Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Floyd Reading DuBois
Subject(s): African Americans--Politics and government, Child, Richard Washburn, 1881-1935, Florida, Fridge, Benjamin Franklin, 1856-1936, Mississippi, National Progressive Convention, Ohio--Cincinnati, Political conventions--U.S. states, Political parties--Officials and employees, Progressive Party (1912), Progressive Party (Founded 1912). National Convention, 1st, Chicago, 1912., Race discrimination--Political aspects, Race--Political aspects, Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )
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Theodore Roosevelt explains to Floyd Reading Du Bois that the unseating of “colored” delegates from the South had nothing to do with their race, but that they were not legally entitled to their seats. In Florida, both the white and the colored delegates were unseated. In Mississippi, Benjamin F. Fridge had called for a “white” convention based on a misunderstanding, and rather than waiting for an adjustment from the National Committee, the unseated delegates held their own illegal state convention. Richard Washburn Child agrees with Roosevelt that the Mississippi decision was legally, not racially, based. Finally, the unseated delegates in Cincinnati were judged to be associated with the Republican Party machine.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1912-08-26
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Language
English
Period
Progressive Party Candidate (1911-1912)
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 Floyd Reading DuBois. [August 26, 1912]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o230291. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Floyd Reading DuBois. [26 Aug. 1912]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 27, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o230291.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1912, August 26]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Floyd Reading DuBois.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o230291.
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 27, 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.
