McKinley, William, 1843-1901

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt is sure Senator Lodge has seen his statement about Ohio Senator Joseph Benson Foraker and his letter about William Jennings Bryan. Roosevelt thinks Foraker’s situation is distressing, but corruption must be exposed. He is torn about William Randolph Hearst’s recent attitude. The amount of corruption in high places is shocking, but it has been natural for Roosevelt to fight it. Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park S. B. M. Young brought two such examples to Roosevelt’s attention, one regarding appointments tied to William McKinley’s election and one regarding the feelings of John Kean and Hamilton F. Kean about business interests.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-25

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt believes it is unwise to give an interview to the newspaper. He agrees with William H. Taft’s opinion of the speeches given by J. S. Sherman and Secretary of State Elihu Root. Although he does not care for him, Roosevelt feels Governor Charles Evans Hughes should be renominated. Roosevelt wants Taft to show his personality and offers words of encouragement.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John A. Sleicher

After deliberation, President Roosevelt shares John A. Sleicher’s opinion regarding renominating Governor Charles Evans Hughes and has told the party leaders. Roosevelt directs Sleicher to write to William H. Taft. He agrees that Taft’s personality needs to be highlighted, but does not believe speeches are the solution.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Alden Smith

President Roosevelt tells Senator Smith that he cannot discuss the statement Smith says he made, as he does not remember making it. Regarding the Brownsville affair, Roosevelt affirms his right to dismiss the officers and states that Senator Joseph Benson Foraker’s bill regarding the matter is “purely academic.” The investigation has shown that ten to twenty black soldiers committed the assault and many more of their comrades knew about it.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-24

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to George Dewey

President Roosevelt hopes Admiral Dewey will attend the dedication of the monument to William McKinley in Buffalo, New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-15

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Harry A. Colman

President Roosevelt wishes he could be present at the memorial meeting in honor of former President William H. McKinley. He thanks Harry A. Colman, president of the United States Historical Society, and his colleagues for the work they have done.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-28

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philander C. Knox

President Roosevelt tells Senator Knox that he will research the case of Lieutenant Commander Patrick William Hourigan. Roosevelt recalls that he stood up for Hourigan to President William McKinley during his court martial case in 1900 for being intoxicated on duty. Roosevelt suspects that if Hourigan has remained sober, that he can probably “restore him his numbers.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Wm. Cary Sanger

Senator John H. Mitchell insists that William McKinley had promised his son an appointment as captain in the Quartermaster’s Department but there is no record of such a promise. President Roosevelt would like young Mitchell to be made a first lieutenant if he does well on the examination.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-18

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Grover Cleveland

President Roosevelt was glad to find that former president Grover Cleveland holds Thomas Goode Jones in such high regard, and is glad to have appointed him as a judge, even though he did this before hearing Cleveland’s opinion. He appreciated Cleveland attending the funeral of former president William McKinley with him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles Emory Smith

Mrs. LeDuc, postmistress at Tryon, North Carolina, was William McKinley’s school teacher and she should not be removed without discussion with President Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-30

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Archibald McNichol Stevenson

Before his death, William McKinley appointed Charles Hartzell as secretary of Puerto Rico and Hartzell had accepted. In cases where McKinley had made an appointment but not signed the commission, President Roosevelt has decided to conclude the appointment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Henry Hunt

President Roosevelt intends to give Governor Hunt, William H. Taft, and General Wood a large degree of autonomy in matters dealing with the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. He has written to Senator Hanna and predicts no difficulty with the appointment of Frederic C. Howe. Hunt’s opinion is welcomed on the suggested appointment of Albert D. Elliot as Secretary of State for Puerto Rico. William McKinley’s intention was to appoint Charles Hartzell as Secretary of State, and Roosevelt will continue with this appointment unless Hunt has any objections. Hunt is urged to write with absolute freedom over any appointments or policy issues.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Myron T. Herrick

President Roosevelt asks Colonel Myron T. Herrick to come visit him at his convenience. Roosevelt was told of William McKinley’s intention to send Herrick to Italy, and plans to follow through on it. He hopes to learn, through Herrick and Secretary of State John Hay, what McKinley told the Ambassador to Italy, George von Lengerke Meyer, when he was sent there.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mary Grace Wilcox

President Roosevelt expresses his gratitude to Mary Grace Wilcox for her hospitality after the Wilcox home was the site of Roosevelt’s emergency inauguration on September 14, 1901, following the assassination of William McKinley. Roosevelt tells Wilcox he will never forget her kindness.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Francis C. Lowell

Referring to his recent ascendancy to office upon the death of William McKinley, President Roosevelt writes that “there is but one thing to do now, and this is not to be morbid, but to undertake the task to the very best of my ability.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-20

Letter from George B. Cortelyou to Matthew Stanley Quay

George B. Cortelyou apologizes for his inattention to Senator Quay’s telegram and cites President McKinley’s assassination as the reason the telegram was missed.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-14

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Wayne MacVeagh

President Roosevelt thanks Wayne MacVeagh for the letter. He is in a difficult position after the death of William McKinley but hopes to carry himself “manfully.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-14

Letter from Robert B. Roosevelt to Hallock

Robert B. Roosevelt was glad to hear from Hallock. Roosevelt has always been a Democrat, but William Jennings Bryan’s populist antics forced him to support William McKinley in the past, and Bryan has become crazier since then. He also considers Theodore Roosevelt to be “half a Democrat,” and thinks Roosevelt will help keep the administration in line.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-28

Letter from James Bryce to Theodore Roosevelt

James Bryce sends President Roosevelt his sympathy on the death of President William McKinley and best wishes for his presidency. He gives the address he will be staying at in Mexico in case Roosevelt sends further letters for the authorities in Havana. Bryce asks if Roosevelt will be in Washington on September 30 and if the two might have a brief meeting that evening.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-20

Letter from Ethel Gwynna Murray Quigg to Theodore Roosevelt

Ethel Gwynna Murray Quigg hopes that the terrible tragedy of William McKinley’s death can be forgotten and that America can look forward to the future, knowing the right man is in the right place. Quigg also sends her love to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and Ethel Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-09-18