Your TR Source
Referring to the item he encloses, President Roosevelt remarks to Senator Lodge that the six employees who were dismissed were all union members.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-12
President Roosevelt notifies Peter Force that his mother, Mary Elizabeth Matthews Force, has been removed from her position as postmaster of Selma, Alabama. Roosevelt insists that she was removed because of her incompetence, not because of anything said by other politicians.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-07
President Roosevelt explains to Senator Culberson his actions regarding Mary William Houston Morrow, daughter of Sam Houston. Roosevelt appointed Morrow as postmistress at Abilene, Texas, in recognition of her father’s accomplishments. When her office was investigated by the post office and it was recommended that she be removed, Roosevelt intervened to give her another chance. After a recent second evaluation, it was determined that Morrow should be removed, and Roosevelt felt that he could no longer do anything to prevent it.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-18
President Roosevelt reproves Public Printer Leech for the discrepancy between his words and his actions regarding the emergency hospital in the Government Printing Office. Leech has claimed that he never thought of abandoning the work, yet he has demoted William J. Manning, the doctor who established it, causing his resignation. He also reduced the salary of the remaining doctor. Roosevelt again directs that Leech continue “both the force and the work” of the hospital.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-16
President Roosevelt is puzzled by the case of Robert H. Osborn, a naval lieutenant. While it appears that Osborn is not able or willing to keep up with his debts, and the board feels that he is morally unfit for the position, Roosevelt also knows that Osborn was injured in the line of duty and served well. He asks Secretary of the Navy Newberry if it would be possible to make an arrangement for Osborn to be retired, rather than dismissed, providing that his debts are paid beforehand.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-06-25
President Roosevelt held up the removal William Barnes, Jr. mentions as soon as he heard that New York Speaker James Wolcott Wadsworth was interested in it, but he has heard from Postmaster General George von Lengerke Meyer that the man is “entirely unfit” for his position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-22
President Roosevelt sends Secretary of the Treasury Cortelyou a memorandum from the Civil Service Commission in reference to Inspector of Customs Cornelius T. Crosby. Roosevelt recognizes the importance of preserving the integrity of the Civil Service examinations, and feels that Crosby should be removed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-15
President Roosevelt writes to Representative Landis to provide a written record of the progress of the governmental investigation into the Government Printing Office under Charles A. Stillings. He had directed George Clement Havenner to investigate the office, and the resulting report–which Roosevelt encloses–is condemnatory of Stillings. Roosevelt also comments on the actions of the Committee on Printing in the House of Representatives, which Landis chairs. Altogether, Roosevelt has suspended Stillings and will put William Sidney Rossiter in his place for now, and will direct him to cooperate with Landis’ committee.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-05
President Roosevelt encloses two letters to Charles A. Stillings, and notifies him that, pending the investigation, he is suspended from the duties of Public Printer.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-05
President Roosevelt writes that District Attorney of Alaska Nathan V. Harlan should be removed. The leaders on both sides of “the recent trouble in Alaska” should be prosecuted, as the Governor Wilford B. Hoggatt recommended.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-12-21
President Roosevelt hopes that Arthur Hamilton Lee is not worrying about the incident between Governor of Jamaica James Alexander Swettenham and Rear Admiral C. H. Davis in the aftermath of the Kingston Earthquake. Roosevelt assures Lee that he has dealt with worse characters than Swettenham, including several former American diplomats.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-12
President Roosevelt tells Dr. Stokes that his letter arrived a week after removing US Attorney for Puerto Rico Noah B. K. Pettingill from his post. He tells Stokes that it would have been extremely difficult to retain Pettingill in the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-05
President Roosevelt received Secretary of the Treasury Shaw’s letter concerning diamond appraiser General George Washington Mindil. While he finds it “distressing” to take such action against Mindil, Roosevelt sees no alternative. He prefers that someone from Representative Charles N. Fowler’s office, the Committee on Banking and Currency, fill the vacancy.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-09-07
President Roosevelt reluctantly sends Senator Spooner a letter from Commissioner of Indian Affairs Francis E. Leupp recommending the removal of Spooner’s brother, Roger C. Spooner, as Superintendent of the Indian Warehouse. Leupp gave him many chances to improve, but the situation has progressed to where Roosevelt simply asks Spooner if he will ask his brother to resign or if he should do so.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-20
President Roosevelt tells Judge Pritchard that it is out of the question to reopen the case of former Internal Revenue Collector Herschel S. Harkins, as he was removed on the recommendation of both Secretary of the Treasury Leslie M. Shaw and Commissioner of Internal Revenue John Watson Yerkes. Furthermore, Harkins’s successor has already been appointed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-09
President Roosevelt offers a suggestion to Secretary of State Root that when people are dismissed from diplomatic or consular service, a record be kept of the circumstances surrounding their dismissal.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-06-04
President Roosevelt has been disturbed by Theodore P. Shonts’s reports of misconduct by subordinates of Charles E. Magoon, and asks him to report on the subject to Secretary of War William H. Taft so that they can be dismissed or otherwise punished after a necessary investigation.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-26
Given that Maria Longworth Storer has recently publicized a letter from President Roosevelt, he writes to Eugene A. Philbin in order to provide context for what prompted the letter. by sharing copies of letters Storer wrote to himself and Secretary of War William H. Taft. Roosevelt gives Philbin permission to show these letters to a small number of friends to explain why he wrote what he did, and says that he would not release the letters if it were not for the actions of Storer. Roosevelt closes by stating that he dismissed Bellamy Storer, not because of the actions of his wife, but because he stopped answering Roosevelt’s letters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-04
President Roosevelt is as sorry as Bishop O’Gorman is about what has been published about the removal of Bellamy Storer and Maria Longworth Storer. The only announcement from the State Department was that Bellamy Storer “had been discontented at not receiving a promotion and that he had declined to answer certain letters,” and Roosevelt did not authorize any comments on the situation beyond the fact that Storer had been recalled. Roosevelt places the responsibility for more information leaking out squarely on the shoulders of Maria Longworth Storer and Bellamy Storer, as he had personally worked to keep the details out of the news.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-27
President Roosevelt informs Fairfax Henry Wheelan that Collectors of Internal Revenue have an indefinite term, so if Roosevelt wished to get John C. Lynch out of office, he would have to remove him rather than simply not reappoint him. Roosevelt promises to take up the post office matter that Wheelan mentioned, and hopes that something can be done about it, although he does not like interfering in post office contests.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-03-27