President-Elect Taft tells President Roosevelt that he had a very pleasant talk with Horace Curzon Plunkett, for whom Roosevelt had written a letter of introduction. He promises to continue addressing the problem of a declining birth rate and the movement of population away from rural areas as best he can, and says that he will rely on Gifford Pinchot as a conscience. Taft answers Roosevelt’s question about his life and career, but does not think that Roosevelt should have taken on the burden of writing an introduction to Taft’s inaugural address. He approves of Roosevelt’s planned executive order.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-24

Creator(s)

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930

Recipient

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Language

English

Period

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

Repository

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Page Count

2

Production Method

Typed

Record Type

Multi-image

Resource Type

Letter

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 William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt. [December 24, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o294431. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

MLA:

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930. Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt. [24 Dec. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 29, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o294431.

APA:

Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930., [1908, December 24]. Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o294431.

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. January 29, 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.