James Farley is best remembered by philatelists for a set of stamps called “Farley’s Follies.” As Postmaster General of the United States, he authorized a special printing of stamps for some friends of his – including President of the United States (and stamp collector) Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This became a scandal as soon as it became known, since stamps printed in small quantities like this would become tremendously valuable to collectors. Farley was forced to print large quantites of these stamps to satisfy the demand of the public.
But the most interesting thing about Farley was not his follies; it was his skill in dealing with people. Once asked by noted human relations expert Dale Carnegie whether it was true that he could call ten thousand people by their first names, Farley responded, “No! I can call fifty thousand people by their first names.”
Developing this ability – to remember and use names – is one of the keys to what Carnegie called “winning friends and influencing people.”
