Your TR Source
President Roosevelt provides Secretary of State Hay with a list of appointments in the diplomatic and consular service after March 4, 1905. Roosevelt includes a handwritten note, “All this is tentative.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1904-12-17
President Roosevelt accepted Ambassador Joseph Henry Choate’s resignation effective May 30. He wants Secretary of State Hay to look at his correspondence with Choate. Whitelaw Reid can take office as ambassador on May 30 or June 1. The Ambassador to Spain, Arthur Sherburne Hardy, will be replaced by William Miller Collier on April 1. Roosevelt appreciates Hay’s moral support after dealing with the House of Representatives on the matter of battleships.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-02-20
Theodore Roosevelt writes to Arthur Hamilton Lee explaining his stance on friendly relations between the United States, Canada, and England. Roosevelt emphasizes the differences between his opinion and that of President Taft on the subject. Roosevelt gives Lee permission to share the letter with private individuals.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1912-05-14
Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary gives Mariane Starkey Dusenberg Ambassador Whitelaw Reid’s address.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-01-30
Theodore Roosevelt writes to Robert Bacon to update him about the Roosevelt family and their Christmas together. Roosevelt also includes descriptions of the growing problems within the Republican party and the fear that if William H. Taft is nominated there will be a third party created.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-01-02
President Roosevelt questions Edward North Buxton about whether or not he should bring a gun for close-range shooting. He clarifies his decision to hire an Englishman to manage his caravan, and his choice of hunting guides for himself and his son Kermit. He hopes that he will be able to get permission to visit game reserves in British East Africa to shoot specimens for the National Museum, but he does not want special privileges that would not be extended to others. He plans to start his hunt at Alfred E. Pease’s ranch, and wants to know if it will be possible to keep the press away. He notes that his son Ted will be starting his new job while he and Kermit are hunting.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-09-10
President Roosevelt discusses various matters regarding provisions, hunting rifles, and ammunition for his upcoming African safari. He would like them to be sent to Mombasa and Alfred E. Pease’s ranch for him to pick up when he arrives. Roosevelt informs Edward North Buxton that he has decided to take Frederick Courteney Selous’s advice and hire a white man to manage his caravan; this will allow Roosevelt to focus on hunting and not on the logistics of the caravan. While Roosevelt and his son Kermit are staying with Pease, the manager and taxidermists and naturalists that are coming along can stay nearby. Roosevelt discusses the areas he would like to hunt and the animals that he hopes to shoot.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-10-12
President Roosevelt sympathizes with the concerns that F. R. Wingate, Governor General of the Sudan, has about not getting the necessary money for developments. He is grateful for the work that Wingate and other Englishmen are doing to help him organize his safari. Roosevelt is desperate for a chance to shoot a white rhinoceros, and wants the same permissions that Winston Churchill did on his hunt. Although the first pair of white rhinoceros he shoots are promised to the Smithsonian Institution, Roosevelt wants Ambassador Whitelaw Reid to ask if the British Museum wants a second pair, should he be lucky enough to shoot one.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-27
President Roosevelt writes Edward North Buxton about several points regarding his upcoming safari in Africa. In particular, he discusses what to use to boil water, his physical condition and skill with a rifle, and whether or not it is a good idea to bring his son Kermit with him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-01-05
President Roosevelt thanks Edward North Buxton for being willing to go see Lord Crewe. He assures Buxton that he and his son Kermit will be the only two in the safari party who are shooting, and they will largely only shoot animals for the National Museum. They may bring back only a dozen personal trophies between the two of them. Roosevelt discusses his itinerary for the trip, and lists all of the animals he hopes to shoot, in order of most important.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-21
President Roosevelt informs F. R. Wingate of his plans to go on safari in the British territories in Africa. He lists the places he intends to visit and the animals he intends to shoot. Most of the specimens will be donated to the Smithsonian Institute, although Roosevelt and his son Kermit may keep a few trophies for themselves. Roosevelt assures Wingate that he intends to travel as a private citizen, and does not want the leaders of any of the territories making special arrangements for him. He adds that he is interested to see how Wingate and others have managed the British possessions in Africa.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-29
Theodore Roosevelt thanks Elizabeth Mills Reid for the medal and tells her that he enjoyed seeing her at lunch.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1915-03-29
President Roosevelt returns the memorandum that Edward North Buxton sent him with a few changes. Roosevelt has been preparing for his African safari, and says that he plans to bring his son Kermit Roosevelt in spite of warnings from some people that he should not go along. Roosevelt believes the East African climate is healthy, however, and says that if he needs to, he will send Kermit back if there is any risk.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-05
President Roosevelt thanks Winston Churchill for the copy of his book, which Roosevelt has recently received through Ambassador Whitelaw Reid. Roosevelt read the chapters of the book as they were serially released, and was very interested both in the chapters about government, as well as those about hunting. Roosevelt hopes to have as good of luck on his safari in Africa as Churchill did.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-06
President Roosevelt has already received two pairs of mosquito boots, so Edward North Buxton no longer needs to send him any more. Roosevelt intends to try out a gun which Whitelaw Reid has forwarded to him.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-07
President Roosevelt thanks Elisabeth Mills Reid for the Christmas gifts, and praises her ability to choose good presents.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-26
President Roosevelt attempts to assuage F. R. Wingate’s embarrassment about previously addressing him by the wrong title, saying that “not one in ten” Americans know his proper title. Roosevelt is touched by the effort so many English people have made to help with preparations for his safari, both his friends and also various officials he is not acquainted with. He sympathizes with Wingate’s feeling about the lack of development in the Sudan, comparing it to American improvements in the Philippines, where ambitions were high, but a lack of funds disrupted the projects. Roosevelt will communicate with Wingate from Nairobi, and relates his plans for traveling and hunting. Roosevelt reflects that he “ought to feel melancholy over leaving the Presidency,” but the excitement of his upcoming safari dwarfs any such feelings.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-27
Although President Roosevelt has heard about Frederick C. Van Duzer’s good work for the American Society in London from Ambassador Whitelaw Reid, he cannot accept an invitation to visit the society. His only public engagement in England will be the Romanes Lecture.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-16
President Roosevelt feels that Joseph W. Alsop did well in his election, especially considering the circumstances. He sympathizes with Judge Marcus H. Holcomb’s feelings about Governor-elect George L. Lilley. He and William Loeb have always liked Lilley, but he had “a very corrupt gang” opposing him. He is pleased with other results in Connecticut and is amused to hear that Ambassador Whitelaw Reid and his wife wish to stay in London, though he does not know President-elect William H. Taft’s plans for them.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-10
President Roosevelt asks F. R. Wingate several questions regarding his upcoming African safari, including where to find the best game, the best way to travel up the Nile, and when the best time would be to start writing to make arrangements for hunters, equipment shipments, and so on. Roosevelt emphasizes that he expects no special favors or treatment and that he is “no game butcher.” He intends to get hunting trophies for the National Museum of Natural History and perhaps a bull elephant of his own if “entirely proper.” Roosevelt is eager to see how the British are governing Egypt and East Africa, having recently read Modern Egypt by Evelyn Baring Cromer, and sympathises with the difficulty of colonial rule.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-29