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On September 14, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as the 26th president of the United States in Buffalo, New York, at the home of Ansley Wilcox. Roosevelt’s predecessor, William McKinley, had been shot by an assassin at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6, dying at 2:15 a.m. on September 14. Wilcox’s home is now the site of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site.
Currently, a collection of Buffalo newspapers regarding the shooting of President McKinley from September 7 to 25, 1901, as well as the scrapbook kept by Ansley Wilcox following the assassination attempt to Roosevelt’s inauguration in his library are available from the Inaugural’s collections.
Items from the Inaugural site’s collections were digitized and cataloged on-site and then transferred to the Theodore Roosevelt Center for inclusion in the digital library. As TR Center staff received materials from the Inaugural, the items were added to the digital library. See below to view items from this collection.
Digitization of items at the National Park sites was possible thanks to National Park Service Centennial Challenge Funding in partnership with Dickinson State University.
Booklet with reprinted text of an article by Frank A. Munsey, originally printed in Munsey’s Magazine, July 1912. The article discusses Roosevelt’s past efforts in regards to trusts, the railroad industry, and the economic panic of 1907.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912
Campaign pamphlet including a list of labor measures that Theodore Roosevelt voted for in the New York State Assembly, signed as Governor of New York State and as President, and what progressive measures he currently supports.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912
The Evening Mail newspaper seeks subscribers. They are the only newspaper in New York that is supporting Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Party.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912-07-30
George Conover describes various aspects of Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 campaign in and around Rutgers University.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912-10-26
Copy of a letter from George W. Conover to the Progressive Bulletin (at the Hotel Manhattan) regarding assorted subscriptions to the Bulletin, as well as a request for literature to be distributed among Rutgers College seniors and juniors at a rally on December 5, 1912.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912-12-02
Joseph Brognard Wright writes to announce a meeting for October 15, 1913, to prepare Progressive Party leaders who will speak throughout the state in the coming weeks. The letterhead is from the Office of the County Committee representing the Progressive Party of Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-10-11
Political handbill reflects on the effects of current labor policies on immigrants, appealing for greater protection as advocated by the Progressive Party. Addams relates stories of individual immigrants severely injured and maimed in industrial accidents.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912
In an interview by Will Irwin with Thomas Edison, Edison explains that he is a Progressive because he believes in the principles of the movement: initiative, referendum, review of judicial decisions, compensation for injured workingmen, suffrage. Edison also believes in Theodore Roosevelt as the right man to lead the movement: “We never needed a big leader more.”
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1912
Booklet featuring the reprint of a two-part article by Theodore Roosevelt that first appeared in Collier’s Weekly. The case of a woman whose arm was crushed in a factory and the legal decision that allowed her employer to avoid financial responsibility are presented to justify Roosevelt’s call for review of judicial decisions.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-03
List of 21 laws enacted during Woodrow Wilson’s first administration that were part of the Progressive National Platform.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1916
George W. Conover forwards to Oscar K. Davis, Secretary of the National Progressive Committee, the payment for three subscriptions to the party’s bulletins.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-02-12
Oscar K. Davis thanks George W. Conover for his support of the Progressive National Committee, but the Bulletin does not permit subscriptions to be charged. They must be paid in full in advance, in part due to postal regulations. The Progressive National Committee’s Washington, D.C., office was only recently opened, and Davis is sure Conover’s check will be forwarded from the New York office shortly.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-02-04
Oscar K. Davis confirms receipt of a check covering three yearly subscriptions to the Progressive National Committee Bulletin. Davis also includes a copy of a circular letter which addresses recent press coverage of the Progressive Party campaign and encourages “efforts to assist the State and National Committees with their work.”
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-02-17
A booklet published by the Progressive National Committee. The publication lists the names of people in the Progressive Party’s administration and outlines the party’s ideals and goals. The Table of Contents is as follows: Organization of the National Service; Division of Administration – Organization of State Services, Office Organization; Department Work – Social and Industrial Justice, Conservation, Popular Government, Cost of Living and Corporation Control; Bureau of Education; Bureau of Legislative Reference.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1913-03-31
Cream colored paper napkin with an orange illustration of Theodore Roosevelt wearing a hat and bandana.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1981
One page from the October 1919 issue of Ladies’ Home Journal featuring a reproduction of a painting by Howard Giles of Theodore Roosevelt in a suit. Beneath the portrait is a reproduction of a handwritten note by Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt. At the bottom is a printed explanation that the editor contacted Edith Roosevelt to make sure they had picked a suitable image of Roosevelt for the magazine.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1919-10
Envelope commemorating the centennial of the creation of the nation’s first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The envelope has a Pelican Island stamp featuring the image of a pelican and was postmarked in Fremont, California, on March 15, 2003, with a special “Celebrating a Century of Conservation” cancellation. On the left side of the envelope is an illustration of Theodore Roosevelt wearing a hat and bandana.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
2003-03-15
Ansley Wilcox recommends Percy S. Lansdowne for the position of state commissioner of Fish, Game, and Forest.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1900-01-30
Straight razor commemorating Theodore Roosevelt’s succession to the presidency on September 14, 1901. The blade features a portrait of Roosevelt and folds into a protective handle.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1901
Postcard with color image of the Ansley Wilcox House and oval inset of Theodore Roosevelt in upper left corner.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1901