Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft
Subject(s): Armed Forces--Retirement, Cabinet officers--Selection and appointment, Ide, Henry C. (Henry Clay), 1844-1921, Judges--Selection and appointment, Miles, Nelson Appleton, 1839-1925, Philippines, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, United States. War Department, United States. War Dept., Winthrop, Beekman, 1874-1940, Wright, Luke E. (Luke Edward), 1846-1922
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William H. Taft’s eventual appointment as Secretary of War has unexpectedly been made public due to some of outgoing Secretary of War Elihu Root’s business arrangements. Luke E. Wright will become Governor General of the Philippines, Henry C. Ide will become Vice-Governor, and Beekman Winthrop will be the new commissioner. There has been a “hysterical howl” from much of the public and the Grand Army of the Republic over the fact that the retirement letter sent by Root to General Nelson Appleton Miles did not single Miles out for praise. Roosevelt finds the situation very odd.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-09-03
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
2
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 William H. Taft. [September 3, 1903]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185858. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft. [3 Sep. 1903]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 6, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185858.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1903, September 3]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o185858.
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. February 6, 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.
