Robinson, Edwin Arlington, 1869-1935

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-05-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943

Language

English

Richard Watson Gilder writes a friendly letter to President Roosevelt discussing his meeting with Edwin Arlington Robinson, old Irish literature, and Roosevelt’s Harvard address.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-29

Creator(s)

Gilder, Richard Watson, 1844-1909

In a letter dated February 28, 1911, Theodore Roosevelt wrote to his son Kermit that his mother wanted to enclose this poem for him because it reminded them of the poet Edwin Arlington Robinson.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1911

Creator(s)

Updegraff, Allan, 1883-1965

Theodore Roosevelt writes his son Kermit on a number of topics including thanking him for visiting Quentin Roosevelt, hanging the Devon stag’s head, congratulating him on joining the Pudding Club at Harvard, his grades, running races and dreading the rest of his Western trip. He adds that Mother is enclosing a poem that reminds them of Edwin Arlington Robinson.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1911-02-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit about a poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson and encloses pictures of Roosevelt and Ted jumping their horses. Roosevelt mentions that the excitement over the conspiracy, revealed by Senator Boies Penrose while drunk, has died out. He adds that big business in New York is against him and Republican Senator Joseph Benson Foraker is leading the fight. Roosevelt closes by mentioning speeches he has to finish and Archie.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1907-04-11

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit about the guests they have been entertaining, including poet Madison Julius Cawein and his wife. Roosevelt adds that he has read more poems by Edwin Arlington Robinson. Other visitors included Prince Louis of Battenberg and his nephew Prince Alexander, who attended a state dinner and sat next to Secretary of the Navy Charles J. Bonaparte.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1905-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit that he offered Edwin Arlington Robinson a position but Robinson refused. He has had great luck in hunting with Alexander Lambert and Philip Battell Stewart despite having a touch of Cuban fever. He has a dog to bring back to Archie and is feeling homesick. Roosevelt adds that he is amused by the cartoons about him and urges Kermit to go hear Jacob Riis speak. Kermit scribbled some math problems on the back of the envelope.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1905-05-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to make plans for Kermit’s return home after Roosevelt visits Harvard. Roosevelt tells Kermit that Edwin Arlington Robinson now has a job. Roosevelt also updates Kermit on tennis matches and Archie’s new dog, Skip.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1905-05-25

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt writes to his son Kermit to arrange plans for him to stay at the Bishop’s or with one of his aunts. He says Kermit will then be with William Loeb in Boston and get to hear Roosevelt’s speech at Memorial Hall. He also reports that Edwin Arlington Robinson has been given a position in the Treasury Department. Finally, Roosevelt asks if Kermit would accompany him to visit Bishop Lawrence.

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1905-06-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Theodore Roosevelt thanks Harold Trowbridge Pulsifer for sending Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem. He will show it to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1915-02-22

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt discusses his and Kermit Roosevelt’s preferences for the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson, Robert Browning, and Homer with David Gray. Roosevelt mentions how Kermit brought Robinson to his attention and how he appointed Robinson to a civil service post at the New York Custom House.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt cheers Winifred Buck Abbott for the birth of her son, Lyman Abbott. He comments that “[t]he pains of childbirth render all men the debtors of all women” and ranks mothers above solders. Roosevelt tells Lawrence F. Abbott that he regrets getting involved in the nature faker controversy, but explains that he finds it difficult to avoid work outside of the Presidency. He felt compelled to review poet Edwin Arlington Robinson for The Outlook because Robinson “merited more consideration” and to condemn naturalist William J. Long because “he is so impudent and so shameless an imposter.” Roosevelt encloses clippings of other’s opinions on Long.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-07-08

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt thinks that Edwin Arlington Robinson’s newest poem, Miniver Cheevy, which Robinson sent to Roosevelt’s son Kermit as a manuscript, represents his “queer genius.” He would like Robert Bridges to come speak with him about Bridges’ brother George Bridges’ situation at the post office, which Roosevelt is unable to assist with.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-02-16

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Kermit Roosevelt that he has written to Robert Harry Munro Ferguson and encloses a program for a recent dinner. Roosevelt relates to his son news from home, including the stories he is currently reading to Archie and Quentin. He speaks of his impending Nobel Prize and informs Kermit that he must reject the corresponding cash reward as long as he is in office, although he regrets that he would not be able to use the money to benefit Kermit and his siblings.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-12-05

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt jokes that he is “hurt and grieved” by Brander Matthews’s “evident jealousy” of his “poetic reputation.” Although Roosevelt has not written any poetry himself, he believes that his recent review of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poetry illustrates his “keen appreciation of the poetry of others.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit Roosevelt that he feels bad about a patronizing remark he made about the poet Madison Julius Cawein, who just had lunch with him. He also discusses Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems. Roosevelt had Admiral Prince Louis of Battenberg and his nephew Prince Alexander to dinner, where he sat Louis next to Secretary of the Navy Charles J. Bonaparte. This amused Roosevelt, as Bonaparte is a grand-nephew of Napoleon I, and Battenberg is a grandson of a Hessian general who served under, and then deserted, Napoleon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt tells Robert Grant that Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem “Captain Craig” is like Robert Browning “at his worst.” He is glad that Grant feels the way he does about the Japanese terms and will show Grant the letters he sent them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt does not think it is advisable for Edwin Arlington Robinson to go to England, because he thinks that America’s literary men are “always hurt by going abroad.” Roosevelt asks Richard Watson Gilder to find out how Robinson is doing. He wants to give Robinson a government position.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-03-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Robert Bridges believes that the advertising department made a typographical error with President Roosevelt’s book. The typo was only reported in the Times and has been fixed. Bridges reports that he gave a copy of Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poems to May Sinclair and that he forwarded Roosevelt’s note to Brander Matthews.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-23

Creator(s)

Bridges, Robert, 1858-1941

Nathan Haskell Dole thanks President Roosevelt for saying a good word about his friend Edward Arlington Robinson’s book of poetry. Dole also congratulates Roosevelt on securing peace between Russia and Japan, a feat many thought was impossible.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-09-11

Creator(s)

Dole, Nathan Haskell, 1852-1935