Odell, Benjamin B. (Benjamin Barker), 1854-1926

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root

President Roosevelt amusedly tells Secretary of State Root about a visit from Russian diplomat Baron Roman Romanovich Rosen, where Rosen stated that Tsar Nicholas II would like to take the lead and get credit for initiating another international peace conference at The Hague. Roosevelt tells Root that he is all too happy to allow Nicholas to lead the effort, as he is concerned that after his activities in recent months, people will start to believe he cares more about altruistic international affairs than domestic ones.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Moody

President Roosevelt suggests Attorney General Moody hedge his bets while writing to Mr. Hepburn about approving the bill by saying that the law may require further modifications beyond the limits of the bill, but that bill itself is a good one. Roosevelt wants to make sure that they are able to address the worst abuses of the railroads before they consider themselves to be “entirely satisfied with anything that we are doing.” He asks Moody to look over the enclosed letter from Governor Benjamin B. Odell.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-01-18

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lucius Nathan Littauer

President Roosevelt confirms receipt of a letter from Lucius Nathan Littauer, but remarks that New York Governor Benjamin B. Odell and State Senator Nathaniel A. Elsberg have requested that he not do anything until after the election. He has heard favorable reports about Marcus M. Marks, but would like any person he appoints to have a strong business backing.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Julius M. Mayer

President Roosevelt sends Julius M. Mayer information on the Democrats who are supporting his reelection. Roosevelt would like to see meetings taking place on the east side of New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Bucklin Bishop

Theodore Roosevelt is pleased that J. B. Bishop is taking an “effective interest” in the campaign. Roosevelt is concerned that people who attack “Odellism” may vote the Democratic ticket. Congressman Heflin of Alabama also told the Washington Post “that if some Czolgosz had thrown a bomb under the table at which I sat with Booker Washington, no great harm would have been done the country!” Roosevelt clarifies his relationship with Carl Schurz, who has been opposed to him for years.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George B. Cortelyou

Theodore Roosevelt is not happy with how the campaign is going in New York. Issues are being shifted from the national to the state ticket. Roosevelt believes the campaign should not be apologizing for any expenditures and that they should continue with their present policy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Charles S. Francis

Theodore Roosevelt is surprised by dissatisfaction with the state ticket. If the dissatisfaction becomes high enough, it could impact the national ticket. Roosevelt also believes that the charges against Governor Odell are “partisan nonsense.” Roosevelt will attack Alton Parker for being “insincere.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

Theodore Roosevelt believes that it would be wrong to use the same campaign techniques as the Democrats. Roosevelt will not permit his opponents to make “Odellism” the issue. He will keep things focused on the presidential campaign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Ervin Wardman

President Roosevelt believes that it is “folly for us to fight on the ground our adversaries use” in the campaign. Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of an aggressive campaign against the inaccuracies of the Parker campaign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Wilson

President Roosevelt writes to Secretary of Agriculture Wilson that the information he is hearing corroborates what he is hearing from other sources. “Odellism” may do damage and that is the only thing that gives Roosevelt concern in New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-30

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cornelius Newton Bliss

President Roosevelt appreciates all that Cornelius Newton Bliss is doing. Roosevelt is not pleased with how the campaign is going in New York and would like Frank Wayland Higgins to take a prominent part in the campaign. The most important thing is to get national issues to the forefront of the New York campaign.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Barnes

President Roosevelt will write Governor Benjamin B. Odell regarding his support for John Thomas McDonough’s nomination to fill D. Cady Herrick’s vacancy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Arthur von Briesen

President Roosevelt has forwarded Arthur von Briesen’s letter to Mr. Coolidge so that he might be provided with the requested information, and Roosevelt has also written to Hogarty, the day laborer. Roosevelt assures von Briesen that Frank W. Higgins will be a worthy successor to New York Governor Benjamin B. Odell.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Joseph Bucklin Bishop

President Roosevelt likes Joseph Bucklin Bishop’s statements about New York candidates for governor D. Cady Herrick and Benjamin B. Odell.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-24

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

The election in New York is doubtful and President Roosevelt hopes that Secretary of War Taft can speak in the state at some point in October. The doubt stems from Governor Benjamin B. Odell’s unpopularity. Roosevelt is concerned that the Democrats could make the New York election a state campaign and not a national campaign. Roosevelt is pleased that Taft liked his letter of acceptance. Alton B. Parker will only be able to respond by great dexterity and has been forced to rewrite his letter to the press. The only way for Parker to win the election is through trickery.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-17

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

Things are looking good for the election in November, but President Roosevelt believes there may be a problem in New York. Roosevelt is amused that he has received support from Robert Treat Paine.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to F. Norton Goddard

President Roosevelt believes that Frank W. Higgins would make an excellent governor of New York, but he knows that Higgins’s opponents will claim he is a “tool” of current Governor Benjamin B. Odell.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-15

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Hay

President Roosevelt agrees with Secretary of State Hay that the Parker Constitution Club is the “most absurd feature” of the Democratic Party’s presidential campaign. Roosevelt encloses a cartoon that he thinks will amuse Hay. He also worries that the New York governorship race might swing the state’s electoral votes to the Democrats.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-15

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt responds that he will act as Secretary of War Taft outlined regarding the report on the Philippines exhibit. Roosevelt is pleased about Vermont and hopes the Maine election will be favorable to his party. He complains about newspaper reports that money was sent to Vermont to win the election, which was not true, noting that those same newspapers overlook the corruption of Thomas Taggart in the Indiana election, including paying voters and keeping voters away. Roosevelt is sorry that Taft’s brother, Henry W. Taft, did not accept the nomination for governor of New York state.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-09-10

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Nicholas Murray Butler

President Roosevelt informs Nicholas Murray Butler that Benjamin B. Odell is starting to believe that Butler’s nomination would be the strongest if Elihu Root does not run. He hopes that Butler will accept the nomination and adds that, if Butler were to accept, he would not be able to pay any visits since people will try to associate him with Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-08-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919