Printed Document Signed; Consent to Use of His Name in 1976 Ohio Republican Convention by Reagan, Ronald [Wilson] - 1976

1976. Fine. 8.5" x 14", 1 pp., photocopy of Form No. 2-0 [Ohio] with original signature from Ronald Reagan and countersigned as a witness by his campaign manager John P. Sears. This "Consent for use of name as second choice for the Presidency" was produced in great haste as a last minute bid to acquire delegate signatures. In order to be included upon the official Ohio ballot, Ronald Reagan's supporters had barely seventy-two hours to collect a minimum of 1,000 names by petition, before their filing period ended.<br /> <br /> At the time, State Coordinator Dave Seffens was flying around Ohio in a chartered plane gathering the necessary signatures, but with a deadline looming, there was not sufficient time to wait for the original forms to arrive from the Ohio secretary of state's office in Columbus. Headed by Canton, Ohio businessman, Peter Voss, they managed to collect 1,164 signatures and 28 delegate names which they turned in to Ohio Secretary of State Ted W. Brown with just six minutes to spare. Reagan's at-large slate was approved, but he lost the June 8th primary to the incumbent President Gerald Ford. Gerald Ford would go on to win the party's nomination, but lost the presidential election to Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. <br /> <br /> This is remarkable rarity in the political collecting arena with an authentic signature by the man who would eventually become the 40th President of the United States. " I, Ronald Reagan residing at No. 1669 San Onofre Drive Street, City of Los Angeles, Count of Los Angeles, State of California, hereby authorize and give my consent to the following persons to use my name in their Declarations of Candidacies as Delegates an Alternatives to the Republican National Convention for the Presidency of the United States by said National Convention to be held in the year of 1976.