Wynne, Robert John, 1851-1922

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Robert John Wynne about arranging a date for a meeting with Arthur Hamilton Lee.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1910-05-12

Theodore Roosevelt was pleased to hear from Robert John Wynne. He notes that he appointed Wynne as Postmaster General and later Consul to Great Britain because he “needed in the public service a man of your high character and indomitable, aggressive courage.” Roosevelt looks forward to seeing Wynne in London and wonders if Wynne can arrange for him to meet Redmond. He asks whether it is alright for him to do so, as he does not know much about English politics.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1910-03-12

President Roosevelt is glad that London Consul General Wynne’s wife, Mary Ellen McCabe Wynne, is on the mend. There is no way the activities in question could be formally connected to the administration, but Roosevelt asserts that anyone can publish whatever they like “from Dan to Beersheba.” Roosevelt looks forward to Wynne’s visit.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-05

President Roosevelt appreciates the letter from Consul General Wynne, but he is saddened to hear of Mary Ellen McCabe Wynne’s ill health.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-14

Attorney General Moody responds to a request from the Postmaster General to review the question of who is responsible for the compensation of a clerk transferred from the Postmaster General’s department to the White House at the request of President Roosevelt. The Comptroller General, having concluded there was no authority in law which would allow such a transfer, had urged the Postmaster General to seek such an opinion from the Attorney General. Moody reviews the relevant statutes and concludes that neither existing law regarding executive powers of appointment nor appropriations for executive appointments allow the employment of the clerk in question “on detached service” at the White House. If the Postmaster wishes credit in his budget for the clerk’s compensation, he must submit such a request to Congress.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-22

Mae C. Wood angrily answers a letter from Postmaster General Wynne explaining her absence from the Post Office department for several days in 1903, referring Wynne “to yourself, J. Martin Miller, Mess. Platt, Loeb, et al,” and alludes to “the nasty details of the outrage and scandal.” Wood states that she has “no intention to longer endure the filthy lies and persecutions as engineered and carried out by your coterie, without retaliation.”

(Wood had alleged to be married to Senator Thomas Collier Platt, and claimed to have hundreds of love letters from Platt to her. She had traveled to New York in order to protest Platt’s 1903 marriage to Lillian T. Janeway.)

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Theodore Roosevelt asks Robert John Wynne to arrange a luncheon with Redmond and O’Connor and dismisses those in Britain who would object to his meeting with the Irish Members. He has been open about his support of the British Empire and will meet with whomever he chooses. Roosevelt also mentions that he has received support from American Catholics regarding an issue with the Vatican.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1910-04-11

William Loeb writes to Postmaster General Wynne on behalf of President Roosevelt asking if anything can be done to expedite a matter involving former Senator Elon Rouse Brown of New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-22

On behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, his secretary thanks Robert John Wynne for his letter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-09-19

President Roosevelt thanks Consul General Wynne for sending the interesting editorial. Roosevelt is pleased that the editorial mentions the purging of the postal service, in which Wynne played a key role.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-23

President Roosevelt was sorry to read what Consul General Wynne wrote about in his recent letter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-13

After discussing the matter with Phillip Battell Stewart, President Roosevelt advises Postmaster General Wynne on proceeding with the Pueblo case.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-21

President Roosevelt informs Postmaster General Wynne he desires to appoint Lyman S. Roach as postmaster of Texarkana, Texas, when the term of the current incumbent expires.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-07

President Roosevelt tells Postmaster General Wynne that the United States Civil Service Commission has recommended the dismissal of Jacob G. Bunn, finance clerk in the Philadelphia post office, for illegal political assessments. Roosevelt has considered the testimony and agrees with this recommendation, and directs Wynne to remove Bunn.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-29

The commission of Albany, Georgia postmaster Benjamin F. Brimberry has expired and he is up for reappointment, but is charged by his enemies with involvement in a case of adultery. Brimberry is said to have written love letters for an illiterate Black man, Fred Crapps, to a married woman, Lucy Vandergrift. Brimberry did write the letters, but knew neither party and did not know Vandergrift was married. Brimberry’s friends and colleagues praise him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-26

Second Assistant Postmaster General Shallenberger sends Postmaster General Wynne a memorandum regarding the establishment of mail service on the electric car line between Watertown, New York, and the nearby village of Dexter, New York. A prior report, made in the spring, had said that improvements were being made on the line, and that the operating company did not wish to carry mail until after the improvements were completed, likely by fall. A petition reopening the matter has been received, Shallenberger states that while an updated report on the status of the line has not yet been received, the case will be given prompt attention.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-25

A complex case regarding the appointment of a postmaster in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Benjamin F. Ford was recommended but failed confirmation. Johnson was recommended by Clarke and Williams, but political condemnation by US Representative from Louisiana Phanor Breazeale caused the withdrawal of that recommendation. Edwina C. Suddath, who had previously served in the position was recommended, but withdrew from the running, leading to the nomination of Ford. Rep. Breazeale objects to his appointment, and claims many of his constituents do as well. It is claimed that both Ford and Johnson are unacceptable due to their “relations” with “colored women.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-24

Assistant Attorney General for the Post Office Department Goodwin sends Postmaster General Wynne a memorandum containing an opinion Attorney General William H. H. Miller sent to President Benjamin Harrison in 1891 following the death of Secretary of the Treasury William Windom. Miller’s opinion deals with whether Harrison can fill the vacancy caused by Windom’s death with a temporary appointment for more than ten days, and cites a number of statutes dealing with the issue. Miller concludes that it seems that the president can only appoint a temporary office-holder for ten days, and that the position should be filled by constitutional appointment within that time period. Goodwin notes that this time period has since been extended to thirty days.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-04

William Loeb asks Postmaster General Wynne on behalf of Attorney General Julius M. Mayer to grant a three months leave of absence for letter carrier Edmund Rothschild.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-22

Acting Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Conrard informs Postmaster General Wynne that while an initial request for a leave of absence by Edmund Rothschild, a letter carrier in New York, was denied, further developments have led to a reversal of this decision, and a letter has been written granting his request.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-24