Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942

Theodore Roosevelt thanks Wilfred Hudson Osgood for his letter and his interesting writing. Roosevelt agrees that biologists have put too much importance on the theories of natural selection and protective coloring in animals. Roosevelt wrote his article not only to criticize Abbott Handerson Thayer’s book on concealing coloration, but also to present alternative reasons for coloration in animals.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-12-20

Alden Stevens provides a brief biographical look of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, giving particular focus to his experience with and impact on conservation in the United States.

Collection

Grand Canyon National Park

Creation Date

1958-10-27

In his review of Darrin Lunde’s The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, a Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History, Lowell E. Baier identifies the two theses that animate the book: that Theodore Roosevelt was a world class museum naturalist and that he was the most important conservationist of his time. Baier provides context for and discusses many of Roosevelt’s encounters with the natural world, and he lists many of the explorers, writers, conservationists, and fellow hunters who shaped his thoughts and actions. Baier praises Lunde for placing Roosevelt’s hunting in the context of his times and for acknowledging that Roosevelt hunted for both sport and science, but he faults Lunde for not recognizing the adrenaline rush of hunting and for not treating Roosevelt’s conservation record as president in greater detail.

The front cover of Lunde’s book, two photographs, and three paintings by John Seerey-Lester populate the review.

Gregory A. Wynn explores the life of American photographer Edward S. Curtis who photographed Theodore Roosevelt’s family in 1904 and 1905. Wynn argues that Curtis’s 1904 portrait “is the single best studio photograph” of Roosevelt. Wynn details Curtis’s decades long struggle to photograph, write, and produce his multi-volume The North American Indian, and he highlights the roles played by Roosevelt and J. Pierpont Morgan in promoting and financing the project. In an addendum to his essay, Wynn notes that the Roosevelt collection of his friend Peter Scanlan came to auction, and he highlights the sale of pieces that have been featured in previous editions of his material culture column. 

Five Curtis photographs supplement the text along with the title page of The North American Indian and illustrations of three items from the Scanlan auction. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Mark W.T. Harvey begins his review of Douglas Brinkley’s The Wilderness Warrior by noting that it is a very large book with much to say, but Harvey asserts that in his zeal to convey the story of Theodore Roosevelt as a conservation crusader, Brinkley tries to cover too much, provides too many details, and overwhelms the reader with his accumulation of facts and anecdotes. Harvey also argues that this barrage of knowledge comes at the expense of analysis and interpretation, and he believes that Brinkley lets his enthusiasm for his subject overtake the need for a critical perspective. Harvey contends that Brinkley does not adequately explore what terms like conservation, preservation, and wilderness meant in Roosevelt’s time and how Roosevelt acted to fulfill the meaning of these designations. Although he faults Brinkley for making Roosevelt too much of “a conservation hero,” Harvey concludes his review with praise for Brinkley for raising the profile of Roosevelt as an unrestrained lover of nature and a bold leader in the fight to conserve the nation’s natural resources.

The front cover illustration of The Wilderness Warrior, one of Roosevelt’s bird lists, two photographs of the Elkhorn Ranch, and seven photographs of Roosevelt accompany the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

President Roosevelt gives the naturalist John Burroughs some of his thoughts related to the “nature fakers” controversy. Roosevelt says that he believes that some animals do teach their young lessons, but he cautions against assigning human emotions to animals, and he warns Burroughs that writers such as William J. Long too often exaggerate what animal behaviors they have witnessed. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1905-05-29

John F. Reiger explores the relationships that led to Theodore Roosevelt’s championing the conservation of natural resources as president. Reiger focuses most of his attention on Roosevelt’s friendship with George Bird Grinnell with whom he would found the hunting and conservation group, the Boone and Crockett Club. Reiger also notes the influence of John F. Lacey, Frank M. Chapman, and others, and he describes how Roosevelt in turn would prove to be an inspiration to future leaders in the environmental movement. Reiger examines Roosevelt’s role in preserving Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, and he asserts that there is no contradiction in Roosevelt espousing both utilitarian and aesthetic conservation.

Two photographs of Roosevelt in Yellowstone National Park in 1903 appear in the essay.

Paul Russell Cutright examines Theodore Roosevelt’s first two published works: lists of birds found in the Adirondack mountains and in Oyster Bay, New York. Cutright explores Roosevelt’s friendship with H.D. Minot who coauthored The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N.Y., and he also looks at Roosevelt’s Notes on Some of the Birds of Oyster Bay, Long Island. Cutright reviews the field work that went into each pamphlet, discusses some of the birds found in each, and compares the information found in them to observations in Roosevelt’s natural history notebooks. He also highlights the publications in which the pamphlets have been reprinted, and he lists the museums, libraries, and institutions that have these rare works in their collections. Two pages of endnotes and a biography of Cutright supplement the text.

The first page of The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N.Y. appears twice in the article along with a photograph of the Snow owl donated to the American Museum of Natural History by Roosevelt.

John A. Gable reviews Looking for North: The Harriman Expedition to Alaska, 1899 by William H. Goetzmann and Kay Sloan. Gable focuses on the cast of famous figures, like John Muir and Edward S. Curtis, many of them friends of Theodore Roosevelt, who joined Edward Harriman’s scientific expedition.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

In this edition of the “Book Reviews” section, Paul Russell Cutright and Philip J. Roosevelt provide separate but equally laudatory reviews of American Bears, a collection of writings about bears and bear hunting by Theodore Roosevelt edited by Paul Schullery. Kenneth D. Crews finds that Roosevelt plays a minor, but important, role in Carlton Jackson’s The Dreadful Month about the awful death toll in American coal mines in December 1907. John A. Gable examines Paul D. Casdorph’s Republicans, Negroes, and Progressives in the South, 1912-1916 and compares some its findings to his own work on the Progressive Party.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1983

In “News of the Association,” John A. Gable discusses plans for the Quasquicentennial of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth during 1982 and 1983. He provides a detailed look at an article about Roosevelt’s conservation legacy in National Geographic Magazine and also examines Paul Schullery’s article about Roosevelt and fishing in The American Fly Fisher. Gable discusses Roosevelt’s use of the Antiquities Act, notes the passing of members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and quotes extensively from a letter from Alton A. Lindsay praising the value of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal to scholars. Gable notes the TRA’s support of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, praises the documentary film My Father the President about life at Sagamore Hill, and acknowledges the work of Wallace Finley Dailey of Harvard University in compiling a bibliography of journal and magazine articles about Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1982

In this chapter excerpt from his book John Muir and His Legacy: The American Conservation Movement, Stephen Fox examines efforts to expand Yosemite National Park, the battle between preservationists and conservationists over the use of forests, and provides portraits of John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, John Burroughs, and Theodore Roosevelt. He looks at the work undertaken by the conservation movement to preserve Niagara Falls, the redwood forests of California, and Mount Desert Island in Maine. Fox concludes the chapter with a look at the battle over the city of San Francisco’s desire to build a dam at the southern end of Hetch Hetchy valley in Yosemite National Park. In addition to looking at the life and work of Muir, the chapter provides information on many lesser known figures in the turn of the twentieth-century conservation movement.

A listing of the officers and the members of the executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees of the Theodore Roosevelt Association is found on the second page of the excerpt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

President Roosevelt will try to persuade C. Hart Merriam to adopt Ernest Thompson Seton’s proposals. Roosevelt enjoyed lunching with Seton and his wife, Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson, and looks forward to receiving the weight beam.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-22

President Roosevelt asks Dwight W. Huntington not to quote his recent letter regarding wildlife conservation, as he needs to do more research before issuing a public statement, but cannot do so at present. Roosevelt would like to discuss the matter with Huntington and C. Hart Merriam if they visit in the fall and believes he may be able to speak more definitely then.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-18

Printer’s proof of William J. Long’s detailed response to President Roosevelt’s recent attack on his work in Everybody’s Magazine. Long argues that Roosevelt holds himself to be an expert in animal behavior, when there are many more qualified men than he. Further, Long says that Roosevelt claims to know the “heart of wild things,” but really all he does is kill those animals. Long provides details, witnesses, and a point by point rebuttal to prove Roosevelt’s attack is unwarranted. A handwritten note indicates the article will appear in “the important papers of New York, Boston, Chicago, etc.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-02

Theodore Roosevelt tells Edward William Nelson that he was concerned to hear about C. Hart Merriam being ill and to let him know when they both might come and see him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1912-01-19

Theodore Roosevelt expresses to Frederick Courteney Selous his sympathy for the poor treatment Selous received during a scientific expedition, including health issues and bureaucratic obstacles. Roosevelt defends Selous’s integrity and scientific value, criticizes British officials for their lack of support, and reflects on his own African experiences. He praises Selous’s field observations and urges him to continue his contributions to natural history despite age and physical limitations.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-11

Theodore Roosevelt suggests William Beebe write to the Secretary of the Interior about lighthouse jurisdiction, and offers to write another letter if necessary. He also remarks on Beebe’s note about dark tiger beetles and later considers that lighthouses may fall under the Treasury Department.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-08

President Roosevelt discusses the various supplies, including food and drink, that he should bring on his safari. He tells Frederick Courteney Selous that he does not want the trip to be too luxurious, and does not want to bring very much alcohol. He also discusses the type of guns he should use and when he intends to leave for Africa. Selous’s friend Charles Sheldon recently visited Roosevelt and told about his hunting experiences in Alaska. Roosevelt has been invited to give the Romanes lecture in Oxford in 1910, and will be going to England after he leaves Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-19

Theodore Roosevelt was pleased with Edmund Heller’s letter and sent it to Kermit Roosevelt. He congratulates Heller on acquiring the spectacled bear specimen. Archibald “Archie” B. Roosevelt is starting out for a hunt, but Roosevelt has nothing planned besides a mild trip to Canada. Roosevelt is troubled by the policies of the Wilson administration and considers President WoodrowWilson the poorest president he has seen. The United States needs to stand up for its rights.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-08-28