Kennedy John

JFK Assassination Last Rites Eyewitness, Near Contemporary

A small archive relating to John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, and the last rites given to the dead president by local parish priest Father Oscar L. Huber (1893/5-1975). The 3-piece lot is comprised of a typed letter signed by Huber; a vintage copy of Huber's summary of the events; and a signed color photo of Huber, contemporaneous with the assassination.

Father Oscar L. Huber administered the last rites to JFK within a half hour of the latter's death in the emergency room of Parkland Hospital. As the materials in this archive show, Father Huber formally absolved and blessed the President, and comforted First Lady Jackie Kennedy by promising to pray for the president's soul.

What happened next is unclear. Father Huber is widely viewed as one of the first people to publicly state that JFK was dead, though this is contested [see Patrick Huber's He's Dead Alright: Father Oscar L. Huber, the Kennedy Assassination, and the News Leak Controversy (2013)]. Several reporters claim that Father Huber leaked news of the president's death to them prior to the official White House announcement, an allegation which Father Huber vehemently denied the rest of his life.

Considering the controversy, it is thus extremely interesting to peruse Father Huber's accounts of the event. Did he really believe the President was dead, truly dead? His choice of language appears to be colored by his wish to defend himself against these allegations. In addition, Catholic dogma concerning determining the exact moment of death makes Father Huber's conclusions about Kennedy's condition even more ambiguous. The Catholic distinction between "apparent death" and "real death" is based on the perception of whether the soul has departed the body.

The lot includes:

1. 1p TLS signed by Father Huber as "Oscar L. Huber, C.M." Written in Dallas, Texas on November 30, 1965. On white stationery with "Holy Trinity Church / 3811 Oak Lawn Avenue / Dallas, Texas 75219" letterhead. Light paper folds. Near fine. 6.375" x 9".

The letter addressed to the President of a local Wisconsin historical society stated in part: "Quite naturally my attention was focused on the sacred act I was performing in administering the Last Rites. However, I could not help realizing that the one receiving these Rites was the assassinated President of the United States lying before me apparently dead." Father Huber's use of the phrase "apparently dead" here corresponds to the Catholic belief that though an individual can seem dead, they are not actually dead if the soul is still present in the body.

2. A vintage color photograph of Father Huber reading the Bible, signed by him as "Dr. (?) Oscar L. Huber, C.M." at upper right. Expected light surface wear, else near fine. 4.75" x 3.25

3. 2pp contemporary copy of Father Huber's official statement entitled "President Kennedy's Final Hours, November 22, 1963". The signature appearing at the end of the document is not "live" but it is authentic. Expected light paper folds, a few wrinkles, and some stray staple holes, else near fine.

In part; paragraph breaks have been added for improved legibility:

"Father Thompson parked the car while I was escorted by a policeman to an emergency room where I found the fatally wounded President lying on a portable table. He was covered with a sheet that I removed from over his forehead before administering conditionally the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. These Rites are administered conditionally when a priest has no way of knowing the person's mind or whether the soul has yet left the body.

In Latin, I said: 'I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen'. Then, dipping my thumb in holy oil, I traced the sign of the cross on his forehead and said: 'Through this holy anointing may God forgive whatever sins you have committed. Amen. ' … After this I recited for the President, from the ritual, prayers for the dying and the repose of his soul, to which was added: 'Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen' …

Sorrow and consternation bowed the heads of everyone present. The silence that pervaded the corridor was mute evidence that another President of the United States had died at the hand of an assassin. Yes, it was evident - the President was dead…".

Father Huber's account of the last rites coincides in great part to an oral history interview he conducted with Jeremiah Collins of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Library on February 21, 1964.

https://www.jfklibrary.org/sites/default/files/archives/JFKOH/Huber%2C%20Oscar%20L/JFKOH-OLH-01/JFKOH-OLH-01-TR.pdf

Father Huber's administration of the last rites was the fifth and last time that JFK received them during his lifetime. Kennedy was remarkably resilient; on four separate occasions prior to the assassination, he had been given up for dead. These instances were when he was ill with scarlet fever and Addison's disease; during an episode of complications following back surgery; and when the PT-109 was struck and shipwrecked during World War II.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.