Second American Cardinal; longtime archbishop of Baltimore. Celebrated author of "Our Christian Heritage" and "Faith of Our Fathers."  American patriot and advisor to US presidents.
 
TLS - Typewritten Letter Signed, one folded page, 23 April 1914, on his official stationery.  Accompanied by original mailing envelope and intact US 2 cent stamp. Addressed to Baltimore socialite Walter de Curzon Poultney.  Reads:  Your letter received and in answer would say that it will not be possible for me to accept your kind invitation to lunch on friday, as I have an engagement on that day and that very hour.  If the young lady will call to see me some morning between ten and eleven o'clock, and will let me know when she is coming, I will be pleased to see her.
 
Poultney was one of Baltimore's most colorful and "flamboyant" high-society members. He was prominent in Baltimore society between the end of the Civil War and the Roaring Twenties. He was considered an intimate friend of Cardinal Gibbons. They would often be found strolling Charles Street near the Basilica. Poultney apparently inherited wealth, never having worked. He amassed a huge collection of art and antiques. He was the great grandson of Ellen Moale North, the first white child born in the city of Baltimore and a colonel of the Baltimore Town Militia. He also was the nephew of Philip Thomas, the first president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.