Letter from John E. Ballaine to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Alaska--Seward, Bristow, Joseph L. (Joseph Little), 1861-1944, Cities and towns--Names, Pacific Ocean--Resurrection Bay, Post office stations and branches, Postal service--Administration, Seward, William H. (William Henry), 1801-1872, United States. Post Office Department, United States. Post Office Dept.
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John E. Ballaine has established a new town on Resurrection Bay with the goal of opening the Alaskan interior to settlement and development. The town has been named Seward after William H. Seward who, as Secretary of State, negotiated the purchase of Alaska in 1867. The Post Office Department is preventing the post office from being named after Seward as there are already two post offices in Alaska with that name. Ballaine requests President Roosevelt’s help with the matter. In a handwritten note to Assistant Postmaster General Bristow, Roosevelt agrees with Ballaine’s “patriotic sentiments.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1903-10-10
Creator(s)
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
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:
Letter from John E. Ballaine to Theodore Roosevelt. [October 10, 1903]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o42426. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Ballaine, John E., 1868-1941. Letter from John E. Ballaine to Theodore Roosevelt. [10 Oct. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 13, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o42426.
APA:
Ballaine, John E., 1868-1941., [1903, October 10]. Letter from John E. Ballaine to Theodore Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o42426.
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. February 13, 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.
