosni Mubarak
Comments: Legendary Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak has maintained a suffocating grip on power since becoming President in 1981. Many international observers cite Mubarak as a dictator, with Parade Magazine ranking him 20th on 2009's World's Worst Dictator list. Imposing "Emergency Law" since 1981 (when Anwar Sadat was assassinated) probably hasn't helped his cause. Those in the know believe Mubarak has begun to groom his son, Gamal, as his heir-apparent, thus creating a "hereditary pseudo-monarchy." However, I do admire the nostalgic retro-blue envelope and letterhead that was sent to me - a virtual correspondence time warp.
02.11.11 Update: Bye bye, Hosni. That's the price you pay for not signing my photo!
------------------------------------------------------------
F I J I :: Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau ::
Click each to view: Letter | Photograph | Envelope
In Office: 12.08.1987 - 12.15.1993
Wiki: President Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau
Comments: An Oxford grad, Penaia Ganilau was the first President of Fiji. A recipient of many honors, Ganliau's full title (according to the letter) is, "His Excellency the President of the Republic of Fiji, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau, GCMG, KCVO, KBE, KstJ, DSO, MSD, ED." What, no OBE? Penaia passed away five months after this letter was dated.
------------------------------------------------------------
B R A Z I L :: Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco ::
Click each to view: Letter | Autograph | Envelope
In Office: 12.29.1992 - 01.01.1995
Wiki: President Itamar Augusto Cautiero Franco
Comments: Franco provided me with the only signed business card from a head of state - nice curveball! Franco left office as one of the most popular Presidents in Brazilian history. His post-Presidency included a stint as Brazil's Ambassador to Italy. Hmm, Rio or Rome? Rio.
------------------------------------------------------------
M E X I C O :: Carlos Salinas de Gortari ::
Click each to view: Letter | Envelope
In Office: 12.01.1988 - 11.30.1994
Wiki: President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Comments: President Salinas earned his MPA, MA, and PhD, all from Harvard. Not impressed, I turned into a Salinas foe because this letter, written entirely in Spanish, obviously shoots down my request for a letter or an autograph. His legacy has become cloudy due to the fallout from the Mexican economic crisis and suspicious voting patterns that led to his election in addition to alleged links with various drug cartels and the Mexican mafia.
------------------------------------------------------------
[back] [home]