Dead
Subject(s): Giants, Presidents--Term of office, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Click on image to zoom in
President Roosevelt stands on top of the “third term talk” giant with his big stick. Caption: The modern giant killer.
Comments and Context
Cartoonists were used to drawing President Roosevelt as a David against the Goliaths of Big Business or the Trusts, or other foreign and domestic situations. But in this cartoon by Willis H. Thorndike, who also drew for the Philadelphia Press, “third-term talk” was the behemoth Roosevelt felled. In a letter released to the public on the day this cartoon quickly was produced, the president successfully squelched all talk — any possibilities, any ambiguity — that he would seek re-nomination in 1908.
The Baltimore American was one of the nation’s oldest dailies, having been founded in 1799, and thrived while the city was America’s second-largest; it remained loyally Unionist during the Civil War. It still carried prestige (eventually sold to William Randolph Hearst as a jewel in his journalistic crown) but was overshadowed by the Sun papers. Thorndike’s cartoon about the slain giant widely was reprinted.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-12-04
Creator(s)
Thorndike, Willis H. (Willis Hale), 1872-1940
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
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:
Dead. [December 4, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301681. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Thorndike, Willis H. (Willis Hale), 1872-1940. Dead. [4 Dec. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 12, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301681.
APA:
Thorndike, Willis H. (Willis Hale), 1872-1940., [1907, December 4]. Dead.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301681.
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. March 12, 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.
