Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks, as Don Quixote, sits in a chair, reading, with a sword in raised right hand, with visions of former (and current) presidents, as well as some of the social ills that he hopes to correct. Caption: Our esteemed Vice-President takes his candidacy seriously.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Charles W. Fairbanks was a politician usually depicted by cartoonists (as by Keppler, here, in Puck) as icy and aloof. He was, in brief, the antithesis of a Theodore Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt had neither chosen nor recommended the Indiana senator to be his running mate in 1904. And in fact President Roosevelt scarcely communicated or consulted with Fairbanks in his second term. Fairbanks was “available” to be the Republican nominee for president in 1908, but he seldom evinced much desire or ambition.

Yet the Republican Party considered Fairbanks a possibility, especially as Roosevelt preemptively renounced interest in another consecutive term. Keppler’s drawings shows Fairbanks doing his homework — not yet 10 weeks into his vice presidential term — about political figures of the past and present, and issues of the present and future.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1905-05-24

Creator(s)

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956

Period

U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)

Repository

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Page Count

1

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

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:

The Hoosier Don Quixote. [May 24, 1905]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278105. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956. The Hoosier Don Quixote. [24 May. 1905]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278105.

APA:

Keppler, Udo J., 1872-1956., [1905, May 24]. The Hoosier Don Quixote.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o278105.

Cite this Collection

Chicago:

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.

APA:

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.