Simeon E. Baldwin, Theodore Roosevelt, and their 1910-1911 controversy over the Federal Employers’ Liability Act
Subject(s): Baldwin, Simeon E. (Simeon Eben), 1840-1927, Barnes, William, 1866-1930, Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882, Hofstadter, Richard, 1916-1970, Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr., 1841-1935, Ivins, William M. (William Mills), 1851-1915, Libel and slander, National Association of Manufacturers (U.S.), National Civic Federation, Parker, Alton B. (Alton Brooks), 1852-1926, Pound, Roscoe, 1870-1964, Progressivism (United States politics), Railroads--Employees--Accidents, Railroads--Employees--Law and legislation, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Social Darwinism, Spencer, Herbert, 1820-1903, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Van Devanter, Willis, 1859-1941, Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924, Yale Law School
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Charles C. Goetsch examines the legal, philosophical, and political dispute between Theodore Roosevelt and Simeon E. Baldwin, a Yale Law School professor, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, and Governor of Connecticut. He details the conservative legal outlook of Baldwin and how this view clashed with the progressive political beliefs of Roosevelt. Goetsch shows how a legal dispute over the constitutionality of the Federal Employers Liability Act extended from the courts to the 1910 election campaign where Roosevelt’s rhetoric prompted Baldwin to consider a libel suit against the former president.
Two pictures, one of Simeon E. Baldwin and the other of Theodore Roosevelt speaking from the platform of a train car, are included in the article.
A listing of the officers and the members of the executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is included in the article as well as an advertisement for the Roosevelt Savings Bank of Garden City, New York.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
1980
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Page Count
27
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.edu.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Simeon E. Baldwin, Theodore Roosevelt, and their 1910-1911 controversy over the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. [January 22, 1980]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305986. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Goetsch, Charles C.. Simeon E. Baldwin, Theodore Roosevelt, and their 1910-1911 controversy over the Federal Employers’ Liability Act. [22 Jan. 1980]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305986.
APA:
Goetsch, Charles C.., [1980, January 22]. Simeon E. Baldwin, Theodore Roosevelt, and their 1910-1911 controversy over the Federal Employers’ Liability Act.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305986.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
APA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
