Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister
Subject(s): Founding Fathers of the United States, Paine, Thomas, 1737-1809, Religion and politics
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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
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
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 Owen Wister. [September 25, 1901]. 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.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. May 7, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o179923.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1901, September 25]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Owen Wister.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o179923.
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. May 7, 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.
