Your TR Source
Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary sends Roosevelt’s thanks and appreciation to A. M. J. Todd for the letter and reference to Roosevelt and suggests he contact the director of the National Geographic Society.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-05-28
On behalf of Theodore Roosevelt, his secretary thanks Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor for sending copies of National Geographic Magazine.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-02-16
Theodore Roosevelt regretfully denies Ruth Kedzie Wood-Thompson’s request that he recommend her for membership in a society. The letter is likely referring to the National Geographic Society, where Roosevelt was a member, and Wood-Thompson later joined as a travel-writer.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1915-03-24
President Roosevelt regrets that he is not able to be present at the dinner that Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor and the National Geographic Society are arranging in honor of Admiral Robley D. Evans. Roosevelt praises Evans’s service and accomplishment in conducting the Great White Fleet during the first portion of its circumnavigation of the world.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-28
President Roosevelt believes in Captain Peary and wants to assist in the work of his polar exploration. Roosevelt will not accept an honorary presidency of any organization but would accept honorary membership in the National Geographic Society.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-19
George Shiras had planned to visit President Roosevelt to talk about wilderness matters, but was called away by the sudden death of his father-in-law, Peter Q. White. Shiras wanted to give Roosevelt an explanation about his recent article in National Geographic Magazine, and tells him his plan to collect his photography work together in several such articles before overhauling all of his material. Shiras plans to go to Yellowstone and the Rocky Mountains soon to take more picture of deer and bear. He sends several copies of National Geographic Magazine, including one particularly addressed to Kermit Roosevelt for him to look at in case he ends up being Roosevelt’s photographer during his African safari.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-06-23
George Shiras is glad that President Roosevelt has taken an interest in his wildlife photography, and he describes the circumstances under which a large number of his recent prints were acquired by National Geographic Magazine. Shiras tells Roosevelt that his previous appeal did not “fall on deaf ears,” and he will decline to be nominated for Congress this year. Shiras hopes that Roosevelt will “keep within reasonable distance of the eight hour law.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-07-28
John A. Gable provides a comprehensive accounting of the conservation record of President Theodore Roosevelt, and in ten quotations dating from 1905 to 1912, Roosevelt explains his philosophy of conservation. Roosevelt stresses that natural resources must be carefully managed for future generations and that conservation is the most important issue facing the country. Gable lists the 21 reclamation projects, 150 national forests, 51 bird refuges, and 4 national game preserves established by Roosevelt during his presidency. Gable also lists the 5 national parks and 18 national monuments created during Roosevelt’s tenure. He also notes the 7 different commissions and conferences called by Roosevelt during his presidency to study issues related to conservation and natural resources.
Photographs of Roosevelt at the dedication of the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona, at a federal bird refuge in Louisiana, and on horseback supplement the text.
A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is included in the article.
Much of this edition of the “News and Notes” section revisits and elaborates on articles published in this issue of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. “The TR Exhibit at the Johnson Library” quotes from the remarks made by William Davison Johnston, President of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), at the library, notes the gifts given by the TRA to Lady Bird Johnson, and promotes the exhibit’s catalogue. The section also provides excerpts from a letter written by the leadership of the TRA to President Ronald Reagan thanking him for visiting the graves of General Theodore Roosevelt and Quentin Roosevelt in June 1984, and it notes that this issue of the journal is dedicated to Jean Schermerhorn Roosevelt.
The section also touches on some of the awards given to high school students by the TRA and highlights talks on Roosevelt presented at Lamar University in Texas and at Sagamore Hill. It also revisits the TRA Police Award ceremony in New York City and cites the contributions of Paul Russell Cutright and the National Geographic Society to the article on President Roosevelt’s conservation record.
An illustration of a bronze medallion depicting Theodore Roosevelt, two photographs of Lady Bird Johnson, and a photograph of Roosevelt speaking are found in the section.
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.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1982
W. J. McGee, acting president of the National Geographic Society, was pleased to receive President Roosevelt’s letter regarding Commander Peary. President Roosevelt and Peary have been selected as honorary members of the society.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-10-02