Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Watson Gilder
Subject(s): African Americans, Alabama, Arkansas, Bennett, Ira E. (Ira Elbert), 1868-1957, Brown, William Garrott, 1868-1913, Buckner, Simon Bolivar, 1823-1914, Cabell, Royal Eubank, 1878-1950, Cannon, Joseph Gurney, 1836-1926, Capers, John G., 1866-1919, Cleveland, Grover, 1837-1908, Coombs, James N. (James Nathaniel), 1842-1911, Cox, Minnie M. Geddings, 1869-1933, Democratic Party (U.S.), Duke, Basil Wilson, 1838-1916, Elections, Evans, Robley D. (Robley Dunglison), 1846-1912, Florida, Fox, John, Jr., 1862-1919, Frothingham, Louis Adams, 1871-1928, Georgia, Governors--Nomination, Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893, Heyward, Duncan Clinch, 1864-1943, Hughes, Charles Evans, 1862-1948, Illinois, Indiana, Laffan, William M., Lewis, Daniel S. (Daniel Sheffey), 1843-1912, Lewis, Lunsford L. (Lunsford Lomax), 1846-1920, Local officials and employees--Selection and appointment, Louisiana, Lyon, Cecil Andrew, 1869-1916, Maine, Massachusetts, McDowell, Henry C. (Henry Clay), 1861-1933, McIlhenny, John Avery, 1867-1942, McKinley, William, 1843-1901, Meredith, Wyndham Robertson, 1859-1940, Michigan, Mississippi, Mississippi--Indianola, Missouri, Murchie, Guy, 1872-1958, New York (State), Noel, Edmond Favor, 1856-1927, Nominations for office, North Carolina, Ogden, Rollo, 1856-1937, Ohio, Page, Thomas Nelson, 1853-1922, Patronage, Political--U.S. states, Pennsylvania, Political parties, Presidents--Election, Presidents--Public opinion, Press and politics, Procter, John Robert, 1844-1903, Public officers--Selection and appointment, Pulitzer, Joseph, 1847-1911, Race discrimination, Race relations, Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ), South Carolina, Southern States, Speeches, addresses, etc., Stone, Alfred Holt, 1870-1955, Stuart, James E. B. (James Ewell Brown), 1860-1930, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Tennessee, Texas, Thanet, Octave, 1850-1934, Thompson, Hugh Smith, 1836-1904, Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones), 1814-1886, Tillman, Benjamin R. (Benjamin Ryan), 1847-1918, Truthfulness and falsehood, U.S. states--Politics and government, Vardaman, James Kimble, 1861-1930, Vermont, Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949, Virginia, Washington (D.C.), Washington, Booker T., 1856-1915, West Virginia, Wight, Pearl, 1844-1920, Williams, Francis Bennett, 1849-1929, Wilmer, Joseph, 1848-1912, Wisconsin, Wright, Luke E. (Luke Edward), 1846-1922
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President Roosevelt writes Richard Watson Gilder a lengthy refutation of an article in the Evening Post in which William Garrott Brown misconstrues his actions in the Republican Party. Namely, Brown accuses Roosevelt of neglecting Republicans in the South and of doing a poor job of making nominations to local offices and positions. Roosevelt asserts that where the Republican party is not strong in the South, he has had to appoint Democrats who were quality men, rather than incapable men who are Republicans. Where he believes the party has a chance to compete with Democrats, he does all he can to support it. Roosevelt also writes that he did not use his influence on officers to get William H. Taft the nomination, but rather Taft was nominated because Roosevelt’s policies were popular, and Taft is the man who will continue those policies. Roosevelt believes that Brown is either ignorant or willfully ignorant of a number of facts.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-11-16
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
17
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 Richard Watson Gilder. [November 16, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205217. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Watson Gilder. [16 Nov. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 9, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205217.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1908, November 16]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Richard Watson Gilder.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o205217.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. 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. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 9, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
