Letter from Harry Johnston to Theodore Roosevelt
Subject(s): Africa, Canals, Interoceanic--Design and construction, City planning, Colombia, Courtesy, Cuba, Dominican Republic, England--Sussex, Furniss, H. W. (Henry Watson), 1868-1955, Haiti, Hotels--Sanitation, Imperialism, Jaguar hunting, Letters, Lion hunting, Panama--Colón, Panama--Gatun Dam, Panama--Panama Canal, Photography, Rhinoceroses, Taft, William H. (William Howard), 1857-1930, Tapirs
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Harry Johnston thanks President Roosevelt for facilitating a warm reception when he visited the Panama Canal construction site, where he met president-elect William H. Taft. Johnston then wrote a letter to Taft on his return to Colòn about the city’s appalling hotel and infrastructure. He now worries that this was inappropriate. If Taft is angry, he asks Roosevelt to “placate his wrath.” Johnston also wonders why Roosevelt is going hunting in Africa instead of somewhere in South America, Central America, or the Antilles. He shares his address in England, and hopes that United States Minister to Haiti H. W. Furniss will retain his position in the new administration.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1909-02-03
Creator(s)
Recipient
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Repository
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Page Count
12
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 Harry Johnston to Theodore Roosevelt. [February 3, 1909]. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o60196. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Johnston, Harry, 1858-1927. Letter from Harry Johnston to Theodore Roosevelt. [3 Feb. 1909]. Multi-image. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. November 25, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o60196.
APA:
Johnston, Harry, 1858-1927.: , [1909, February 3]. Letter from Harry Johnston to Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o60196.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. 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 Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. November 25, 2025. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
