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Secretary of War Taft corrects an omission in his previous letter to President Roosevelt regarding the composition of the Isthmian Canal Commission.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-11-01
Secretary of War Taft is preparing to board a train to travel to Havana and he is sending President Roosevelt several legal opinions regarding his options in issuing an executive order to establish a military government in Cuba. Taft reports that Roosevelt’s letter to Cuban Representative Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y Quesada polled strongly with the Cubans and Robert Bacon is carrying a copy of the president’s proclamation to arm the Cuban insurgents, though Taft thinks they should hold off in announcing it. Meanwhile, Joseph Bucklin Bishop is taking charge at the Isthmus and working on the president’s visit to the canal site. Taft admits he is not completely clear on the situation in Cuba but he knows who he is dealing with and every event will be met promptly. If they have to send in the army, he suggests putting Douglas MacArthur in charge and that he start recalling other staff officers. He knows this goes against the conventional thinking that MacArthur should serve as Chief of Staff to General James Franklin Bell, but this suggestion is only made against a remote possibility.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-16
Theodore P. Shonts, Chairman of the Isthmian Canal Commission (ICC), tells Secretary of War Taft that he has written to Executive Secretary of the ICC directing him to respond to the charges Poultney Bigelow made in a September article. Shonts asks that Taft tell Lady Townley that they have tried employing Jamaicans as foremen and that Shonts will revisit the matter with Chief Engineer of the ICC Stevens.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-25
Secretary of War Taft agrees with President Roosevelt’s decision to appoint John Marshall Harlan. Taft then analyzes the political considerations in making the appointment of the Supreme Court justice who will succeed Henry Billings Brown. Taft also expresses concern about Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal John F. Stevens’s inability to answer the charges of Poultney Bigelow’s article in The Cosmopolitan, even if the charges have no foundation. In addition, Taft notifies Roosevelt that he tried to get Major George W. Goethals, an army engineer, to be Secretary of the Board to live on the Isthmus of Panama, but the presence of Secretary of the Isthmian Canal Commission Joseph Bucklin Bishop prevents it. Taft recognizes that Congressman Julius C. Burrows is “indignant” about Taft’s involvement in the appointment of District Judge in the Western District of Michigan, but Taft does not think Burrows is justified.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-21
E. A. Drake tells William Loeb that Joseph Bucklin Bishop is delayed in Culebra on account of unfinished business. Bishop will cable when he is able to sail.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-27
Charles Edward Magoon writes to Secretary of State Root regarding recommendations for successors to his positions in Panama, since he will be transferred to the Philippines. He recommends Colonel William Crawford Gorgas for governor and commissioner and William F. Sands for minister. Given the circumstances of Panama, he believes that Gorgas should be given the dual appointment of governor and minister. However, if the positions are separated he recommends Sands. Magoon wishes to return to the United States prior to his transfer in order to handle his personal affairs and confer on his next position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-24
Edward Drake tells William Loeb that he will see to it that the communication addressed to Joseph Bucklin Bishop be given to him when he arrives in New York from the Isthmus.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-25
Nicholas Murray Butler expresses to President Roosevelt his thoughts about an upcoming trip by Secretary of State Elihu Root to Brazil. Butler suggests that Root travel with a group that would represent scholarship within the United States. Butler also alludes to issues concerning Joseph Bucklin Bishop.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-16
Secretary of War Taft writes to President Roosevelt to offer suggestions regarding the possible appointment of Joseph Bucklin Bishop to the Isthmian Canal Commission. Taft suggests that it may be wise to check with the Senate as to the probability of Bishop’s confirmation. If Roosevelt does not wish to risk a confrontation with the Senate, Bishop could be made assistant chief of the Washington office, and could then have the power to act when Chairman Theodore P. Shonts was absent. Taft favors making Bishop a Commissioner, and he discusses the likely salary.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-17
Theodore P. Shonts is working with Joseph Bucklin Bishop and W. Leon Pepperman to draw up a statement for President Roosevelt to present to Congress on Isthmian Canal Affairs
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-25
Edward Sandford Martin sends President Roosevelt a book of “counseling thoughts for use, if needed, after election,” but notes that he has seen a proof copy of an article predicting that Roosevelt will win with three-quarters of the electoral votes. Joseph Bucklin Bishop recently objected to something that Martin wrote, but Martin believes that Bishop’s “judgement has been affected by his efforts to carry Mississippi for the Republican ticket.” He mentions that Roosevelt’s son, Theodore Roosevelt, may be interested to know that his son, George Whitney Martin, has been at home recovering from having his appendix removed, but that he is nearly well again.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-10-26
F. Norton Goddard informs President Roosevelt about various opinions on the tariff, the beef trust and anthracite coal trust, and on the adoption of the party platform at the Republican National Convention. Goddard also discusses Seth Low seeking a diplomatic appointment and tells Roosevelt that he would support Elihu Root in a bid for New York governor.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-06-27
Nicholas Murray Butler discusses the different problems of the candidates for the Panama Canal Commission, including Edward Charles O’Brien and Joseph Bucklin Bishop. Butler also comments on various recent political appointments, particularly on finding a good running mate for President Roosevelt. Butler believes Charles W. Fairbanks is inadequate.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-06
Nicholas Murray Butler writes to President Roosevelt about the likely selection of Joseph Bucklin Bishop to head the Isthmian Canal Commission. Butler thinks Bishop is the right man for the job and explains why this appointment would look better than if Roosevelt put Bishop in a government position elsewhere. Butler also asks whether Governor Benjamin B. Odell commented on the proposal for Mr. Hendricks as National Committeeman and Mr. Cohen for the committee on resolutions.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-05-02
Charles O. Bishop charts the coverage of Theodore Roosevelt’s family, his second wife Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and his six children, in the pages of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Bishop provides information on how many articles and photo essays have been published on the family members, and he quotes from the articles. Bishop highlights the work of some Roosevelt family biographers and historians, such as Stacy Cordery and her work on Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Each member of the family, excluding the president, merits a section in the article and only Longworth is not depicted with a photograph.
Four photographs and two front covers from the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal populate the essay.
Michael F. Moran chronicles the Theodore Roosevelt Association’s (TRA) Panama Canal Centennial Strenuous Life Adventure of March 2014. Moran describes the itinerary of the group, highlighting its passage through the canal on a cruise ship and its stop at various offices and sites associated with the construction of the canal. Moran also refers to figures prominent in the building of the canal such as John F. Stevens. Moran describes the condition of Colon, Panama, highlights the group’s bird watching expedition, and notes the costumes of the native Embera Indians.
Twenty photographs and a map appear in the text while a photo album of seventy-two color photographs arrayed in twelve pages follows the article.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2014
Charles O. Bishop explores the origins of the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and Joseph Bucklin Bishop. Bishop traces the relationship to the time when Roosevelt served as a police commissioner in New York City, and Joseph Bucklin Bishop publicized Roosevelt’s work in his newspaper editorials. Bishop notes Joseph Bucklin Bishop’s disregard for Andrew D. Parker, another member of the police commission, and he highlights Bishop’s work on the Isthmian Canal Commission and Roosevelt’s request that Bishop write his biography.
Four photographs of Joseph Bucklin Bishop supplement the text.
The front cover has a photograph of President Theodore Roosevelt seated in a chair with four men standing behind him, including John F. Stevens and Joseph Bucklin Bishop, both of whom would work on the commission building the Panama Canal. The back cover features a photograph of Bishop at work at his desk in Panama.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1910
Thomas R. Goethals describes the appointment of his grandfather, George W. Goethals, as chairman and chief engineer of the Panama Canal Commission in 1907. He recounts President Theodore Roosevelt’s repeated reorganization of the commission and his desire to place the project under the authority of the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. Goethals notes the rapport quickly established between Roosevelt and Goethals, and he details Goethals’s concern over having to replace the very popular John F. Stevens as chief engineer of the project. Goethals notes that his grandfather was most worried about managing the people who would actually build the canal, and he highlights Goethals first speech in Panama in which he tried to reassure them that he would not militarize the project. Goethals also stresses the important role played by Secretary of War William Howard Taft in staffing and overseeing the construction of the canal.
The article includes nine photographs, including five of George W. Goethals, four illustrations, and one map of the canal zone. An advertisement for the Chocolate Lady candy store of Oyster Bay, New York, appears at the conclusion of the article.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2010
Gregory A. Wynn discusses the origins of his hobby of collecting items related to Theodore Roosevelt, and he uses this as an introduction to examine a letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Otto Trevelyan which had not been previously known or published. Wynn highlights the sensitive nature of the letter’s contents as it reveals Roosevelt’s thoughts and actions during a number of diplomatic crises during his presidency. Wynn also notes how the Trevelyan letter was shared with and was part of Roosevelt’s correspondence with his friend David Gray. Wynn asserts that the letters provide a “revealing snapshot of presidential statecraft.”
A postcard and a dinner program from Wynn’s collection appear in the article along with a photograph of Roosevelt with Trevelyan and his son George Macaulay Trevelyan.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
2009