Faith

President Roosevelt agrees with Bishop Tuttle’s thoughts on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The president believes the government has no right to discriminate against a Mormon due to his religious belief if he does not practice polygamy and has not performed any illegal act. Roosevelt believes a law-abiding Mormon citizen should be treated just like the government treats individuals of other religious beliefs.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-12-09

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Christian F. Reisner invites Theodore Roosevelt to hear William Jennings Bryan speak at Grace Methodist Episcopal, believing that Roosevelt sympathizes with Bryan’s religious ideals despite their political rival.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-08-31

Creator(s)

Reisner, Christian F. (Christian Fichthorne), 1872-1940

H. B. Pratt sent Theodore Roosevelt a copy of his new booklet on infant death in view of the Kingdom of God. Pratt knew Roosevelt’s mother, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, and grandmother, Martha Stewart Bulloch. He thanks God for preserving Roosevelt’s life so he can continue improving society and the cause of human progress. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-08-04

Creator(s)

Pratt, H. B. (Henry Barrington), 1832-1912

Lulie Roberts Swift sends her poem,”The New Dixie,” to Theodore Roosevelt for a third time. She hopes he responds but shares her conviction that all things are done according to God.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-04-27

Creator(s)

Swift, Lulie Roberts, -1924

Hermann Hagedorn uses quotes from various friends, family, and colleagues of Theodore Roosevelt to demonstrate that he had an active Christian faith that he nurtured with Bible study and regular church attendance. He employs these quotations to counter the argument that Roosevelt was not a Christian and because Roosevelt himself seldom spoke openly about his faith.

 

Reverend George E. Talmadge, the Rector of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, New York, provides a view of Theodore Roosevelt the parishioner. He provides a number of anecdotes about Roosevelt’s participation in Sunday services and his support of church ministries. Talmadge discusses Roosevelt’s religious roots in the Dutch Reformed Church, his work with the Boy Scouts, and the death of Quentin Roosevelt.

 

A picture of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, New York accompanies the Talmadge article.

Two quotations by Theodore Roosevelt without dates or context, but both touch on matters of religion.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1978

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Herbert Spencer appears as a statue of a large dog at the entrance to a public building emitting rays of light labeled “Science.” Many diminutive men, wearing over-sized top hats, scamper about with ladders and muzzles in an attempt to silence Spencer’s views on religion and science. On a nearby flagpole hangs a banner that states “Freedom of Thought.” Caption: “The Society for the Suppression of Blasphemous Literature proposes to get up cases against Professors Huxley and Tyndall, Herbert Spencer, and others who, by their writings, have sown widespread unbelief, and in some cases rank atheism.” Tel. London, March 5, 1883.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1883-03-14

Creator(s)

Graetz, F. (Friedrich), approximately 1840-approximately 1913

Representative Reed thanks Commissioner Roosevelt for his letter of encouragement, following the mid-term elections in which Republicans lost heavily. Reed expects “buffeting from the enemy” for a short while – probably referring to the fact that the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives in the election.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1890-11-21

Creator(s)

Reed, Thomas B. (Thomas Brackett), 1839-1902