Heinze, F. Augustus (Frederick Augustus), 1869-1914

President Roosevelt celebrates his forty-ninth birthday with a variety of friends. In the upper left hand corner at the piano are New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Thomas Fortune Ryan singing, “Oh let us be joyful.” Booker T. Washington tells Henry Watterson, “Henry, I hope you’ll come down and visit me at Tuskegee.” Senator Joseph Benson Foraker says to Secretary of War William H. Taft, “I heard a good story today, Will.” Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks look at a picture of George Washington, and Fairbanks says, “That picture makes me sad. It reminds me of cherries.” William Randolph Hearst, James Roscoe Day, and Secretary of State Elihu Root look at a book of “Snapshots in New York.” William Jennings Bryan and Grover Cleveland play a game of checkers, and Bryan says, “After you, Grover.” J. Pierpont Morgan watches over the game with his hand on Bryan’s back. Henry Huttleston Rogers, F. Augustus Heinze, and Thomas William Lawson sit together. Lawson says, “Rogers, my boy, you must come over to Boston and visit me.” John D. Rockefeller points at Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s chest while President Roosevelt presents a bouquet to James J. Hill as William J. Long looks on. Finally, James T. Harahan, Edward Henry Harriman, and Stuyvesant Fish read “Snap Shots Along the Illinois Central.” Harriman remarks, “Very nice album, Stuyvesant, is it not?”

comments and context

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-27

President Roosevelt diagnoses the root cause of the current financial crisis as the public’s lack of confidence caused by the revelations of corrupt practices among several prominent businessmen. In fact, Roosevelt believes such a crisis was inevitable in light of dishonest business practices, and that his policies merely exposed them sooner than expected. Despite this, Roosevelt cannot regret his decisions and can only resolve to do what he can to restore confidence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-16

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Alexander Lambert that whether or not he is responsible for the current financial panic, he will be held responsible for it. Roosevelt is not sure if he can do anything to allay the panic, but he will not abandon his anti-trust policies. He believes that imprisoning just a few men, such as Charlie Morse, Augustus Heinze, and Charles T. Barney (who died of self-inflicted wounds on 14 November 1907) would accomplish more than anything else. Roosevelt thanks Lambert for forwarding the bear skins to the taxidermist John Murgatroyd, and is anxious to be done with the bear hunting article he is working on.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

A Wall Street banker summarizes the Panic of 1907. They describe the weak banking laws which created the precarious conditions on Wall Street, and how J.P. Morgan & Co. took advantage of these conditions to achieve the “greatest financial confiscation the world has ever known.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907

Creator(s)

Unknown

E. M. Glasgow wants to forestall efforts by large corporations to see that Roosevelt is defeated in the upcoming presidential election. He discusses recent copper mine closures in Montana by Amalgamated Copper Company.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-01-07

Creator(s)

Glasgow, E. M.

James Sullivan Clarkson encloses letters from General Dodge regarding financial issues and from Leigh Hunt who provides a positive assessment of President Roosevelt. Clarkson also comments on political developments in New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-04-17

Creator(s)

Clarkson, James Sullivan, 1842-1918