James Forrestal Autograph
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. More about James Forrestal
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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 even more about James Forrestal at Wikipedia
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 even more about James Forrestal at Wikipedia
Traded items with a signature of James Forrestal
In total, we tracked 37 items since 01/01/2008. The chart below shows the trade volume over time.
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 (4) was September 2013 with an average selling price of $17.99 for an autographed item of James Forrestal. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in January 2018 with $124.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $4.99 was October 2015. 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.
| Item Title | Price | Store | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | James Forrestal (1892-1949) Typed Letter Signed, First Secretary of Defense | $17.50 | |
| James Forrestal - FDR's Sec of Navy/Truman's Sec of Defense/Suicide/Signed Card | $38.77 | |
| James Forrestal - US Secretary of Defense - Group of 3 Autographed Letters (TLS) | $33.00 | |
| James Forrestal - US Secretary of Defense - Pair of Autographed Letter (TLS) | $27.00 | |
| James Forrestal Autographed Letter 1941 First U.S. Secretary of Defense D.49 | $25.00 | |
| James Forrestal Autographed Letter 1946 First U.S. Secretary of Defense D.49 | $18.00 | |
| James Forrestal First Secretary Of Defense Signed Photo Truman cabinet | $19.99 | |
| James Forrestal Hand Signed Card Secretary of the Navy & Secretary of Defense | $18.00 | |
| James Forrestal Secretary of the Navy document signed and dated May 13 1946 | $19.98 | |
| james Forrestal Signed Document Secretary of Navy | $19.99 | |
| JAMES FORRESTAL signed index card 1st US SEC OF DEFENSE, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY | $39.95 | |
| MAMIE EISENHOWER DWIGHT SIGNED LETTER 1954 JAMES FORRESTAL WHITE HOUSE RARE LOT | $124.00 | |
| Original Photo Signed by Sec. of Defense James Forrestal to JFK's Atty Clifford | $56.00 | |
| Secretary of Defense James Forrestal (President Harry Truman) signed card | $4.99 | |
| Secretary of Defense James Forrestal (President Harry Truman) signed card | $14.50 | |