Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951

Letter from William H. Taft to Theodore Roosevelt

President-Elect Taft thanks President Roosevelt for his support during the presidential campaign, and reflects on the results of the election and the implications of various results. In particular, strange ballot laws and the liquor question impacted the vote in different states. Taft believes that now his challenge is to prevent Representative Joseph Gurney Cannon from being elected Speaker of the House. He would like to meet with Roosevelt to discuss the plan to deal with Cannon, as well as how to fill the vacant Senate seat for New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-07

Letter from Winthrop Chanler to Theodore Roosevelt

Winthrop Chanler sends President Roosevelt a new book on “the game critters” in Africa. He jokingly suggests that after Roosevelt is finished with it, he give it to William Jennings Bryan and “advise him to take up shooting off something better than his mouth.” Chanler will be in Washington on Sunday, and would like to see Roosevelt if possible. He tells Roosevelt that he is planning to vote for William H. Taft and Lewis S. Chanler in the upcoming election, but warns him not to let William Randolph Hearst know. Chanler’s family is looking forward to spending the winter in Rome.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-19

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge has received the very incriminating newspapers covering the situation between Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker and John D. Archbold. Although it is distressing to see such an outcome for a politician, it also validating due to Foraker’s actions against President Roosevelt and William H. Taft. Lodge wonders what effect it will have on the public view of the Brownsville affair, on the presidential campaign, and on Governor Charles Evans Hughes. Being on Nantucket has been good for Lodge’s health after a stretch of exhaustion and a cold.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-21

Letter from Arthur Hamilton Lee to Theodore Roosevelt

Arthur Hamilton Lee appreciates the friendly letters from President Roosevelt and asks that Roosevelt and his family leave ample time for their visit to England. It is unfortunate that Roosevelt will not be present for the deer-stalking. Lee is pleased Roosevelt will deliver the Romanes lecture at Oxford. The outcome of the election has seemed unclear from abroad, and Lee is glad to hear Roosevelt’s positive update on William H. Taft. Lee asks if Roosevelt will elaborate on statements from his letters about information that he wants to share in person. If the information could assist Lee in serving his country and there was no other way to discuss it, he would come to the United States, but he assures Roosevelt that a message could be transmitted safely through the embassy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-04

Letter from Herman Henry Kohlsaat to Theodore Roosevelt

Herman Henry Kohlsaat tells President Roosevelt about a recent conversation he had with William Randolph Hearst, in which Hearst praised Roosevelt. Kohlsaat met with Fred A. Busse, mayor of Chicago yesterday, to withdraw his name as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, as he will not vote for Joseph Gurney Cannon, even for a complimentary vote. Busse, while publicly declaring himself for Cannon, told Kohlsaat that he is privately in favor of Secreatary of War William H. Taft, and expects to vote for him after the first ballot. Kohlsaat has met a delegation of men from the Board of Trade who wish for him to introduce them to Roosevelt to talk about his message.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-25

Letter from Silas McBee to Theodore Roosevelt

Silas McBee writes to President Roosevelt that the double eagle is a great improvement and he thinks Victor T. Brenner’s article in The New York Tribune covered it fairly. There is promise in the design of the liberty side, but he fails to find it on the eagle side, other than the movement of “E Pluribus Unum” to the edge. He hopes Secretary of War William H. Taft’s campaign will awaken the country’s young men. McBee praises Representative Herbert Parsons for blocking Governor Charles Evans Hughes’s people, but he won’t be satisfied until there is a knock-out.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-21

Letter from Arthur Hamilton Lee to Theodore Roosevelt

Arthur Hamilton Lee writes to President Roosevelt about the president’s impending retirement and hopes that it will not impact Anglo-American relations significantly when another man takes office. Lee is distressed about how the papers in New York are covering Roosevelt, as if his character is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He hopes the president continues to shine light in dark places of the securities industry so that scandals will be brought to light. Lee ends his letter requesting that Roosevelt sit for a painter, Fülöp László, for two to three hours and believes that Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt will agree.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-13

Letter from Thomas E. Watson to Theodore Roosevelt

Thomas E. Watson thanks President Roosevelt for the invitation to the White House, the gift of the photograph, and his friendship. Given the incomplete term of William McKinley, he urges Roosevelt to consider if it would really be breaking tradition to seek another term as president. Given the current threat to the financial policies Roosevelt has fought for, and the impending financial troubles he envisions unfolding with the lesser banks, he urges Roosevelt to hold his position and promises to support him fiercely should he run again.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-12-18

Letter from William S. Cowles to William Loeb

Rear Admiral Cowles requests that a representative from the New York Herald be included on the list of correspondents for the movement of the Great White Fleet in light of the newspaper’s scope and history of reporting on the Navy. Cowles notes that Henry S. Brown, an executive of the Herald, is particularly incensed over the inclusion of a correspondent from a newspaper owned by William Randolph Hearst, and intends to meet with William Loeb personally to discuss adding a correspondent from the Herald.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-20

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge reflects on the results of the election and is generally pleased, particularly with the sound defeat of Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Henry Melville Whitney. Lodge was less pleased by the events in New York which included a fusion of the Republican Party with William Randolph Hearst’s Independence League in New York City and embarrassing behavior by Governor Charles Evans Hughes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-09

Letter from Henry Cabot Lodge to Theodore Roosevelt

Senator Lodge and President Roosevelt share similar opinions on the proposed Oklahoma constitution, with Lodge being particularly concerned about one provision which would “destroy representative government,” should it be allowed to pass. Lodge suggests that putting the constitution before Congress would be enough to change the provision. Lodge is thrilled by Governor Curtis Guild’s massive win in the recent Massachusetts gubernatorial election, but is concerned about how many votes the Independence Party candidate received.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-07

Letter from John Appleton Stewart to Theodore Roosevelt

John Appleton Stewart sends President Roosevelt a copy of resolutions made at the Republican League meeting in Syracuse. The first resolution addresses the problem of partisan nomination of judges. In addition, though the delegates believe it a “public necessity” for Roosevelt to continue another four years in office, they recognize that Roosevelt does not desire to run again, and therefore resolve to support a candidate who will continue his work. Stewart notes that the farm convention was a great success, especially after he was able to dispel “wrongful suspicions” in a speech. Stewart is already planning more county conventions with Secretary of Agriculture James Wilson.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-30

Letter from William Emlen Roosevelt to Theodore Roosevelt

William Emlen Roosevelt wonders if President Roosevelt will return to Oyster Bay to vote. If so, Emlen would like to travel with him. Emlen has registered to vote, but is unsure for whom he should vote. He also fears that the worst of the financial panic gripping Wall Street is not yet over.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-23

Letter from Herbert Parsons to Alford Warriner Cooley

Representative Parsons explains some political considerations he has made in New York County to Assistant Attorney General Cooley. Parsons has decided to cooperate in municipal elections with William Randolph Hearst, and asks that Cooley explain his reasoning to President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-12

Letter from Alford Warriner Cooley to Theodore Roosevelt

Assistant Attorney General Cooley informs President Roosevelt of the developments surrounding Representative Parsons’ arrangement with William Randolph Hearst in New York County. Cooley thinks it would be prudent of Roosevelt to make some kind of statement after he returns to Washington. New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes has been non-committal to this point, although he may have had prior knowledge, according to Parsons.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-16

Letter from Charles Phelps Taft to William Loeb

Charles Phelps Taft believes Secretary of War William H. Taft keeps a strict separation between his personal and private finances. He agrees with President Theodore Roosevelt’s suggestion that the matter be reviewed, and any questionable items be paid for privately. Taft is concerned about media scrutiny of the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-21

Letter from William Sturgis Bigelow to Theodore Roosevelt

William Sturgis Bigelow sends President Roosevelt a book of photographs of authors. He recommends that Roosevelt read a pamphlet on Foucault’s pendulum. Next time newspapermen gin up war talk he could set one up in the Capitol. Bigelow is glad to be going away during Boston’s Old Home Week.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-25

Letter from Judson T. Williams to Theodore Roosevelt

Judson T. Williams believes that President Roosevelt has proven himself to be a valuable leader based on the way he handled the William Henry Jackson (Honore Jaxon) situation. Williams urges Roosevelt to run for the presidency again. Williams supports the principles of both Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan, and he suggests that it might be time to form a new political party around those principles.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-26

Telegram from Herbert George to Theodore Roosevelt

Herbert George says that Californians support President Roosevelt’s reply to William Henry Jackson (Honore Jaxon).

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-24

Letter from N. P. Andresen to Theodore Roosevelt

N. P. Andresen agrees with President Roosevelt that Charles H. Moyer, “Big Bill” Haywood, and Eugene V. Debs are “undesirable citizens” from the perspective of capitalists. By the same token, the Roosevelts, Rockefellers, and Hearsts are undesirable from the perspective of the working class. Given that there are overwhelmingly more people in the working class than there are capitalists, Andresen says, “it ought not to be difficult for you to form a correct impression as to who really are, and who are not, desirable citizens.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-25