Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frédéric Mistral

Subject(s): French poetry, United States, West

President Roosevelt thanks Frédéric Mistral for sending him a copy of Mistral’s book, Mireille. Roosevelt states that the United States is a nation of wealth-seekers, but that the nation also needs to value the non-material things of life. The second page is a note, written in a hand other than Roosevelt’s, containing a quote concerning the nature of poetry. This item is a copy of the original December 15, 1904, letter.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1905-12-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Mistral, Frédéric, 1830-1914

Language

English

Period

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

Repository

Harvard College Library

Page Count

2

Production Method

Handwritten

Record Type

Multi-image

Resource Type

Letter

Rights

Electronic copy sponsored by the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University. For reproduction or publication permission, contact the Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Houghton Library. See the Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library Terms of Use for further copyright information.

Citation

Cite this Record

Chicago:

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frédéric Mistral. [December 1, 1905]. Harvard College Library.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o280666. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frédéric Mistral. [1 Dec. 1905]. Multi-image.
Harvard College Library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o280666.

APA:

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1905, December 1]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frédéric Mistral.
Harvard College Library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o280666.

Cite this Collection

Chicago:

Harvard College Library. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Harvard College Library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library.

APA:

Harvard College Library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library.