Sumner, William Graham, 1840-1910

Senator Lodge discusses a number of topics regarding the late Secretary of State John Hay. Lodge bemoans the editing of a publication of Hay’s letters, claiming that Hay was “one of the best if not the best letter writer of his time,” but the publication does not do him justice. He reminisces on the many men of letters he has known in his life, and believes that Hay was the most “brilliant, humorous, sympathetic, [and] witty” among them. Lodge holds more criticism for Hay in his role as a secretary of state, discussing how Hay bungled multiple treaties, took credit for accomplishments that were not his own, and formed poor relations with the Senate. 

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-14

Creator(s)

Lodge, Henry Cabot, 1850-1924

Four titles, two books for children and two for adults, come under scrutiny in this edition of the “Book Reviews” section. Linda E. Milano praises Cheryl Harness’s biography Young Teddy Roosevelt, especially its illustrations, and she finds that A Christmas Tree in the White House, though fiction, still teaches important lessons about conservation. Randall Holdridge highlights the five journeys undertaken by Louis Abernathy and Temple Abernathy, the sons of John R. Abernathy, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt and United States Marshal for Oklahoma. Holdridge asserts that Bud & Me: The True Adventures of the Abernathy Boys demonstrates the inspirational value of Roosevelt’s character. 

 

Grace Frisone says that The Birth of American Imperialism does not break much new ground, but that it does acknowledge the importance of Roosevelt to turn of the twentieth-century American foreign policy. Frisone also says that this work, written in Italian, brings a European perspective to the study of American history. A photograph from the 1998 annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears in the section.