Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt
Subject(s): Alcoholism, Arthur, Prince, Duke of Connaught, 1850-1942, Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess, 1879-1964, Balsan, Consuelo Vanderbilt, Blandford, Albertha Frances Anne Spencer-Churchill, Marchioness of, 1847-1932, Bülow, Bernhard, Fürst von, 1849-1929, Burns, Mary Lyman Morgan, 1844-1919, Burns, Ruth Evelyn Cavendish-Bentinck, 1883-1978, Burns, Walter H. (Walter Hayes), 1838-1897, Burns, Walter Spencer Morgan, 1872-1929, Churchill, Clementine, 1885-1977, Churchill, Randolph Henry Spencer, Lord, 1849-1895, Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965, Courts and courtiers, Diplomatic and consular service, Edward VII, King of Great Britain, 1841-1910, England, Exhibitions, Forbes, Beatrice, 1883-1972, France, Fripp, Alfred Downing, Sir, 1865-1930, Germany, Gossip, International relations, Kiralfy, Imre, 1845-1919, Lloyd George, David, 1863-1945, Longworth, Alice Roosevelt, 1884-1980, Marital conflict, Marlborough, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill, Duke of, 1871-1934, Marlborough, John Albert Edward William Spencer-Churchill, Duke of, 1897-1972, Mills, Ruth Margaret Livingston, 1855-1920, Morgan, J. P. (John Pierpont), 1867-1943, Morgan, J. Pierpont (John Pierpont), 1837-1913, Phipps, Gladys Livingston Mills, 1883-1970, Reid, Helen Rogers, 1882-1970, Reid, Whitelaw, Mrs., 1857-1931, Rich people, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Root, Elihu, 1845-1937, Shooting, Travel--Planning, Ward, Jean Templeton, 1884-1962, Weardale, Philip James Stanhope, Baron, 1847-, Whitehouse, Sheldon, 1883-1965, William II, German Emperor, 1859-1941
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Ambassador Reid writes to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt a “letter of indiscretions” about English society life and the state of affairs in Europe. First, he reflects upon the precarious and sad position of the German Emperor William II, who keeps making blunders and “plunging from one extravagance to another” in hopes of making people forget about his last mistake by making new ones. Reid fears that some mistakes, like his asking France to apologize for a matter when he had already agreed to arbitration, could lead to war in Europe. Reid also updates Roosevelt about Walter Spencer Morgan Burns’s drinking problem, and the controversy surrounding the separation of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Charles Richard John Spencer-Churchill and Consuelo Vanderbilt Spencer-Churchill. King Edward VII has banned the Marlboroughs from Court until they live together again, but the Duchess is refusing to reconcile. Mrs. Reid’s private secretary, Helen Rogers, is recovering from surgery to remove her appendix. Reid has discussed having an American or Anglo-American Exhibition in a year or two, at the White City in Chicago. Mrs. Reid will be sailing in December to visit her father, but Reid cannot go because the State Department issued a circular instructing all Ambassadors to remain at their posts and not take further leaves of absence.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1908-11-12
Creator(s)
Recipient
Roosevelt, Edith Kermit Carow, 1861-1948
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
10
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-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 Whitelaw Reid to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt. [November 12, 1908]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o59487. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912. Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt. [12 Nov. 1908]. Multi-image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 19, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o59487.
APA:
Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912., [1908, November 12]. Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o59487.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. 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. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. December 19, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
