Safaris

Letter from George Gray to Theodore Roosevelt

Judge Gray writes Theodore Roosevelt on behalf of his sister, Annie Gray Hawkins, the widow of General Hamilton Smith Hawkins, regarding a Congressional bill to grant her a special $100 monthly pension because of her husband’s service. He discusses General Hawkins’ character and shares that Annie cares for her invalid daughter, Harriot Scofield Hawkins. Gray looks forward to hearing the report of Roosevelt’s African experiences at the Smithsonian Board of Regents meeting.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-11-26

Letter from Edmund Heller to Theodore Roosevelt

Edmund Heller asks Theodore Roosevelt’s permission to lecture the various societies that have invited him to speak on his African safari work. He discusses describing the new species of small mammals collected in Sudan.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1910-11-26

Letter from William T. Middleton to Theodore Roosevelt

William T. Middleton sends Theodore Roosevelt the “Cutler Junior,” the paper of his alma mater, the Cutler School. He also asks Roosevelt to write the students about his African safari.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-11-02

Letter from Isaac Newton Seligman to Theodore Roosevelt

Isaac Newton Seligman has enjoyed hearing news about Theodore Roosevelt’s safari from occasional press dispatches, and hopes that he and Kermit will return in good spirits. Seligman recently gave an address on the “Ethics of Business” which mentions Roosevelt. Seligman and his wife Guta wish Roosevelt a happy new year.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-12-31

Letter from John Muir to Theodore Roosevelt

John Muir enjoyed showing John Burroughs the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon in Arizona. He also hopes to guide him through Yosemite National Park. Muir tells Theodore Roosevelt that the country seems lonesome since Roosevelt left Washington.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-03-11

Letter from Cecil Spring Rice to Theodore Roosevelt

Cecil Spring Rice was delighted with Theodore Roosevelt’s letter and pleased with his remarks about India. He will stop bothering Roosevelt about sleeping sickness, but reminds him to listen to the locals’ advice and take the simple and necessary precautions against the tsetse flies. It would be wise for him to be cautious as many things need to be done and Roosevelt is the only one that can do them. Spring Rice comments on European relations and the strength of force Germany and Austria have over Europe. He wonders what Roosevelt thinks of the American tariff bill and hopes he has a “glorious time” on his safari.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-04-02

Letter from E. Parmly Brown to Theodore Roosevelt

E. Parmly Brown sends President Roosevelt two of his inventions which he believes will be useful during Roosevelt’s African trip. The first is an inflatable pocket life preserver. The second is a needle pointed bayonet which Brown believes will be effective against even the toughest wild animals.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-03-02

Letter from Carl Ethan Akeley to Theodore Roosevelt

Carl Ethan Akeley tells President Roosevelt that he has sent him a model of an elephant head instead of sending drawings and photographs as he had previously promised. Akeley has also made Roosevelt a camp table that he would like to send him, and asks where he can send it. Akeley plans to write to Roosevelt again in a few days about his trip to British East Africa and the elephant group for the American Museum of Natural History.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-26

Letter from Simon Brentano to Theodore Roosevelt

Simon Brentano, on behalf of the Brentano book store, sends President Roosevelt the gift of several books which he hopes Roosevelt may make use of during his upcoming African safari.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-27

Letter from Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward to Theodore Roosevelt

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward praises President Roosevelt as the most strong, sincere, fearless, and beloved president since Abraham Lincoln. She does not approve of Roosevelt’s upcoming African safari, however. She both fears for his personal safety on the trip, and also believes that the killing of large animals for sport is inhumane. Had she been one of Roosevelt’s “personal friends,” she would have begged him not to go.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-14

Letter from Percy C. Madeira to Theodore Roosevelt

Percy C. Madeira advises President Roosevelt on the amount of other hunting parties he can expect to see on his African safari, as well as the best locations to hunt big game. Madeira also discusses a method of dealing with ticks, and encourages Roosevelt to visit him in Philadelphia to see his hunting trophies.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-15

Letter from Henry Earle Riggs to Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Earle Riggs tells President Roosevelt about William H. Brown, an American hunter and naturalist who has lived in South Africa for twenty years. Riggs hopes that Roosevelt will get the opportunity to meet him while Roosevelt is on his Africa trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-15

Letter from John Jay White to Theodore Roosevelt

John Jay White discusses suggestions of how President Roosevelt should plan his Africa trip. Topics include who to stay with, avoiding the rainy season, recommendations for a servant during the safari, and the importance of seeing a dentist beforehand. White relates this information “as one sportsman to another,” because he is anxious that Roosevelt have a good trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-15

Letter from John Jay White to Theodore Roosevelt

Writing on behalf of Reverend W. S. Rainsford, John Jay White offers President Roosevelt advice about his upcoming safari. Both White and Rainsford disagree with Roosevelt’s plan to delay the hunting portion of his trip until after the rainy season. In White’s experience, May is the best time to hunt elephant and lion. White recommends several guides, and shares tips for making the safari more comfortable. He would happily talk in person soon.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-03

Letter from W. S. Rainsford to Theodore Roosevelt

W. S. Rainsford knows that this is a busy time for President Roosevelt, and hopes that his letters do not seem “cocksure.” He advises Roosevelt to never send Kermit Roosevelt out hunting with only one gunbearer, because conditions can become dangerous very suddenly. Rainsford describes several life-threatening situations he faced in Africa, and offers advice on shooting techniques for both rifles and cameras. He would like to meet before Roosevelt’s departure, but his health will not permit this.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-05

Letter from Albert Shaw to William Loeb

Albert Shaw has asked Judson C. Welliver to write a new article for The American Review of Reviews that provides a more informative overview of the Roosevelt administration. The “spirit and the intelligence” that William Loeb and President Roosevelt liked in the original manuscript will be retained. Shaw thanks Loeb for sending Welliver to him, and is optimistic about both this article and Clark’s piece on the Africa trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-01

Letter from Albert Shaw to Theodore Roosevelt

Albert Shaw liked the “spirit” but not the prose of Judson C. Welliver’s article about President Roosevelt. He has asked Welliver to write a new piece in simpler language that delivers a systematic overview of the Roosevelt administration’s accomplishments. Shaw is optimistic about Edward B. Clark’s article for young readers on Roosevelt’s Africa trip. It is almost complete, and will be published in the March edition of The American Review of Reviews. Shaw shares his plans for the accompanying illustrations, and requests a photograph of Roosevelt in hunting attire. He also requests the short letter outlining Roosevelt’s goals for the trip that they discussed Friday evening. Shaw’s editorial remarks in the March issue will endeavor to frame Roosevelt’s legacy and future career plans in a flattering light.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-01

Letter from Edmund Heller to Theodore Roosevelt

Edmund Heller assures President Roosevelt that he has not given out any statements on what they will be doing during their African expedition. Heller has found little information on the plants and animals of Africa in his research. He believes Roosevelt’s party will bring back more zoological material and information than any other expedition has ever obtained on East Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-22

Letter from Frederick Courteney Selous to Theodore Roosevelt

Frederick Courtney Selous discusses concerns about President Roosevelt’s upcoming trip to Africa. Selous gives his opinions on the provisions, safari guides, equipment porters, and the hunting of big game animals. Selous includes a postscript informing Roosevelt that everything has been shipped and should arrive in Nairobi by early March.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-25

Letter from William L. Smith to Theodore Roosevelt

William L. Smith offers advice for President Roosevelt’s upcoming East Africa expedition, including what sort of camera to bring along, and the sort of treatment necessary to prevent malaria. Smith suggests purchasing  $400 Naturalists Graflex camera in order to take photographs of animals at a distance, and explains how to best care for the plates, plate holder, and film box so the photos will not get ruined. He additionally recommends Dr. Koch’s preventative malaria treatment which involves taking powdered quinine for two successive days each week. Smith met with three friends who recently returned from East Africa who also saw Roosevelt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-25