Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Pierre de Coubertin
Subject(s): Athletics, Exercise, Muscles--Research, Roosevelt family, Roosevelt, Archibald B. (Archibald Bulloch), 1894-1979, Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1887-1944, Sports
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President Roosevelt agrees with Pierre de Coubertin about muscle memory in growing males and adds his own points to Coubertin’s theory. As examples, Roosevelt describes his sons’ (Archibald, Kermit, and Theodore) and his own athletic interests and abilities. He comments on Coubertin’s opposing viewpoint to most English men – that physical development should be the “be-all and the end-all…business of life” – and agrees that young males should experiment with all forms of exercise and sports in order to keep up “a reasonable acquaintance with them” in later years.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-06-15
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Coubertin, Pierre de, 1863-1937
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
5
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Pierre de Coubertin. [June 15, 1903]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185076. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Pierre de Coubertin. [15 Jun. 1903]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185076.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1903, June 15]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Pierre de Coubertin.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185076.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
