James Forrestal Autographs
James Vincent Forrestal (February 15, 1892 – May 22, 1949) was the last cabinet-level United States secretary of the navy and the first United States secretary of defense.
Forrestal came from a very strict middle-class Irish Catholic family. He was a successful financier on Wall Street before becoming Undersecretary of the Navy in 1940, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War. He became Secretary of the Navy in May 1944 upon the death of his superior, Col. Frank Knox. President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested that Forrestal take the lead in building up the Navy. In 1947, after the end of the war, President Harry S. Truman appointed him the first secretary of the newly created Department of Defense. Forrestal was intensely hostile to the Soviet Union, fearing Communist expansion in Europe and the Middle East. Along with Secretary of State George C. Marshall, he strongly opposed the United States' support for the establishment of the State of Israel, fearing that this would alienate Arab nations which were needed as allies, and whose petroleum reserves were vital for both military and civilian industrial expansion.
Forrestal was a supporter of naval battle groups centered on aircraft carriers. He tried to weaken the proposed Department of Defense for the Navy's benefit, but was hard-pressed to run it from 1947 to 1949 after Truman named him Secretary of Defense. The two men were often at odds, and Truman forced Forrestal's resignation.
Read more about James Forrestal on Wikipedia
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Current items with a signature of James Forrestal
These are the most current items with a signature of James Forrestal that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
Traded items with a signature of James Forrestal
The most expensive item with a signature of James Forrestal (James Forrestal Signed 8x10 Photo PSA/DNA COA 1st US Secretary of Defense Auto'd) was sold in August 2020 for $449.99 while the cheapest item (James Forrestal US Naval Secretary 1946 Navy Separation Letter Stamp Signed) found a new owner for $0.99 in August 2023. The month with the most items sold (5) was December 2024 with an average selling price of $43.00 for an autographed item of James Forrestal. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in August 2020 with $234.99 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was July 2019. In average, an autographed item from James Forrestal is worth $19.99.
Most recently, these items with a signature of James Forrestal were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Air Medal Award Letter | $87.00 |  |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Air Medal Award Letter | $87.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Air Medal Award Letter | $87.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $49.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $49.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy WWII) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $49.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Distinguished Flying Cross | $43.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Distinguished Flying Cross | $43.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Distinguished Flying Cross | $43.00 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $22.50 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $22.50 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Gold Star Award Letter | $22.50 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Separation Letter 1946 | $9.99 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Separation Letter 1946 | $9.99 | |
| RARE James Forrestal (Secretary Of The Navy) Signed Separation Letter 1946 | $9.99 | |
