M. Bodah II (20th Century)

The present work was a gift from President John F. Kennedy to Kirk LeMoyne Billings. Billings was a prep school roommate and lifelong close friend of the President who retained a room in the White House. Billings was offered several official positions by the President, but preferred to be "first friend." He also worked for Kennedy in the West Virginia and Wisconsin primaries and helped gather delegates at the Democratic convention in Los Angeles, California when Kennedy was running for President.

The present work retains a plaque on the frame that reads:
Senator John F. Kennedy by His Campaign Secretaries September 2, 1953