Your TR Source
President Roosevelt is glad Brooks Adams feels as he does about the Secret Service matter and notes that Senator Benjamin R. Tillman made an “exhibition” of himself.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-12
President Roosevelt informs Senator Hale of Maine that the report about the secret service may be slightly delayed in reaching him, as Roosevelt is investigating one additional matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-01
President Roosevelt would be glad to accept the gift of some socks from William Wingate Sewall and his wife, Mary Alice Sherman Sewall. He also wrote to Flavilla Sleeper Caldwell to thank her for the socks, as Sewall suggested. Roosevelt is glad that Sewall approves of what he said about the secret service men, and thinks that Congress is very foolish. He has spoken to President-elect William H. Taft about keeping Sewall in his current position, but also encloses a letter in case there is any question. Roosevelt requests that he keep this letter strictly confidential, otherwise he would receive many other requests for similar letters.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-18
William Loeb writes to Admiral Merrell, president of the Naval War College, about upcoming plans for President Roosevelt to speak there. Loeb asks Merrell to send invitations for the speech and reception to connections of Roosevelt’s family. He also asks advice about the geography of Rhode Island and whether secret service agents should meet Roosevelt at the War College.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-07-15
President Roosevelt tells Speaker Cannon that only appropriating $50,000 to the Interstate Commerce Commission instead of the asked-for $350,000 effectively repeals the twentieth section of the Hepburn Act. He also disagrees with provisions in the sundry bill limiting wages on the Panama Canal and regarding the secret service.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-04-30
President Roosevelt updates his son Kermit on the horses Audrey and Achilles and recounts taking exercise which left one of his Secret Service agents, Joseph E. Murphy, “down and out.” Roosevelt is preparing himself for several years of Americans hating him for the financial crisis, but stands by his policies.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-23
President Roosevelt has heard of the murder of Secret Service Agent Joseph A. Walker in the line of duty while conducting an investigation into coal land fraud at the Hesperia Mine near Durango, Colorado. Roosevelt expects Secretary of the Interior Garfield to vigorously prosecute all charges Walker was investigating.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-05
President Roosevelt has heard of the murder of Secret Service Agent Joseph A. Walker in the line of duty while conducting an investigation into coal land fraud at the Hesperia Mine near Durango, Colorado. Roosevelt expects Attorney General Bonaparte to vigorously prosecute all charges Walker was investigating.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-11-05
President Roosevelt thinks it would be a mistake to have Gilchrist Stewart, an African-American lawyer who says he has new evidence in the Brownsville Affair, followed by the Secret Service as Senator Lodge suggests. Roosevelt is concerned that if it is discovered, his political opponents will attack him for it. Roosevelt would prefer to consult with Lodge and the other members of the committee investigating the matter, because congress is already too interested in how he uses the Secret Service.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-06-22
President Roosevelt tells Charles S. Thomas he is unsure if he can use the Secret Service to start the investigation Thomas proposes, but has written to the Department of Justice about opening an investigation of the matter.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-07-03
President Roosevelt asks Attorney General Bonaparte if the matter William Dudley Foulke wrote about could be looked into by “some confidential agent.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-16
President Roosevelt updates his son Kermit Roosevelt on the comings and goings of the White House and his thoughts on a recent article that appeared in Outing. Roosevelt had hoped to keep his upcoming visit to Groton School and Harvard University private, but it has leaked. He is having difficulties resolving the segregation of Japanese students from San Fransisco schools and the resulting diplomatic tensions, but has decided immigration from Japan must be curtailed.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-02-09
Although he wishes that Harvard had won, President Roosevelt is pleased that his son Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt evidently got to play in the game against Yale. He praises Ted’s performance in the game, during which Yale directed “battering” plays against him because he was so small and light, and says that Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt and Ethel Roosevelt were “very indignant” about it. Roosevelt is very proud of his son’s football career, but glad that he is too small to try out for the varsity team. He hopes that now Ted can attend more to his studies and that he will be able to come to Pine Knot for Thanksgiving, as he is not bringing the Secret Service with him and Edith is worried about his being the only man in the house. He asks one more time what Ted would like Alexander Lambert to do about the moose horns.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11-19
While President Roosevelt is sure that Daniel J. Hurley’s brother would be a good man for the Secret Services, there will not be any vacancies there in the next year. Roosevelt will keep Hurley’s letter on file and appoint his brother if he gets the chance.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-03-20
President Roosevelt is not concerned about the “crazy man incident,” as the man did not get past the secret service and was simply arrested. Roosevelt asks for Secretary of State Hay’s opinion on the suggestions from Albert Shaw and Oscar S. Straus and asks what others think.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1903-09-04
President Roosevelt asks Philip Battell Stewart to disclose the writers of enclosed documents. The Secret Service report is not strong against Frank W. Howbert but is unfavorable towards Henry Brady due to his associations with “semi-criminal politicians.”
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1901-11-11
Aloysius G. Brown appeals to Theodore Roosevelt to aid him in securing a position with the U.S. Secret Service. Brown details his attributes, work ethic and history, his physical appearance, and past work experience. In showing his good character, Brown details how he has a wife, two children, and another child on the way. Moreover, Brown details how he served in the Spanish-American War and in various capacities linked to the U.S. government since then.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-06-19
William H. H. Llewellyn just missed Theodore Roosevelt’s train after his speech but is glad Roosevelt got to meet his son, Theodore R. Llewellyn. He wants to talk about the situation in New Mexico regarding the Department of Justice, which only has one representative. With the troubles in Mexico and the violation of neutrality and customs laws, there should be more representatives. Llewellyn discusses situations where “there has been some very high handed doings in connection with the enforcement of the law.” He also wanted to talk to Roosevelt about being appointed to the International Boundary Commission, especially after Anson Mills’ “scurrilous” attack on Roosevelt in the newspapers.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-15
Clement C. Van Laningham asks Theodore Roosevelt’s permission to use him as a reference in his application for a position with the U.S. Secret Service. Laningham briefly presents his history and qualifications, including his military service.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1911-03-10
Lawrence F. Abbott’s source, Reverend Charles Cole Creegan, reports that there was little public approval in the galleries in response to the House of Representatives’s condemnation of Roosevelt’s Secret Service Message. Abbott plans to publish an editorial about this tension, expressing the opinion that the presidential-congressional conflict has arisen out of Roosevelt’s attempt to protect the government from “usurpatory, despotic and unconstitutional ‘Congressional Aggression.'” In the postscript, Abbott asks if he may meet with Roosevelt to discuss the conflict further.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-15