Foraker, Joseph Benson, 1846-1917

Reflections upon the president

Syracuse University Chancellor James Roscoe Day takes exception to an editorial called “The Scandal-Mongering Epoch” which stated that he “strikes no sympathetic chord in the Methodist Church” when he reflects upon the limits of presidential power. Day outlines several of his reflections that he believes should align with Methodist values and decries the role of the press in contributing to the current national mood.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906

Letter from Arthur Hamilton Lee to Theodore Roosevelt

Arthur Hamilton Lee is glad to have the pictures President Roosevelt sent of him jumping on horseback, and wishes he could have accompanied him. Lee has found news coming from American newspapers “more than usually interesting lately,” and comments that the state of politics seems perplexing to an outsider, mentioning a number of issues. He shares the sentiment of many Americans in wishing that Roosevelt could have served another term in the presidency, but respects his opinion on the matter. He hopes that after leaving the presidency Roosevelt will be able to make “a private ‘out-of-season’ visit to England” to see his friends there. Lee provides a brief update on British politics as well, saying “the present government has shown an extraordinary capacity for mismanaging its own affairs,” and jokingly suggesting that Roosevelt come to England to help manage the government.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-16

Note about letter

“Letter to Richards with enclosure about Fimple–probably from Sen. Foraker–in Oct 1904”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10

Bonaparte sorry trust magnates escape prison

Newspaper clipping on the subject of the the ongoing investigations into the “Trust Magnates” containing Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte’s official statements about the ability of the law to be used to prosecute those leading the trusts.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-19

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

William H. Taft shares commentary on William Allen White’s letter with President Roosevelt. In his upcoming speech, Taft does not address the “negro question” but plans to do so later. Taft enjoyed the speeches of Secretary of State Elihu Root and Representative J. S. Sherman. In a postscript, Taft believes in the necessity of renominating Governor Charles Evans Hughes. He shares misgivings about his election prospects and wants to give speeches in several states.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Taft will stand by friends

Republican presidential nominee William H. Taft made a speech in Ohio pledging his support for the leadership and candidates of Republican Party of Ohio after meeting with Taft’s campaign manager, Arthur I. Vorys, and other members of the party. After the speech, Taft attended other campaign events in the area.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-28

Letter from Ernest Hamlin Abbott to Theodore Roosevelt

Ernest Hamlin Abbott informs President Roosevelt that The Outlook contains an editorial paragraph on the Brownsville incident based on Roosevelt’s message and Senator Joseph Benson Foraker’s bill in the senate. Apart from noting the ineffectiveness of Foraker’s bill, The Outlook does not discuss the bill at length. Abbott has noticed that the current situation is frequently misrepresented in spite of Roosevelt’s statement of fact in his message, but observes that this frequently pushes public opinion in favor of Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-16

Why Governor Hughes should be nominated for president

In Leslie’s Weekly, former New York City Mayor Seth Low writes about why he feels Charles Evan Hughes, Governor of New York, would be the best Republican candidate for president on 1908. In his view, Hughes has the best chance of winning New York given his strong record there as governor, and without New York the Republican chances of victory are slim. While Low holds many others in high esteem, he feels that Hughes is the safest choice for Republicans given the challenging election they will face.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-23

Inquiry as to certain western land grants

Senator Charles William Fulton, of Oregon, proposes an amendment authorizing and instructing Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte to begin suits in Oregon relating to the present land grant cases. While Bonaparte may have already had the authority to do this without such a resolution, passing such a resolution assuages some of the worries of the Justice Department regarding its ability to prosecute such suits. Debate on this resolution centered around whether such a resolution was necessary, and around some of the facts of the land grant cases.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-18

For president Senator J. B. Foraker

An editorial congratulates the Cleveland Gazette, a prominent African American newspaper, for its role in Theodore E. Burton’s electoral defeat and theorizes that the African American vote was crucial for Tom Loftin Johnson’s reelection as mayor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-17

Crane defies big stick in war with Roosevelt and Lodge

Massachusetts Senator Winthrop Murray Crane is opposed to Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and President Roosevelt in supporting William H. Taft in the upcoming presidential election. Crane has threatened to resign his seat rather than be forced on the matter. Details of Crane’s objections and state of mind are discussed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-18

Frank H. Hitchcock unhappy

Frank H. Hitchcock has two competing job opportunities. President Roosevelt and Postmaster General George von Lengerke Meyer want Hitchcock to stay in his position as Assistant Postmaster General, while Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou wants him to replace the current Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Hitchcock is dismayed that the press makes him out to be the only man who can assess the current political climate in the Roosevelt administration, and swears that he is not currently campaigning for any candidate for president. Hitchcock has traveled around the South, Midwest, and Pacific coast, alarming local politicians who assume he is campaigning. Hitchcock has jurisdiction over several thousand postmasters in the United States, further establishing his influence over the nominating process.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-01

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

In anticipation of Assistant Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock making a visit to President Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, William H. Taft reports a recent conversation a third party had with Hitchcock. The latter expressed his intent to oppose Taft’s nomination for the presidency and to press for President Roosevelt to run for a third term. Hitchcock believes that Taft has made an unfavorable impression on a number of important figures in the Midwest. Taft implies that Hitchcock’s views might be influenced by those of Winthrop Murray Crane.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-29

Taft boom seems about to collapse

Secretary of War William H. Taft seemed to be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president, but his candidacy is losing support. Even thought President Roosevelt supports him, and he is personally popular with the public, he is a poor campaigner and is losing ground in several states to other politicians, including Roosevelt himself, whom some support for a second elected term.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge

President Roosevelt invites Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge and Senator Lodge to have dinner with him sometime soon. He feels like he will burst if he is not able to talk about a variety of topics without his usual reserve.

Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society

Creation Date

1903

Daugherty-Burton people call for help from Taft

Fearing their loss at the Ohio State Convention, supporters of H. M. Daugherty and Representative Theodore E. Burton request help from Ohio native, Secretary of State William H. Taft. Additionally, many claim that President Roosevelt’s invitation to Senator Charles Dick to view the naval maneuvers indicates a particular fondness towards him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-03

Winsted Evening Citizen, Vol. XIX, Whole No. 9.531, Tuesday, January 29, 1907

The article on page one, “Senator Foraker’s Attack on President Came So Unexpectedly Chief Executive Could Not Retort Effectively,” covers the Brownsville incident.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

1907-01-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Emory Smith

President Roosevelt inquires about the post office in Tampa, Florida. Captain Samuel A. Glenn, who has the support of Senator Joseph Benson Foraker, would like to be postmaster.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-12-19

The Republican Christmas tree

A large Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments labeled with political offices and presidential appointments. Thomas Collier Platt and Matthew S. Quay, who is dressed as a woman, are standing in front of the tree. In queues on both sides are diminutive figures anxiously awaiting their presents, including from right to left, Jerry Simpson, Joseph B. Foraker, William E. Chandler, William McKinley, Whitelaw Reid, Thomas B. Reed, Levi P. Morton, Benjamin Harrison, William B. Allison, George F. Hoar, John Sherman, Chauncey M. Depew, and Robert T. Lincoln. Caption: The two big bosses have full charge of it, and the most obedient boys will come in for the best gifts.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-12-25

Waiting for the good times to blow over

A large female figure holds a cornucopia labeled “Prosperity 1895,” floating toward rays of light that illuminate industrial facilities. She hovers above a group of men gathered around a platform with a banner that states, “Protection Issue and Victory in 1896.” Several of the men are shaking their fists at her. Among those identified by name and unidentified are “Hoar, Elkins, Tom Reed, Lodge, [and] Hale,” and William B. Allison, possibly Thomas C. Carter, John Sherman, Joseph B. Foraker, William McKinley, Benjamin Harrison, William E. Chandler, Whitelaw Reid labeled “Tribune of N.Y.,” Charles A. Boutelle, and Matthew S. Quay.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1895-10-09