Shoes

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-11-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Busky, John S.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-10-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Recipient

Battreall, Charles August, 1865-1937

President Roosevelt is glad Kermit Roosevelt will be trying out for the football team and taking six half courses, even if it will be difficult. Roosevelt discusses some of the supplies that he has recently received in preparation for their safari, and asks Kermit how many pairs of shoes he will want.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-06

Dean Sage should address President Roosevelt as Mr. Roosevelt or Colonel, whichever he prefers. Roosevelt would like to hear about the shoes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1901-10-08

R. Sheridan acknowledges receipt of an order for two pairs of black walking shoes for President Roosevelt, and promises to follow directions and have them made with as much room as the last pair. Regarding the complaint William Loeb told him of, that the riding boots he made for Roosevelt were not as comfortable as his old ones, Sheridan suggests that it is because they are new and will will have to be broken in.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-10-31

In the first vignette, Alton B. Parker knocks on the door of August Belmont. Caption: Mr. Parker—”Did I understand that there was a $50,000 job vacant around here?” In the second, Henry Gassaway Davis holds a large money barrel while President Roosevelt walks away with West Virginia woman. Caption: At last reports Uncle Henry Davis was still holding his own. In the third, “Dr. Bryan,” “Dr. Hearst,” and “Dr. Watson” all attempt to doctor a bandaged Democratic donkey. Caption: The Doctors—”Cheer up, we’ll begin work on you again.” In the fourth vignette, William Preston Harrison walks from the “West Side” to the “North Side.” Caption: William Preston Harrison leaves from again. In the fifth, Parker stands beside William H. Douglas who holds a sign with a shoe on it that reads, “It pays to advertise.” In the sixth, Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison stares at a sign that reads, “Wisconsin for Roosevelt . . . 50,000—Illinois for Roosevelt . . . 230,000—Indiana for Roosevelt . . . 60,000.” Caption: The states he promised Parker.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-11-10

A cartoon uses various sizes of shoes, from booties to riding boots, to create a “portrait” of the Roosevelt family.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1901-1908

1880s advertising card for shoes from Reynolds Brothers. Features a picture of a young girl with dog.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Creation Date

1880-1890

Theodore Roosevelt thanks C. A. Battreall, and notes that he is sending shoes at Battreall’s request.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1917-11-26

President Roosevelt tells Edward North Buxton that his son Kermit wants the same shoes that Buxton ordered for him. He also asks Buxton to forward an enclosed unsealed letter to Alfred E. Pease. Roosevelt discusses travel plans for his upcoming safari. He is debating whether to start at Pease’s ranch, or to take a trip into the desert. Although he appreciates Buxton’s suggestions, he believes he will not go to Uganda.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-28

President Roosevelt updates his son, Kermit, on the delayed rubber-soled shoe order. Kermit should receive the shoes soon. Roosevelt is currently very busy. He enjoyed shooting the double-barreled 450 rifle, but disagrees with the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions. He has given directions about the pipe tobacco, and reports that the pigskin library for the trip is “well under way.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-04

President Roosevelt thinks Ambassador Reid made the right call on not sending him the boots and shoes, as it would have violated a rule set out by the State Department. Because the rifle that had been sent to Roosevelt will be sent back immediately after he tests it, the circumstances surrounding it are different.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-09

President Roosevelt finds fault with the shoe manufacturing company Potbury & Lee for the boots they have made, as they were much too small. Roosevelt will keep one pair for his son, Kermit Roosevelt, but has no use for the other and therefore returns it. He also sends Potbury & Lee a pair of shoes that he asks them to duplicate exactly. He admonishes them for making a mistake about the boots, as they have based them on a pair of his city shoes, which he does not wear with large socks.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-15

President Roosevelt asks Secretary of the Navy Bonaparte if Secretary of War William H. Taft has spoken to him about a shoe contractor from Philadelphia. Roosevelt understands that he should not be allowed to bid in any Army or Navy competition because of his “scoundrelly conduct in the past.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1906-04-03

President Roosevelt gives Governor-elect Guild permission to make his statement public. He says that there is no sign that any leaders in Congress are willing to take up tariff revision, and Roosevelt feels it is foolish to attempt to bring up the issue if it has no effective backing. He also praises Lieutenant-Governor-elect Eben S. Draper.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1905-11-12

On behalf of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt, Wilbur S. Hinman asks Hermann H. Jantzen when the shoes will be ready.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-05-24

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt asks Herman Jantzen about the shoes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-05-03

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt asks Herman Jantzen to make a pair of patent leather evening shoes and send them to his office. Jantzen should send the pair of walking shoes to 689 Madison Avenue, New York City.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1897-04-20

In 1903, Nicholas Laub sent Theodore Roosevelt a pair of “reversible mountain climbers,” which he encloses a photograph of. Laub asks if Roosevelt has ever used the device during “one of [his] jaunts,” and if so, if he found them satisfactory. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-01

Ezra H. Fitch thanks William Loeb for sending the outline of President Roosevelt’s shoe, and emphasizes that Abercrombie & Fitch Co. is anxious that Roosevelt be completely satisfied with the type of shoe that they make for him. Fitch asks several follow-up questions regarding the design of the shoe and Roosevelt’s preferences for its size and construction. Additionally, he mentions recent experiments by Professor Raymond Lee Ditmars regarding snake-proof leggings, and offers to send a pair for Roosevelt to inspect if he wishes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-28