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President Roosevelt asks Attorney General Knox to look into the case of John B. O’Neill, brother of William Owen O’Neill, who had served in the Rough Riders. He asks Knox to address other applicants as well when he reports on the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-09-25
President Roosevelt regrets that he cannot visit the Arizona Territory as Chief Justice Kent requests, as he would have to make speeches at every stop along the way, which would be “horrid.” Roosevelt would have liked to attend the ceremonial unveiling of the Rough Rider Monument depicting William Owen O’Neill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-05
President Roosevelt tells Solon Hannibal Borglum that he likes the statue of William Owen O’Neill very much, and he has captured O’Neill’s spirit perfectly. He thinks a scene of the Rough Riders in action would be great for the bas-relief.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-01-29
President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Interior Hitchcock if John B. O’Neill could be promoted to United States Indian Inspector as successor to James E. Jenkins. O’Neill is a brother of Roosevelt’s old Rough Rider comrade William Owen O’Neill, and because Roosevelt has heard good things about him he would like to help him if he is fit for the position.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-04-18
Vice President Roosevelt writes to Herbert Putnam, the Librarian of Congress, asking him to read an enclosed letter on behalf of Eugene B. O’Neill. O’Neill is the brother of William Owen “Bucky” O’Neill, who served as a Rough Rider, and Roosevelt has heard good things about him. He asks if it would be possible to give Eugene a trial to see how he does.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-04-26
William Barnes expresses a wish to be present at the upcoming dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam, and explains his reasons.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-17
Edward William Bok thanks President Roosevelt for his correspondence with Bok’s son, Curtis Bok. Bok describes his son’s great admiration for the president. Curtis was also greatly excited to receive the signed copy of Roosevelt’s book Outdoor Pastimes.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-03-14
Arizona Supreme Court Justice Sloan thanks William Loeb for sending a personal donation from President Theodore Roosevelt to the fund to build a monument for Rough Rider Captain William Owen O’Neill. Sloan hopes Roosevelt will be able to speak at the dedication ceremony when the monument is complete.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-05-24
The 23rd Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Arizona appropriated funding to make a Rough Rider monument to Captain O’Neill in Prescott, and Governor Joseph H. Kibbey has appointed a commission to oversee the erection of the monument. The commission will raise additional money by subscription, and Richard E. Sloan, who is secretary of the appointed commission, asks President Roosevelt for any suggestions to help them carry out their purpose.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-05-04
Postcard showing the Buckey O’Neill Monument in Prescott, Arizona. The monument, also known as the Rough Riders Monument, features William Owen O’Neill on a horse. The name “Dep [?] John Spring” is handwritten on the reverse of the postcard.
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Colorized postcard showing the Buckey O’Neill Monument in Prescott, Arizona. The monument features William Owen O’Neill on a horse. A message on the reverse notes the monument is also in memory of the Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders and praises Prescott.
1909-04-09
Postcard showing the Buckey O’Neill Monument in Prescott, Arizona. The monument, also known as the Rough Riders Monument, features William Owen O’Neill on a horse.
Unknown
Colorized postcard of the Rough Rider Monument in a park in Prescott, Arizona. The monument features the likeness of William Owen O’Neill riding a horse. Two individuals are sitting on a bench behind the monument and a few buildings in the town are visible in the background.
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In a speech at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, President Theodore Roosevelt remarks on the contributions made to the Rough Riders regiment by the citizens of Arizona, including Native Americans, and he says that the state will benefit from plans for irrigation promoted by his administration. Roosevelt also encourages the citizens of Arizona to leave the Grand Canyon untouched and unspoiled, famously saying that “man can only mar it.” Roosevelt also makes use of the term “square deal” for the first time in this address.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
1903-05-06
Seven books receive scrutiny in the “Reviews” section, including two biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, specialized studies of the White House and Memorial Day, a collection of Roosevelt’s writings, a look at the Rough Riders of Arizona, and a study of turn of the twentieth-century American foreign policy. John A. Gable notes that Stacey A. Cordery’s biography of Roosevelt serves as a comprehensive historiographical study as it draws on thirty years of Roosevelt scholarship in its quotes and analysis. Gable also offers thoughts on Kathleen Dalton’s biography of Roosevelt, and he provides excerpts from five other reviews of the work that highlight Dalton’s coverage of the role of women in Roosevelt’s life and that affirm Roosevelt as a moderate radical. Of Brian Thomsen’s collection of Roosevelt’s writings, The Man in the Arena, Gable says: “there is no reason to buy this book.”
Gable also reviews Marty F. Feess’s Theodore Roosevelt’s Arizona Boys which examines the life of the Arizona Rough Riders after the Spanish-American War and the many actions taken by their Colonel to help them succeed in their post-war lives. Henry J. Hendrix faults Warren Zimmermann’s First Great Triumph for injecting present day views into his analysis of the makers of foreign policy in Roosevelt’s presidency. Hendrix also examines A History of Memorial Day which traces the transformation of the holiday from a solemn occasion to a day of recreation. Jeremy M. Murphy highlights Gable’s chapter on the Roosevelts in his review of The White House: Actors and Observers, and he also notes the work’s use of the photographs of Frances Benjamin Johnston.
In this two part article, John A. Gable traces the origins of President Theodore Roosevelt’s use of the term “Square Deal” to his great western tour in the Spring of 1903. Gable asserts that the first use of the exact term can be found in Roosevelt’s speech at the Grand Canyon on May 6, 1903, and he notes that the first two uses of the term were in reference to Native American and African American soldiers whom Roosevelt praised for their service in the Spanish-American War. The article includes the text of Roosevelt’s Grand Canyon speech and a short excerpt from his speech at Abraham Lincoln’s tomb in Springfield, Illinois.
A photograph of Roosevelt speaking in Evanston, Illinois during the western tour and a text box with a listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association supplement the text.
Stephen Fox reviews T. J. Jackson Lear’s No Place of Grace: Antimodernism and the Transformation of American Culture, 1880-1920. Fox lists some of the attributes of the movement as well as some of its well known adherents, and he contends that the conservation movement also belongs to the antimodernist tradition. J. David Valaik finds that Dale L. Walker’s Death Was the Black Horse: The Story of Rough Rider Buckey O’Neill adds little to our knowledge of one of Theodore Roosevelt’s most famous troopers. John A. Gable argues that Richard L. McCormick’s From Realignment to Reform: Political Change in New York State, 1893-1910 provides valuable context for understanding Roosevelt’s political career in the Empire State.
An advertisement for the Roosevelt Savings Bank of Garden City, New York, listing its various branch offices is found at the end of the reviews.
R. C. Bauer writes to President Roosevelt to express his condolences on the death of Rough Rider, Bucky O’Neill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-02-29
Violet-brown, 3-cent postage stamp featuring an illustration of the William Owen O’Neill monument. The stamp was issued to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the organization of the Rough Riders.
Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
1948