Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister

Subject(s): Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809

President Roosevelt writes to Owen Wister about Thomas Paine. Roosevelt says he should not have referred to Paine as an atheist as Paine admitted the existence of an unknown God, although he denied there was a Christian God. Roosevelt notes that Paine did not leave his bed for several weeks and so “a swine in a sty was physically clean by comparison.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Wister, Owen, 1860-1938

Publication Date

2016-06-08

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)

Original Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Papers

Repository

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Page Count

1

Production Method

Typed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Letter

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 Owen Wister. [September 25, 1901?]. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o179923. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister. [25 Sep. 1901?]. Image. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. October 29, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o179923.

APA:

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919.: , [1901, September 25?]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o179923.

Cite this Collection

Chicago:

Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. 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 Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. October 29, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.

APA:

Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.