Uncle Mark: Dat’s a mighty fine chicken and I’se glad you got it
Subject(s): Chickens, Hanna, Marcus Alonzo, 1837-1904, Presidents--Nomination, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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President Roosevelt holds the “nomination in 1904” chicken by a string as Ohio Senator Marcus Alonzo Hanna–appearing as an African-American–looks on. Caption: Uncle Mark: Dat’s a mighty fine chicken and I’se glad you got it.
Comments and Context
Cartoonist George Rehse in this cartoon offered a graphic version of one of the era’s greatest faits accomplis.
Ohio Republican Senator Mark Hanna by common consent of politicians and observers in 1903, harbored presidential aspirations. He was ambitious enough in the mode of his closest friend, the late President William McKinley; but he also was a Republican who was at best a reluctant supporter of President Theodore Roosevelt’s policies and reforms.
Rehse’s cartoon appeared immediately following a clever political maneuver by Hanna’s in-state rival, Senator Joseph Foraker, who had quadrennial presidential ambitions of his own. Foraker was not an especial Roosevelt booster, either, but it served him to thwart Hanna. A state party confab moved to issue an early endorsement of Roosevelt’s re-nomination; and Hanna was forced to show his hand. From the corner Foraker backed him into, Hanna declaimed interest in seeking the nomination.
Employing a common stereotype of the day, and a hoary premise of countless cartoons, Hanna was portrayed as the Black local who would love to steal the chicken for his own pot; and still casts a hungry eye on the bird.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-05-29
Creator(s)
Rehse, George Washington, 1868-1939
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
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:
Uncle Mark: Dat’s a mighty fine chicken and I’se glad you got it. [May 29, 1903]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302163. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Rehse, George Washington, 1868-1939. Uncle Mark: Dat’s a mighty fine chicken and I’se glad you got it. [29 May. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302163.
APA:
Rehse, George Washington, 1868-1939., [1903, May 29]. Uncle Mark: Dat’s a mighty fine chicken and I’se glad you got it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o302163.
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 5, 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.
