Olcott, Jacob Van Vechten, 1856-1940

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Susan Dexter Dalton Cooley

President Roosevelt relays his concern for the Cooley family to Susan Dexter Dalton Cooley as her husband, Assistant Attorney General Alford Warriner Cooley, recovers from illness. Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte wrote him about Alford Warriner Cooley returning the check. He finds it a needless and irritating, yet endearing action. Roosevelt wants to help the Cooley family in any way, finding “it a very great privilege…to serve you,” as he greatly admires and respects them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Note from Elihu Root to William Loeb

“I think this goes as it now stands.” A note on the back of the item indicates it is with reference to a letter from William Loeb to Jacob Van Vechten Olcott.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-01

Creator(s)

Root, Elihu, 1845-1937

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Nelson Cromwell

President Roosevelt is glad that William Nelson Cromwell sent the letter to Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott. He thinks Representative Henry Thomas Rainey is a “scoundrel” who should never have made the charges in the first place or should have fully retracted them by now.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-13

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Alford Warriner Cooley

President Roosevelt will reappoint Assistant Attorney General Cooley to his position after receiving a letter from his doctors. Roosevelt instructs Cooley to have a number of congressmen write letters of support for him to Secretary of State Elihu Root, Senator Chauncey M. Depew, and president-elect William H. Taft.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-09

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Timothy L. Woodruff

President Roosevelt discusses the best strategies for Republican victories in the upcoming elections in New York with Representative Woodruff. Roosevelt believes that gubernatorial candidate Charles Evans Hughes represents his policies “as regards internal affairs of the nation” and sees the possible election of William Randolph Hearst “as a smashing defeat.” 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to J. S. Sherman

President Roosevelt discusses the best strategies for Republican victories in the upcoming elections in New York with Representative Sherman. Roosevelt believes that gubernatorial candidate Charles Evans Hughes represents his policies “as regards internal affairs of the nation” and sees the possible election of William Randolph Hearst “as a smashing defeat.” 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Parsons

President Roosevelt discusses the best strategies for Republican victories in the upcoming elections in New York with Representative Parsons. Roosevelt believes that gubernatorial candidate Charles Evans Hughes represents his policies “as regards internal affairs of the nation” and sees the possible election of William Randolph Hearst “as a smashing defeat.” 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root

President Roosevelt encloses both Representative Herbert Parsons’s telegram and his reply to it for Secretary of State Root. Roosevelt approves of Parsons’s statement and believes that Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott should “come out” for Parsons. If he does not, Roosevelt will do so, and will publicly announce that Olcott had agreed to withdraw in favor of Parsons if Parsons made a statement like the one just released.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-30

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Parsons

President Roosevelt believes that Representative Parsons’s letter “entirely covers” the case in question, and has written so to Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott. He told Olcott that Parsons would show him the letter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Parsons

President Roosevelt evaluates the conflict between Representative Parsons and Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott, who have both declared their candidacy for chairman of the County Committee in New York. Although Roosevelt knows that both men are independent, the public perceives them as being representatives of opposing factions within the state Republican party. If Parsons issues a statement declaring his independence from both Benjamin B. Odell and Senator Thomas Collier Platt, Roosevelt will advise Olcott to withdraw from the race.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Thomas Collier Platt

President Roosevelt informs Senator Platt that several well-known Republicans in New York do not believe that Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott is the proper man to put forward for Chairman of the Republican county organization. Roosevelt makes it clear that he does not want to dictate who should be chairman and is merely providing his opinion. He believes that whoever is chosen should be “a man of the highest character and reputation” who possesses the independence necessary to conduct the affairs with efficiency and integrity. Roosevelt believes it is more important to focus on finding a man of this type, rather than on naming a specific person.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-23

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Thomas Collier Platt

President Roosevelt frankly tells Senator Platt that he does not think it wise to continue supporting Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott for chair of the County Committee of New York if it becomes evident that most Republicans in the area do not support him. He believes that if Platt continues to fight for Olcott against a man as clean and broadly-supported as Representative Herbert Parsons, he could give the impression that Olcott’s election is “a machine triumph,” which is the very thing that they are trying to avoid.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to William R. Willcox

President Roosevelt asks Postmaster Willcox to speak with Senator Thomas Collier Platt and William Barnes to discuss withdrawing Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott from consideration for chairman of the Republican County commission in favor of Representative Herbert Parsons.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-24

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Telegram from Theodore Roosevelt to Herbert Parsons

President Roosevelt informs Representative Parsons that he and Secretary of State Elihu Root feel that it is unwise to nominate Charles Evans Hughes for Attorney General. It would be “a calamity” to stop him from his current work investigating insurance companies.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-10-09

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Elihu Root

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of State Root’s opinion on whether or not Charles Evans Hughes should accept the nomination for Mayor of New York. Roosevelt thinks it is a good idea, but William Loeb believes the people will see Hughes’s nomination as a way to sidetrack him from his current investigation.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-10-08

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from W. D. Murphy to Theodore Roosevelt

W. D. Murphy, pen name for Harriet Anderson Stubbs Murphy, invites Theodore Roosevelt to visit her studio and see her portraits of him. Murphy lists several of her most notable portrait subjects and how satisfied they were with her work. Murphy notifies Roosevelt the New York Historical Society wants to buy this portrait of Roosevelt, and she would like to have Roosevelt’s approval before it sells.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-05-09

Creator(s)

Murphy, Harriet Anderson Stubbs, 1853-1935; Murphy, W. D.

Letter from J. S. Sherman to Theodore Roosevelt

Representative Sherman notifies President Roosevelt that a meeting with Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon will be held, but a meeting with Secretary of State Elihu Root will be abandoned. The justification for the decision was “the howl the ‘Yellow Journals’ would make” about Root’s acceptance of a retainer for being counsel to Thomas F. Ryan. Representative Jacob Van Vechten Olcott feels that Cannon’s speech at Durlan’s Academy can only bring “great good.” Sherman feels the Republicans will not lose any votes by exploiting the achievements of the party, and he acquiesces to Representative Herbert Parsons in terms of who would be best to speak in New York City. Sherman hopes Root might schedule a speech in upstate New York.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-15

Creator(s)

Sherman, J. S. (James Schoolcraft), 1855-1912

Letter from Herbert Parsons to Theodore Roosevelt

Representative Parsons has conferred with Timothy L. Woodruff, Representatives Olcott, Bennet, Calder, and Sherman, and Charles Evans Hughes about the matter in President Roosevelt’s previous letter. Parsons would like to bring in out-of-state speakers to enliven the campaign but hopes they will not discuss tariffs or labor unions. There was general agreement to have Joseph Gurney Cannon, Speaker of the House, give his scheduled speech but many think it unwise to have Secretary of State Elihu Root speak in New York because of his connection to Thomas Fortune Ryan, the “Equitable matter,” and corporations in general, and how William Randolph Hearst would portray it in his papers. Edward R. Finch agrees with Parsons that Root should still come and speak about stable government ensuring good business conditions, but would like Secretary of War William H. Taft to be his substitute if the Congressmen decide against Root.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-15

Creator(s)

Parsons, Herbert, 1869-1925

Letter from Herbert Parsons to Theodore Roosevelt

Representative Parsons writes to President Roosevelt in response to a previous letter in which Roosevelt advised Parsons to be independent from any person or faction within the New York Republican Party if he is selected as chairman of the New York Republican County Committee. Parsons goes into great detail on how he will remain neutral.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-28

Creator(s)

Parsons, Herbert, 1869-1925

Letter from William R. Willcox to Theodore Roosevelt

William R. Willcox saw Senator Thomas Collier Platt and William Barnes as President Roosevelt requested. Platt does not want to withdraw Jacob Van Vechten Olcott from the race for chairman of the Republican County Committee in New York County. Willcox expresses to Platt the concern that William Halpin was to withdraw from the race and offer his support to Herbert Parsons. He suggested that Barnes and Platt confer, but he is not sure whether that happened. Willcox believes that Herbert Parsons will be elected.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-25

Creator(s)

Willcox, William R. (William Russell), 1863-1940