Hunting rifles

The conferring of the annual Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) police awards for New York City, Boston, and Western New York state opens this edition of the “News and Notes” section. The accomplishments of each of the winners are detailed as are the ceremonies marking each award. A report on the TRA’s annual meeting and dinner follows with details of its speakers, field trips, and annual elections. The conferring of the TRA’s Junior Officer Leadership Award for a member of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt is highlighted, and the section reprints an address by Edith Derby Williams given at the annual meeting.

Other news from the section includes the marking of twenty years as Executive Director of the TRA by John A. Gable; the awarding of the annual natural history research grants by the American Museum of Natural History; and the passing of TRA Trustee Oren Root. New York Governor George E. Pataki’s admiration for Theodore Roosevelt is noted as are the accomplishments of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and his son, Quentin, on the fiftieth anniversary of the invasion of Normandy in World War II. “News and Notes” also trumpets recent works on Theodore Roosevelt by Caleb Carr, H. Paul Jeffers, and Joseph R. Ornig.

Eleven photographs appear in the section, including eight from the annual meeting, two from the police awards ceremonies, and one of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. with his son Quentin.

Pamphlet advertising the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. In particular, the pamphlet urges buyers to look for the Winchester ‘W,’ which signals uniformity in rifles, shotguns, and ammunition.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908

A shooting target used by Edward North Buxton with a hunting rifle. He made eight shots at 100 yards.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-12

In honor of President Roosevelt’s upcoming African safari, C. Bryson Taylor writes about the sights, conditions, hazards, and necessary supplies of a hunting trip in safari. Taylor details the guides, provisions, ammunition, and medicines travelers will need when embarking into the “dark and brooding heart” of Africa. Taylor also weaves in two fictional stories about previous hunting parties, which demonstrate the harshness of the expeditions.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-09

Theodore Roosevelt would like a .22 automatic repeating rifle and 1000 cartridges charged to his account and sent to Alfred E. Pease. Roosevelt has done well with the .405 on safari in Africa.

Collection

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Creation Date

1909-05-12

A man labeled “Dingley,” holding a smoking blunderbuss labeled “High Protective Tariff,” stands over a dead sheep labeled “Wool Industries.” He was aiming at a wolf labeled “Foreign Products” that is looking over the top of a fence.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1898-11-30

Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit Roosevelt after their return from their African hunting trip to say he is sending Kermit’s rifle to him in Paris, and it has been very difficult getting everything from the shipping company they used to send materials home from Africa. Roosevelt is not looking forward to his trip through the country and speaking engagements, but he wants to work until he is sixty if that is possible. He says Ethel Roosevelt is planning a Western trip, and Archibald “Archie” B. Roosevelt has been helping him around Sagamore Hill.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1910-07-19

President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit about his last speech as President in Kentucky at a Lincoln celebration. Uncle Douglas Robinson is thinking of buying the horse Roswell. The plans for the Africa hunting trip are nearly complete.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1909-02-13

President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to say they are waiting for Kermit to send soiled laundry before they send the rubber-soled shoes. Roosevelt says he is very busy and glad he has gotten everything ready in advance. He also talks about directions for the double-barreled 450 rifle.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1909-02-04

President Roosevelt writes to his son Kermit about trying the double-barreled Holland elephant rifle for the first time and getting everything in order for their African hunting trip.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1909-01-31

A list of the zoologists and sportsmen who donated a double elephant rifle to President Roosevelt in recognition of his services on behalf of national parks and forest reserves. There are about 56 names on the list.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1909

President Roosevelt writes to his son Kermit to tell him about the dance they had for Ethel Roosevelt at the White House and his trouble with Congress over the Secret Service. He goes into detail about the guns they will be using on their African hunting trip, including one lent to them by John Jay White. He adds that Quentin Roosevelt was punished for leaving school without permission and he and Mother are worried about him. Roosevelt enclosed a list of the English donors of his rifle.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1909-01-10

President Roosevelt writes to his son Kermit in reference to a letter Kermit sent to him that Kermit had received from a friend. Roosevelt tells him the friend probably heard some baseless slander about Kermit and was trying to be kindly so Kermit should not be annoyed. He says he has tried out the new Winchester rifles at Dr. Rixey’s and wants Kermit to try them when he comes home for Christmas. Roosevelt adds that he has been riding and jumping the horses and playing tennis. He encloses a letter from Frank M. Chapman, the American Museum of Natural History’s ornithology director.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1908-12-03

President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit on a number of topics including taking pictures on their African trip, types of guns to use on their African trip and his prediction for William H. Taft’s results in the presidential election. He also mentions turning fifty and taking the horses out jumping to celebrate.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1908-10-27

President Roosevelt reminds his son Kermit that under no circumstances is he to extend his trip because he must be back at Harvard by the 30th. He says he and Mother took their last row at Sagamore Hill and then invited Oyster Bay to the house to hear a delegation of German singers. Roosevelt closes by saying the Winchester rifles have arrived but they were all sighted wrong.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1908-09-19

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary thanks William Blau for keeping the rifle and case belonging to Theodore Roosevelt out of the sale of the assets of Henry C. Squires Sons. His secretary explains that Roosevelt had loaned the rifle and case to Squires to exhibit in the store window and Squires had not returned them. His secretary also requests that the rifle and case be returned to Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-05-08

Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary informs Rex A. Taylor that he can refer to Roosevelt’s books African Game Trails to learn about the guns he used on his hunt in Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-01-06

Theodore Roosevelt writes Henry C. Squires about the double-barreled Holland .450 and Springfield rifles sent to Squires for cleaning eight months ago. Roosevelt has been inconvenienced and asks that Squires send the rifles “back at once.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-07-25

Theodore Roosevelt tells Leslie J. Tarlton that D. T. Abercrombie will attend to the cartridges and send him some from Tritton. Tarlton is to let Roosevelt know if they are satisfactory, as he experienced some issues with the Holland and Springfield cartridges on his African trip. Roosevelt has just written to Kermit who is at Harvard and will be interested to know what Karitura’s language was. He believes Kermit is homesick but growing up at Harvard. They speak often of the Africa trip, and Roosevelt would like to face another big-maned lion. He is irritated with William Bailey Howland for not going to England as it was fair to no one. Roosevelt sympathizes with Tarlton for having so many shooting parties to attend at once.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-28

Theodore Roosevelt tells Lawrence F. Kennedy that he may of course put the picture on the gun and compliments Kennedy’s work.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-20