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Gordon, Peyton, 1870-1946

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Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt tells Attorney General Bonaparte that it is simply a matter of expediency whether or not someone should resign from a federal office when running for an elected position, and trusts Bonaparte’s judgement. The president also believes that New Mexico District Attorney William H. H. Llewellyn and his people are incorrect about Department of Justice agents Ormsby McHarg and Peyton Gordon willfully telling lies, and Roosevelt has received a number of letters confirming this belief. Roosevelt will discuss the Idaho land fraud case with Bonaparte when he sees him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

President Roosevelt is disappointed New Mexico Governor Curry appointed Albert B. Fall as attorney general and suggests he be removed. Roosevelt assures Curry the governor has the president’s support. Roosevelt instructed Special Assistant Attorney General Ormsby McHarg to set aside territorial issues and continue his prosecutions. Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley will review the situation with Curry in three months.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-15

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt instructs Attorney General Bonaparte to stop investigating the matter involving William B. Sheppard, and to fill out his appointment as the judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Roosevelt has directed Special Assistant Attorney General Ormsby McHarg to continue the prosecution in New Mexico. While Roosevelt feels that McHarg lacks the experience to handle the case, he understands that halting the prosecution would likely result in the statute of limitations coming into play. He hopes to send Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley to new Mexico to help take up the matter. Bonaparte should continue insisting on an immediate separate trial for Senator William Edgar Borah. The press continually attacks Roosevelt and Bonaparte.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-15

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte updates President Roosevelt on several political matters. He believes the evidence that could be brought against Senator William Edgar Borah is not enough to convict him, but it is likely that Borah knew about the conspiracy. Bonaparte also wants to talk with Roosevelt about what is going on in the New Mexico Territory and the charges made against William H. H. Llewellyn. Finally, Bonaparte mentions a letter he received from W. Hall Harris about whether he should resign the postmastership in order to accept the nomination for a judgeship in Baltimore, Maryland.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-11

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte tells President Roosevelt that District Attorney Edwin Walter Sims has asked for a postponement in Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s case, perhaps due to Landis’s behavior. The press covering Secretary of State Elihu Root and Thomas Fortune Ryan has been sensationalized, and Bonaparte feels it is unfortunate that Root is taking the blame on the whiskey situation. Bonaparte will get an update from Department of Justice Agent Peyton Gordon about Agent Ormsby McHarg. As he will be traveling, Bonaparte sends his forwarding address. He encloses telegrams from Assistant Attorney General Marsden C. Burch regarding Judge Frank Sigel Dietrich.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-04

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte writes to President Roosevelt about several matters he did not have time to speak with him about today. First, he has “serious objections” to Senator William Edgar Borah’s suggestion of a temporary judicial appointment. Until Bonaparte knows more about the situation, he will have “grave misgivings” about Judge Frank Sigel Dietrich and Judge Edward Whitson. However, Bonaparte does believe that N. M. Ruick will not cause a scandal as long as he does not know or suspect that he will lose his position. Second, Bonaparte spoke with Alford Warriner Cooley about Roosevelt’s desire to appoint Samuel L. Williams, a black man, as district attorney in Chicago, per Booker T. Washington’s recommendation. Edwin Walter Sims, the U.S. Attorney in Chicago, reported favorably about Williams to Bonaparte, and he recommends the nomination. Finally, Timothy L. Woodruff spoke with Bonaparte about Wyoming Senator Frank W. Mondell’s draft of a bill that would amend the coal-land-laws. Bonaparte entertains “very grave doubts” about giving amnesty to large corporations that break the law.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-03-27

Report from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Report from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte reports on the results of an investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General into complaints made against U.S. Attorney for the Territory of New Mexico and former Rough Rider William H. H. Llewellyn. Bonaparte has found Llewellyn partially or fully culpable in all of the charges leveled against him, including conspiracy towards the illegal sale of public land, failure to make payment on a bill, and disregarding the wishes of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs Francis E. Leupp and the Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield. Bonaparte concludes that the results of this investigation, coupled with Llewellyn’s generally lackluster performance and failure to gain the trust of either the citizenry or fellow public officials, means that Llewellyn should retire from his post.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-19

Letter from Ormsby McHarg to Charles J. Bonaparte

Letter from Ormsby McHarg to Charles J. Bonaparte

Special Assistant Attorney General McHarg informs Attorney General Bonaparte of the situation in New Mexico Territory. McHarg says Governor George Curry is facing a difficult time in the administration of the territory, and McHarg will assist him in any way needed. McHarg goes on to detail examples of corruption the territory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-03

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Charles J. Bonaparte to Theodore Roosevelt

Attorney General Bonaparte returns a speech with minor suggestions to President Roosevelt, and discusses his strategy in finding a case in which the government could convict and sentence the head of an industrial trust. In North Carolina, Roosevelt could not have altered the dispute between Federal and State authorities in the railroad rate case. Bonaparte passes along some clippings related to the case against Senator William Edgar Borah of Idaho. Bonaparte relates the progress in vetting William B. Sheppard for a judgeship in Florida. In New Mexico, Bonaparte says he has examined the charges against New Mexico District Attorney William H. H. Llewellyn, and believes he must be removed from office. Bonaparte will be in Oyster Bay on Friday.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-05