Public officers--Selection and appointment

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William D. Miles

President Roosevelt corrects William D. Miles that he did not say he would not allow Miles “to be the loser through testifying,” but that he “could not afford [Miles] to testify if [he] though [he] would lose too heavily by doing so.” He agrees that the offer of an appointment that was made to Miles was inadequate, and will try to get him a better one, while at the same time warning that government positions tend to have small salaries.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-08-20

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Marshall Harlan

President Roosevelt tells Supreme Court Justice Harlan that he does not plan on taking action on an appointment until he is able to discuss the matter with some Cabinet officers and Senators. Roosevelt also clarifies a statement he made in a previous letter that some Senators have mentioned to him that Supreme Court Justice David J. Brewer seems to have been setting the stage to address whether an act is unconstitutional, and that if that is the case it would not be good for the son of a justice to be “holding an office under an act upon the constitutionality of which his father, as one of the justices, was to pass.” Roosevelt does not know how much weight he gives the argument, but tells Harlan that it is a matter that he must consider.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-21

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Freeman L. Dustman

President Roosevelt tells Freeman L. Dustman, editor of the Toledo Blade, that he wished to appoint Howard D. Manington, but was informed by Senators Charles Dick and Joseph Benson Foraker that they would not support the appointment. Roosevelt has been puzzled about how to proceed, as he does not like to fight with senators, unless he has a clear principle he is fighting for. He appreciates the support he has received from Dustman and his newspaper, and invites him to visit Washington, D.C., sometime in the upcoming winter so that they can speak in person.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-11

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Winthrop Murray Crane

President Roosevelt tells Senator Crane that he is already considering James Shanklin Harlan and Lawrence O. Murray for a position, and therefore does not believe he can consider Mr. Scales for the position. Roosevelt also comments that while he has occasionally appointed a man as a representative of a certain class, he does not like to have to do so.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-04

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Howard D. Mannington

President Roosevelt sends Howard D. Mannington a letter from Senator Charles Dick of Ohio, and mentions that Senator Joseph Benson Foraker of Ohio “spoke as strongly against your appointment as did Senator Dick.” Without the support of either senator, Roosevelt says it is useless to send in Mannington’s name for any appointment.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-04

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Harry B. Kirtland

President Roosevelt explains that he cannot get any Ohio appointments confirmed for local office without the consent of the Ohio senators. He tells Harry B. Kirtland that he already asked about Howard D. Manington, and was advised that he would not be confirmed. Roosevelt could make a fight for the appointment of Judge Reynolds R. Kinkade on principle, but does not feel that that is possible for Manington, where it is simply a matter of preference. Changing topics, Roosevelt promises to order an investigation into relations between the railroads and the ice trust if Kirtland thinks it would be advisable to do so.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to L. V. McKesson

President Roosevelt thanks L. V. McKesson for the nice letter he sent to Secretary of War William H. Taft, and was impressed by what he wrote. He reminds McKesson, however, that he as president only controls the nominating portion of the process appointing people to government positions, and that it is the Senate who confirms them. If he is notified by senators that they will reject a candidate, it is a waste of time for him to nominate them. For local positions, this places a great deal of power in the hands of the senators from the state affected, as most of the senate follow their wishes. Much of Roosevelt’s power, therefore, is that he can “refuse to appoint any unworthy man, and to remove any man of proved unworthiness.” While Roosevelt would not now appoint George P. Waldorf, Internal Revenue Collector for Toledo, Ohio, to his position, the Treasury Department investigated him and did not find anything warranting his removal.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-07

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Victor Howard Metcalf

President Roosevelt consents to Secretary of Commerce and Labor Metcalf appointing Charles Earl as solicitor of the Department of Commerce and Labor, and similarly agrees with the appointment of Richard K. Campbell as the head of the Naturalization Bureau. Roosevelt would like to do something for Clarence V. C. Van Deusen, and asks Metcalf to bring the matter up with Campbell to see if Van Deusen’s request can be granted.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-07-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John Temple Graves

President Roosevelt tells John Temple Graves, editor of The Atlanta Georgian, that he believes that if he goes to Illinois to fill a vacancy, he will have to take another man. He remarks that he has wished to put a different Illinois man named Calhoun on the Commission, but he will not accept.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-27

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Clay Frick

President Roosevelt regrets that he cannot appoint the man recommended by Henry Clay Frick, as there are already several members of the Interstate Commerce Commission from the Northeast.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Robert M. La Follette

President Roosevelt sends Senator La Follette, of Wisconsin, a duplicate of a letter which he is also sending to Senator John C. Spooner. La Follette and Spooner have been in disagreement regarding which of them should make recommendations for government positions in Eastern Wisconsin, and which should make recommendations for Western Wisconsin. In the past, former Senator Joseph Very Quarles of Wisconsin made recommendations for the Eastern portion of the state, while Spooner made recommendations for the Western. Roosevelt has decided to keep this sort of framework, with Spooner continuing to recommend for the Western portion and La Follette taking up the Eastern portion. He emphasizes that while he will take their recommendations into consideration, he is the final judge of whether nominees are fit for the positions. Roosevelt also comments on the post office of Marinette, and likewise tries to set out rules for nominations in these cases, stating that he will accept recommendations of the Congressmen of the district.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John C. Spooner

President Roosevelt sends Senator Spooner, of Wisconsin, a duplicate of a letter which he is also sending to Senator Robert M. La Follette. Spooner and La Follette have been in disagreement regarding which of them should make recommendations for government positions in Eastern Wisconsin, and which should make recommendations for Western Wisconsin. In the past, former Senator Joseph Very Quarles of Wisconsin made recommendations for the Eastern portion of the state, while Spooner made recommendations for the Western. Roosevelt has decided to keep this sort of framework, with Spooner continuing to recommend for the Western portion and La Follette taking up the Eastern portion. He emphasizes that while he will take their recommendations into consideration, he is the final judge of whether nominees are fit for the positions. Roosevelt also comments on the post office of Marinette, and likewise tries to set out rules for nominations in these cases, stating that he will accept recommendations of the Congressmen of the district.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-29

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William H. Taft

President Roosevelt returns L. V. McKesson’s letter, which Secretary of War Taft had forwarded to him. Roosevelt does not wish to discuss the letter, but feels that McKesson should be told that in Roosevelt’s experience, people who “can not show any strength unless somebody is given an office has not got any strength to show.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-22

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Nicholas Murray Butler

President Roosevelt tells Columbia University President Butler that as soon as William Torrey Harris, United States Commissioner of Education, announces that he is retiring, Roosevelt will announce that Elmer Ellsworth Brown will be his replacement. He will write to Harris along the lines that Butler suggested.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-17

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Gray

President Roosevelt thanks United States Circuit Judge Gray for his letter endorsing Edgar E. Clark for a position on the Interstate Commerce Commission. While Roosevelt has not made up his mind, he is inclined to agree with Gray that Clark is the right man to appoint.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-06

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Nicholas Murray Butler

President Roosevelt does not need any more endorsements to convince him to appoint Elmer Ellsworth Brown as United States Commissioner of Education, but asks Columbia University President Butler to tell University of California President Benjamin Ide Wheeler to secure the support of the two Senators from California. As soon as current United States Commissioner of Education William Torrey Harris resigns, Roosevelt will appoint Brown. He asks Butler to tell Brown to come visit Washington, D.C., as Roosevelt wishes to speak with him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-09

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Gilbert D. B. Hasbrouck

President Roosevelt wishes that Judge Hasbrouck had experienced what Roosevelt has gone through with regards to people advocating for candidates to be appointed to various positions. Roosevelt has pressures coming “from the President of the Senate down,” and is unable to always do what he is asked.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-24

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William A. Richards

President Roosevelt informs Commissioner Richards of the General Land Office that he withdraws his objections to the confirmation of Cassius M. Cade in light of their conversations and the statement of the Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock that he does not have any further information disqualifying Cade. He wishes to confirm, however, that Richards knows of nothing else that may disqualify Cade.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-28

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Mary Bower Hutson

President Roosevelt does not believe he can appoint Mary Bower Hutson’s husband, Marion M. Hutson, to the position she inquired about, as the current occupant, Robert Smalls, is doing well in the position. He reminds Hutson that he recently gave an appointment to a relative of hers, William Elliott.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-05-31

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frank C. Frantz

President Roosevelt forwards Oklahoma Governor Frantz a letter from Acting Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock to Secretary of the Interior Ethan Allen Hitchcock referring to the record of Claude B. Baker. Baker currently carries Frantz’s endorsement for Assistant Secretary of Oklahoma, but Roosevelt feels that the letter makes it is apparent that Baker should not be appointed to any governmental office.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-06-01