Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Roscoe Thayer
Subject(s): Hannibal, 247 B.C.-182 B.C., Polyphemus (Greek mythology)
Click on image to zoom in
Theodore Roosevelt gives three cheers for the Polyphemus Club and asks why William Roscoe Thayer left Hannibal out of his list of past presidents. Thayer served as president of the American Historical Association and became a biographer of Roosevelt in 1919. Polyphemus was a Clyclops, like the other Cyclops a son of Poseidon, who is a major character in the 9th book of the Odyssey. Odysseus lands on the island of the Cyclops and is forced to blind Polyphemus to escape his cave. Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian military leader who invaded Roman Italy, passing from Carthage and across the Alps with elephants into Italy. It is likely that there was not a real Polyphemus Club. Roosevelt and Thayer may have used the club to refer to people who were willfully blind. In 1918, that may have included Woodrow Wilson.
Collection
Creation Date
1918-03-18
Creator(s)
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Recipient
Thayer, William Roscoe, 1859-1923
Language
English
Period
Post-Presidential Years (1913-January 6, 1919)
Repository
Harvard College Library
Page Count
2
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
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 William Roscoe Thayer. [March 18, 1918]. Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287464. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Roscoe Thayer. [18 Mar. 1918]. Multi-image.
Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 18, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287464.
APA:
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919., [1918, March 18]. Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Roscoe Thayer.
Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287464.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 18, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library.
APA:
Harvard College Library. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/harvard-college-library.
