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On behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, his secretary apologizes to Mrs. M. M. Enders that Roosevelt is not in the market for any coins nor is he making a collection such as Enders mentioned.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-01-19
Chronology of the daily life of Theodore Roosevelt from October 1858 to December 1870. Notable events include the Roosevelt family’s involvement in the American Civil War, Theodore Roosevelt meeting John Hay as a child, and the Roosevelt family’s first European trip.
Theodore Roosevelt Association
1985
A poem about Abraham Lincoln by John D. Nussbaum.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-02-12
Print shows two images of Samuel J. Tilden, dressed identically, to the left and right of a barrel full of coins, labeled with monogram “SJT.” Papers extending from their pockets state “For President, S. J. Tilden. For Governor, S. J. Tilden.” Caption: “Mr. Tilden will not support any candidate whom he has not personally selected” — Daily Paper.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1882-05-10
A large old tree grows at the edge of a body of water, with Albany, New York, on the right, and the U.S. Capitol on the left, in the background. Hanging from the branches are many coins with “$” and a few blossoms labeled “Bribes for Legislation, Bribes for Lawyers, Bribes for Judges, Bribes for Editors, [and] Bribes for Congress.” Telegraph lines are tangled in the branches, and the face of Jay Gould is formed by limbs and branches at center. The bodies of several people lay among the debris beneath the tree. Roscoe Conkling is slumped against a row of buildings. “Westbro[?]” has expired over the same row of buildings. A skull labeled “Jim Fisk” lies next to “Whitelaw Reid.” Ulysses S. Grant, at center, is labeled “Black Friday.” Beneath a railroad is the body of a woman labeled “Stockholder.” Against the trunk of the tree is a man labeled “Stockholder E.R.R.” who looks a little like Cornelius Vanderbilt, and on the right is Alonzo Cornell labeled “Blind Pool.” All appear to have succumbed to greed through the machinations of Jay Gould. Caption: “This tree … was said to be so exceedingly poisonous that no one could even approach it without certain death.” Zell’s Encyclopedia.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1882-08-30
President Roosevelt thanks Secretary of the Boston Numismatic Society Marvin for his letters. He mentions that sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens must have had Greek eagles in mind when making the eagle on the ten dollar piece, and he is glad Marvin likes the coins.
1908-01-20
William D. Sohier writes to Eliot C. Clarke and encloses a letter from President Roosevelt regarding the United States Mint and the striking of new St. Andrew’s coinage designs.
1907-10-14
John D. Rockefeller stands on a ladder, dumping coins into a “Patent Disinfector,” as a member of the clergy opens a slot and coins pour into a bucket labeled “Purified Cash for Missions.” An open trunk labeled “Contributions,” full of money bags, is at the base of the ladder. Caption: The cash purification plant.
S. D. Ehrhart’s modest cover cartoon appears to comment on the growing trend of American moguls donating portions of their fortunes to charities. The most prominent of the day might have been Andrew Carnegie’s stated intention to give away his fortune to causes like Carnegie Hall, Carnegie Free Libraries, and what became Carnegie-Mellon University. For every Carnegie there have been multitudes of Morgans, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers.
Whether the beneficence of moguls was heartfelt or the result of guilty consciences, the situation depicted by Ehrhart says as much about the public’s perceptions as the munificence of the wealthy — the situation falling somewhere between irony and hypocrisy. The cartoonists’ usual depictions of Old Man Rockefeller as a wizened ogre changed when the far-flung family started endowing foundations with the same oil profits. Even today, corporate executives in industries such as oil are excoriated by citizens and cartoonists, but seldom are the richest men in America, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, no matter the prices of their products, if their views harmonize with the public’s.
Theodore Roosevelt tells David W. Arndt that Augustus Saint-Gaudens recommended a model for gold coins that did not contain the phrase “In God We Trust.” Roosevelt notes that the phrase was later restored to the coins by Congress.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1917-12-03
Theodore Roosevelt thanks Mrs. Thomas Wallace for the coin and will carry it for luck. Roosevelt admires men like Timoleon, John Hampden, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-06-04
Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary denies the report that Roosevelt is asking for old coins. They tell John W. Shaffer that Roosevelt is not creating such a collection.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-01-25
Theodore Roosevelt thanks C. R. Angell for the coins and is glad the bison and Indian head appear on the five-cent pieces.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1913-06-14
President Roosevelt encloses the registry receipt for the letter in which he enclosed a coin that he sent to William Sturgis Bigelow. Roosevelt is very concerned that the coin apparently has not reached Bigelow and asks if he is sure it was not in the letter when he received it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-10
President Roosevelt will take the matter T. Louis Comparette writes about up with Frank Aleamon Leach, Director of the U.S. Mint. The difficulty he writes about stems from the government employing people who do not appreciate or want to pay for good design; it is not currently possible for the United States to get good coins.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-06
President Roosevelt will have Mint Director Frank Aleamon Leach secure a twenty-dollar gold piece for August Saint-Gaudens.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-15
President Roosevelt thanks T. Louis Comparette for his letter, and wishes he were going to be in power the next time models for coins come due. Roosevelt believes that the best artists alive should design the coins.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-14
President Roosevelt thanks William T. R. Marvin for the letters, and agrees that Augustus Saint-Gaudens must have had some of the eagles that Marvin mentioned in mind when he was designing the new ten dollar coins.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-20
President Roosevelt tells William Sturgis Bigelow that he is glad to hear about the coins, and thinks that the pictures that Bigelow mentioned would be something that people would “make a great yell about.” He suggests that Bigelow make a request that the United States permit the introduction, which would let Secretary of State Elihu Root see if it is possible to do anything. Roosevelt promises to do what he can to arrange for an interchange of professors between the United States and Japan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-20
President Roosevelt thanks Thomas L. Elder for the coins and informs him that the coins by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, including the eagle and double eagle, are about to come out.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-09-10
President Roosevelt thanks William D. Sohier for his kind words regarding his Provincetown speech. Roosevelt has written a strong letter to the United States Mint saying that there must be no more delays in producing the coinage. He will forward Sohier’s letter to reinforce his point.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-24