New Mexico

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

President Roosevelt informs New Mexico Territorial Governor Curry that he has met with congressional leaders about statehood, but they are at an impasse concerning statehood for New Mexico and Arizona. Congress would like to wait until after the 1910 census and proceed from there based on the population data. Roosevelt has also written to Arizona Territorial Governor Joseph H. Kibbey, and does not see much point in addressing the matter in his upcoming message.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-10-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philip Battell Stewart

President Roosevelt explains his actions regarding Herbert J. Hagerman’s tenure as Governor of the Territory of New Mexico. He had to hold the governor accountable if he intended to do so with any lesser officials.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philip Battell Stewart

President Roosevelt forwards Philip Battell Stewart a letter sent to him by Assistant United States Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley. Cooley responds to a letter Stewart sent to Roosevelt, which he saw as an attack on him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-28

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles J. Bonaparte

President Roosevelt instructs Attorney General Bonaparte to initiate lawsuits to remedy the actions of former New Mexico Governors Miguel Antonio Otero and Herbert J. Hagerman. He asks Bonaparte to consider having a speech made to explain what is wrong with the proposed Oklahoma constitution. In the postscript, Roosevelt asks Bonaparte if they could visit about how to approach anti-trust cases involving railroad companies.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-26

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philip Battell Stewart

President Roosevelt disputes Philip Battell Stewart’s view of the New Mexico Governor Herbert J. Hagerman controversy. Roosevelt informs Stewart that Hagerman answered the charges and did not dispute Alford Warriner Cooley’s report. Roosevelt notes that he is having United States District Attorney William H. H. Llewellyn investigated. He discusses the background and support for Captain George Curry to replace Hagerman as governor.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-11

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mark Sullivan

President Roosevelt describes to Mark Sullivan the considerations that have gone into his selections for federal judgeships. Roosevelt reviews his appointments in detail, noting that some were made at the request of the local organization and some against their wishes. The goal in each case was to appoint someone “of the high character, the good sense, the trained legal ability, and the necessary broad-mindedness of spirit…essential to a good judge.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-13

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert J. Hagerman

President Roosevelt informs Herbert J. Hagerman, Governor of New Mexico Territory, that he will not rescind Hagerman’s agreed-upon resignation. Roosevelt notes that many telegrams have come in support, as well as in disapproval, of Hagerman. He discusses in detail the actions of Hagerman which have resulted in the requested resignation. Roosevelt finishes by pointing out the solid approval of Hagerman’s replacement, George Curry.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-01

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

President Roosevelt tells George Curry that when he takes office as governor of New Mexico Territory, he will find the situation “much confused.” Although former Governor Hagerman did some good things for the territory, some of the things he did were “reprehensible,” thanks to bad advisers. Roosevelt requests that Curry conduct himself with a sense of duty, just as he did during his service as a captain in the Rough Riders.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-02

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

President Roosevelt has announced Captain Curry’s nomination as governor of New Mexico Territory. In light of the actions of previous territorial governor Herbert J. Hagerman, Roosevelt asks that Curry’s administration be clean and honest.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-20

Letter from William Loeb to Clarence Ransom Edwards

William Loeb encloses a letter and two telegrams which he would like Clarence Random Edwards to forward to George Curry. President Roosevelt has just made Curry Governor of New Mexico Territory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert J. Hagerman

President Roosevelt accepts Herbert J. Hagerman’s resignation as Governor of New Mexico Territory. Roosevelt believes that Hagerman has done good for the territory and assures him that he does not doubt his personal integrity. While Roosevelt does not think it is in the interest of the public to allow him to continue as governor, he believes he could do well in other positions of public service.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Philip Battell Stewart

President Roosevelt does not believe Herbert J. Hagerman, Governor of the Territory of New Mexico, to be corrupt, but he cannot allow him to remain in office after being involved with ratifying a “grossly improper acquisition of public land.” Roosevelt will nominate Captain George Curry to replace Hagerman. A New Mexico adherent of Hagerman’s wrote Roosevelt that Hagerman made many mistakes because he is ignorant of life in New Mexico and sought to act in office as only he saw fit. Roosevelt agrees with this assessment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-04-16

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Rudolph Garfield

After receiving a letter from William H. H. Llewellyn, President Roosevelt believes that Arizona Territorial Governor Joseph H. Kibbey and New Mexico Territorial Governor Herbert J. Hagerman may need to replaced. He wishes David M. Goodrich lived in New Mexico so he could be appointed, and asks Commissioner of Corporations Garfield to look into the record of John M. Wilson as a potential candidate, while investigating the current governors’ malpractices.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-11

Letter from William Loeb to Herbert J. Hagerman

On behalf of President Roosevelt, William Loeb sends New Mexico Territory Governor Hagerman a letter Roosevelt sent to Arizona Territory Governor Joseph H. Kibbey. Roosevelt directs both governors to have representatives from both the statehood and anti-statehood parties in attendance to witness the vote count.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph H. Kibbey

President Roosevelt directs Arizona Territory Governor Kibbey to have representatives from both the statehood and anti-statehood parties in attendance to witness the vote count. He has asked New Mexico Territory Governor Herbert J. Hagerman to do the same.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Albert J. Beveridge

President Roosevelt received Senator Beveridge’s letter and will see if charges have been made. He cautions that removing Territorial Governor of Arizona Joseph H. Kibbey is the worst action to take, as doing so would harm joint statehood and cause national damage to the Republican party.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-09-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mark A. Rodgers

President Roosevelt does not feel that he cannot stop public officials from supporting the anti-statehood side in the upcoming campaign in Arizona, but sends Mark A. Rodgers his support and hope that Arizona will join the United States as a full state.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Pope

President Roosevelt tells Judge William H. Pope about a vacancy he would like to fill in the federal bench in Puerto Rico, and asks for his opinion of Bernard Shandon Rodey. Rodey served as a delegate to Congress from the New Mexico territory, but got on the wrong side of the political machine there. Roosevelt nevertheless believes him to be an upright man and is considering appointing him on a probationary basis, but would like to hear Pope’s opinion first.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-26

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert J. Hagerman

After reviewing the letter that New Mexico Governor Hagerman sent to Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock, President Roosevelt approves of Hagerman’s plans and gives him “an entirely free hand” in the territory. He can remove any men from government positions if he feels that they are unsatisfactory.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-13

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Curry

President Roosevelt would like to give Governor Curry any appointment he wanted that came up in New Mexico, but believes it would be harder to do so in Louisiana. He asks Curry to write to his friends in New Mexico to find out an office that he can accept when a vacancy occurs.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-07