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President Roosevelt asks Attorney General Bonaparte for his opinion of E. D. Saunders as a candidate for District Judge of Louisiana. Saunders comes recommended from Louisiana politicians and judges. Roosevelt also asks about Judge James Wickersham of Alaska.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-09
President Roosevelt offers a judgeship position to Loyal E. Knappen. He notes that he cannot appoint Arthur C. Denison to the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-01
President Roosevelt tells Senator Platt that he does not know anything about the matter from his previous letter, and he will have Secretary of War William H. Taft look into it. Roosevelt says people have been talking about the judge in the Eastern District, and he has declined to speak on the matter. He hopes Platt will do the same. They can talk the matter over when Platt meets with Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-11-08
President Roosevelt details various strategies for the Republican candidates in the upcoming elections in New York to Lieutenant Governor of New York and New York Republican State Committee Chairman Woodruff. Roosevelt believes William Randolph Hearst will carry votes in Upstate New York, therefore the focus should not be only on the cities.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-04
President Roosevelt tells Senator Proctor of his intentions to appoint Assistant Attorney General Charles Henry Robb for district judge. Roosevelt also congratulates Proctor’s son, Fletcher D. Proctor, on his inauguration for Governor of Vermont.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-02
President Roosevelt tells Senator Platt of his intentions to appoint Assistant Attorney General Charles Henry Robb for district judge.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-02
President Roosevelt has received many letters regarding the Nevada judgeship, but is not prepared to say what his ultimate decision will be. He tells Senator Nixon that he feels very strongly about the judiciary, and wants to make sure he gets the best person for the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-08-15
President Roosevelt would like to consult with Attorney General Moody regarding why they chose to not reappoint C. W. Raymond as a judge in Indian Territory, as Roosevelt has forgotten the reason (although he comments that he has a vague memory of Raymond being labeled “a cantankerous crank” by the bar). When Roosevelt spoke with Raymond recently, Raymond mentioned that he wished Ernest L. Kistler could be appointed District Attorney instead of the incumbent William M. Mellette.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-05-09
President Roosevelt informs Charles H. Scott that he appointed Judge Thomas Goode Jones knowing that he was a Democrat who had voted against him. He assures Scott that he is satisfied with Jones’ conduct as a judge and that he has “more than borne out” Roosevelt’s hopes.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11-17
George Robert Carter believes current Hawaii Governor Dole would be an excellent judicial appointment. He offers his own services and says Roosevelt “may command such ability as I possess in any honorable way.” If Roosevelt were to appoint him governor of the islands, Carter believes he would need several changes in the current administration.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1902-10-30
At Judge A. H. Whitfield’s request, LeRoy Percy asks Theodore Roosevelt for his opinion of Whitfield’s fitness and qualifications for a federal judgeship position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-01-16
President-elect Taft encloses a letter from Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley recommending Harry Skinner for judgeship in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-20
President-Elect Taft advises President Roosevelt to “go slow” about an appointment for judge in North Carolina due to the politics involved. Taft advises against the appointment of H. F. Seawell, and points out the influence of the Southern Railway Company and Seaboard Air Line Railroad on multiple North Carolina statesmen.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-17
Assistant Attorney General Cooley recommends Harry Skinner, current Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, to President-Elect Taft for the appointment as District Judge. Cooley cites Skinner’s handling of Internal Revenue Service cases as evidence of his qualification and notes that he was an “outspoken Taft man” despite popular support for Secretary of the Treasury George B. Cortelyou. Cooley hopes he has not troubled Taft with the letter, as he has already communicated its contents to President Roosevelt.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-11
President-Elect Taft weighs the options of who to appoint as judge in North Carolina’s Eastern District. Taft muses that appointing a Democratic judge may be the best course of action, avoiding the impression of rewarding a fellow Republican with the position. However, he favors longtime Republican, Edward W. Timberlake, despite existing party opposition.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-06
William D. Brickell has been trying to arrange a settlement between President Roosevelt and Senator Joseph Benson Foraker allowing for the reappointment of Judge John E. Sater and placing Foraker’s choice for the bench, Judge John J. Adams, in a different position. Such an arrangement would allow both Roosevelt and Foraker to avoid political humiliation. Brickell does not want to get “back in the harness” and help Secretary of War William H. Taft until this settlement is done. (Roosevelt had previously named Sater to the Southern District of Ohio District Court over the objections of Foraker, an Ohio Senator, who favored Adams. Roosevelt granted Sater a recess appointment, allowing him to take the bench.)
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-04
Fearing a misunderstanding, Frank B. Kellogg writes to clarify his previous statements regarding his source of information concerning Judge William Lochren’s resignation. Additionally, while appreciative of William Loeb’s kind words and President Roosevelt’s confidence, he apologizes for making it sound as if he would succeed Lochren. Kellogg does not want the position because it interferes with his current professional cases and future aspirations. He hopes to visit Washington D.C., soon and wants to see Loeb.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-08
Timothy L. Woodruff explains his desire to meet with President Roosevelt about political matters in New York. Woodruff is particularly concerned about the nomination of judges to the New York State Court of Appeals. He does not intend to discuss reapportionment.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-25
Timothy Woodruff, chairman of the New York State Republican Committee, informs President Roosevelt that he will nominate five Republicans and three Democrats for the New York State Supreme Court in the Second Judicial District. Among the Democrats are William J. Carr and Townsend Scudder, the latter being somewhat controversial among the Democrats but having enough “masonic eminence” that Woodruff considers eliminating him “unwise.” Woodruff thanks Roosevelt for his timely letter and advice, and says he is informed about the situation upstate and is taking precautions.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-04
Representative Parsons believes that the Judiciary Nominator’s ticket could cost Republicans thousands of votes, specifically because there are no Orthodox Jews on the ticket and certain parts of New York City are not represented. Parsons also notes the absence of respected Judge Rosalsky and the fact that there are more Democrats than Republicans. A circular letter sent out by the Nominators gave the false impression that men active in politics are forever disqualified from being judges.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-03