Ryan, Thomas Fortune, 1851-1928

President Roosevelt agrees with Attorney General Bonaparte on the appointment of Assistant Attorney General Marsden C. Burch in the Idaho land fraud case. On the New Mexico issue, Roosevelt details Attorney General William H. H. Llewellyn’s rise as an attorney. In light of Judge James H. Beatty’s letter, Roosevelt feels there is no need to be involved. Although Roosevelt does not trust rumors, it does seem based on recent behavior that Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis may be suffering a breakdown. In a post script, Roosevelt comments on William Randolph Hearst’s recent supposed sympathy toward Bonaparte after his siding with Wall Street. In Roosevelt’s view, the recurrent rumor about Bonaparte resigning to appease financiers has actually shown the public that Bonaparte alarms those who are corrupt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-31

Attorney General Bonaparte tells President Roosevelt that District Attorney Edwin Walter Sims has asked for a postponement in Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s case, perhaps due to Landis’s behavior. The press covering Secretary of State Elihu Root and Thomas Fortune Ryan has been sensationalized, and Bonaparte feels it is unfortunate that Root is taking the blame on the whiskey situation. Bonaparte will get an update from Department of Justice Agent Peyton Gordon about Agent Ormsby McHarg. As he will be traveling, Bonaparte sends his forwarding address. He encloses telegrams from Assistant Attorney General Marsden C. Burch regarding Judge Frank Sigel Dietrich.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-04

John F. Stevens, chief engineer of the Panama Canal project, informs President Roosevelt that a stevedoring contractor named J. W. Foulke has been visiting the canal, and has intimated that he has financial backing from a group which includes Chairman of the Isthmian Commission Theodore P. Shonts. Stevens suggests that if these connections came to light it may “prove embarrassing.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-01-05

Anna Roosevelt Cowles has “millions of questions” she would like to discuss with President Roosevelt. She is very concerned about Paul Morton’s association with Thomas Fortune Ryan in the Equitable Life Assurance company. Men who thought Morton was a weak member of Roosevelt’s Cabinet now point to his association with Ryan as proof of their concerns about his character. Cowles is anxious to discuss the situation between Japan and Russia. She enjoyed a recent visit from Roosevelt’s son Archie Roosevelt, though she was sorry to learn that he became ill when he returned home.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-23

President Roosevelt celebrates his forty-ninth birthday with a variety of friends. In the upper left hand corner at the piano are New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes and Thomas Fortune Ryan singing, “Oh let us be joyful.” Booker T. Washington tells Henry Watterson, “Henry, I hope you’ll come down and visit me at Tuskegee.” Senator Joseph Benson Foraker says to Secretary of War William H. Taft, “I heard a good story today, Will.” Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon and Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks look at a picture of George Washington, and Fairbanks says, “That picture makes me sad. It reminds me of cherries.” William Randolph Hearst, James Roscoe Day, and Secretary of State Elihu Root look at a book of “Snapshots in New York.” William Jennings Bryan and Grover Cleveland play a game of checkers, and Bryan says, “After you, Grover.” J. Pierpont Morgan watches over the game with his hand on Bryan’s back. Henry Huttleston Rogers, F. Augustus Heinze, and Thomas William Lawson sit together. Lawson says, “Rogers, my boy, you must come over to Boston and visit me.” John D. Rockefeller points at Kenesaw Mountain Landis’s chest while President Roosevelt presents a bouquet to James J. Hill as William J. Long looks on. Finally, James T. Harahan, Edward Henry Harriman, and Stuyvesant Fish read “Snap Shots Along the Illinois Central.” Harriman remarks, “Very nice album, Stuyvesant, is it not?”

comments and context

Comments and Context

There are contexts behind this cartoon by John T. McCutcheon of The Chicago Tribune that might not be apparent to modern researchers. The first is somewhat evident by reading the dialog balloons between figures in the pairings or clusters. Almost appropriate for an April Fool’s cartoon instead of something closer to Halloween is the ironic juxtaposition in every case — political opponents or business rivals exchanging niceties. In fact, insights might be gained by reading the nature of their “about-face” encounters.

Paul Morgan sits on Thomas Fortune Ryan’s lap while Herbert H. Vreeland sits in a “T. F. R.” box. Caption: Mr. Ryan, the ventriloquist—Now, Paul, speak up for the policy-holders! Paul—I accept this position on the understanding that I have an absolutely free hand.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-06-12

Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin is being performed. At center, William Jennings Bryan appears in the role of Lohengrin, Knight of the Swan, who has just arrived, to the delight of “Miss Democracy,” standing on the left, in the role of Elsa, and to the chagrin of Perry Belmont and Thomas Fortune Ryan, standing on the right, who are playing the roles of Friedrich of Telramund and his wife Ortrud. James K. Jones plays the role of the King, seated on a throne on the left beneath a shield labeled “Jefferson.” A large supporting cast appears on each side.

comments and context

Comments and Context

Through its life, and especially in its early years, Puck assumed its readership was familiar with classical references, especially German operas (the magazine originally was a German-language weekly, and published a German edition for many years).

Thomas Fortune Ryan, J. Pierpont Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Edward Henry Harriman appear as sheikhs listening to a diminutive Grover Cleveland, labeled “Insurance Arbiter,” standing at a desk, shaking a stick at them. Caption: What shall we do with our ex-president? – Anything but this.

comments and context

Comments and Context

During the major news focus on the 1905 investigations into the insurance industry by the Armstrong Committee (soon known as the Hughes investigations), and the resulting imbroglios of scandals, resignations, and pledges of reforms, there were calls for outside, independent watchdogs over the industry.

President Roosevelt tells Lieutenant Governor Ellyson that he has just received the book with the reproduction of some historic portraits in it, and asks Ellyson to pass along his thanks to Thomas Fortune Ryan, who had donated the portraits for the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. Roosevelt thinks that the book was well worth doing, and has been done in just the right way.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-05

President Roosevelt outlines and refutes the falsehoods in Alfred Holt Stone’s Studies in the American Race Problem. He tells John Graham Brooks that he judges a work’s reliability by seeing what it says about a subject he is familiar with, and then deciding if he can trust it on things that he does not know as much about. He explains that Stone is spreading falsehoods about the so-called “referee” system in the Southern states, especially Mississippi. Roosevelt points out that the practice was common with presidents before him, and that it is necessary in areas where the Republican party does not have a strong enough presence to provide good appointees to positions. He also discusses his handling of the case of African American postmistress Minnie M. Geddings Cox, who was forced by an angry mob to resign her position and leave town.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-13

President Roosevelt agrees with Kermit Roosevelt about the book Martin Chuzzlewit, and criticizes Charles Dickens’s character and inability to see the positive traits of America and Americans, which led to such great men as Abraham Lincoln. He concedes, however, that some of the negative characteristics that Dickens’s characters portray do persist in some Americans, including Senator Benjamin R. Tillman, William Randolph Hearst, and John D. Rockefeller. Roosevelt enjoyed a recent visit from Kermit’s older brother, Theodore Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-02-29

President Roosevelt diagnoses the root cause of the current financial crisis as the public’s lack of confidence caused by the revelations of corrupt practices among several prominent businessmen. In fact, Roosevelt believes such a crisis was inevitable in light of dishonest business practices, and that his policies merely exposed them sooner than expected. Despite this, Roosevelt cannot regret his decisions and can only resolve to do what he can to restore confidence.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-11-16

President Roosevelt congratulates Senator Lodge on his speech, as well as one from former Governor of Massachusetts John Lewis Bates. Roosevelt recently gave a speech in Harrisburg, and although he would not denounce his opponents by name, he calls out the “demagogs” and “agitators.” Roosevelt is concerned that the “corporation men” are swayed to vote for the Democratic candidates, believing the Republican party is likely to impose government regulations opposed to their interests. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-10-08

President Roosevelt hopes Cornelius Newton Bliss has not taken personally the baseless accusations thrown at him of late. Roosevelt does not believe there was any unusual or excessive expenditure in the 1904 election, and in fact there was less than what the British parliament spends on their elections. It was half of what was spent on the 1892 and 1896 elections, but the more important point is that the money was spent legitimately. Bliss has only given the president advice when he asked, and asked for nothing in return, and for that the president is grateful.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-03-26

President Roosevelt thanks Donald McDonald Dickinson for the letter. Roosevelt expresses his disappointment with Judge Alton B. Parker during the recent political campaign, and says that while his personal relations with Parker have been friendly, the attacks on National Republican Committee Chairman George B. Cortelyou have made Roosevelt indignant. He feels that Parker is hypocritical for making a public show that “he was ‘advised’ that no corporations had contributed to his campaign” while personally retaining close political connections to prominent businessmen.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-07

President Roosevelt praises Senator Knox’s statement about Democratic presidential candidate Alton B. Parker, and encourages him to expand his remarks into a speech. Roosevelt offers suggestions on how Knox might address the issue, showing that there was no wrongdoing by Roosevelt or George B. Cortelyou, and attacking Parker in turn for his hypocrisy regarding the men who are his most prominent backers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-02

President Roosevelt agrees with Owen Wister’s thoughts. Roosevelt is grateful to the American people even though he has had a great deal of work as president. Roosevelt notes his cabinet has been a huge support to him and is glad he owed the election to “Abraham Lincoln’s ‘plain people.'” The president expresses his frustration with certain journalists and newspapers who criticize Roosevelt about having too close of a connection with “the wicked” but who ignored Alton B. Parker’s “hand-in-glove intimacy” with James J. Hill, William F. Sheehan, and Thomas Taggart. Roosevelt acknowledges he has made mistakes, but many of the criticisms leveled at him are due to ignorance.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-19

Hans A. Koenig questions President Roosevelt about his actions while serving as Governor of New York, as described in Charles Edward Russell’s book Lawless Wealth. Koenig asks for an explanation regarding the allegedly suppressed reports on investigations into the State Trust Company and into illegal bank deposits made by “prominent men.” Specifically, Koenig states that if the charges made in the book against Secretary of State Elihu Root are true, then he is not fit for his position.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-06

Douglas Robinson wishes President Roosevelt a happy New Year and tells him that he took Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. to his box to check the bonds. Robinson has heard that Edith Roosevelt is inviting them to visit next month. Robinson says that he and Roosevelt both have troubles, although Roosevelt’s are larger. Robinson’s problems are related to the receivership of the Third Avenue Railway company. Roger Foster will argue before the Supreme Court whether or not Judge Lacombe had the authority to name a receiver in the case. Robinson encloses a clipping of Lacombe’s statement on the matter.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-01-09

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