University of Oxford

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Cecil Spring Rice

President Roosevelt found the letter that Cecil Spring Rice sent to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt about safari dangers to be quite hilarious, as did she, in a morose way. Roosevelt felt it would not be right to stay on as President, and he is glad the Africa trip is ahead. Roosevelt expresses his interest in the complex political situation unfolding in Turkey and the surrounding countries. He hopes Spring Rice can come to England and discuss politics in person.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-17

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Endicott Peabody

President Roosevelt encloses a letter for Endicott Peabody, explaining that he had hoped to let Archie Roosevelt “be free” this summer, but an emergency dental situation has thwarted the plan. He asks that the doctor’s suggestion be heeded. Peabody might like to know that Roosevelt has been invited to give the Romanes Lecture at Oxford.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lord Curzon of Kedleston

President Roosevelt hopes to visit Lord Curzon of Kedleston, and lists the authors he would most like to meet while visiting Oxford. He discusses the issue of the reserves in Africa, and compares the situation to Yellowstone Park in the United States. Roosevelt mourns the loss of former German Ambassador Hermann Speck von Sternburg, a great soldier and effective ambassador.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-12

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry White

President Roosevelt writes to Henry White that he mourns the death of German Ambassador Hermann Speck von Sternburg, a man he regarded highly. Roosevelt will likely be presented to King Edward VII of Great Britain as a private citizen while he is visiting Oxford, and if requested he will also visit William II, the German Emperor, so as not to offend him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-10

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to David Jayne Hill

President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Hill for the write-up of the funeral of his good friend and former German Ambassador, Hermann Speck von Sternburg. In the future Roosevelt may ask Hill to enquire about accommodations for hunting in German East Africa, in case his safari brings him to that region. While he is abroad Roosevelt will likely be presented, as a private citizen, to King Edward VII of Great Britain while visiting Oxford University. Should the German Emperor William II expressly request a visit, he would also visit Berlin.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-10

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt thanks Ambassador Reid for the interesting letter, especially for the insight on Newfoundland. He is interested in what Secretary of State of India John Morley says about India, and discusses the intricacies surrounding “the control of thickly peopled tropical regions by self-governing northern democracies.” Roosevelt hopes to speak with Morley after presenting the Romanes lecture at Oxford. He asks Reid to inquire of the British statesman, Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes, about conditional hunting on the reserves. The Vermont elections went well.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-03

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt details to Senator Lodge the difficulties in renominating New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes. Roosevelt has accepted George Nathaniel Curzon’s invitation to present the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford upon returning from Africa. He sends his regards to Anna Cabot Mills Davis Lodge.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt inquires if Edward North Buxton can go to Lawn and Alder and add additional supplies to his list as Buxton sees fit. Roosevelt describes his preferences for hunting rifles. He looks forward to visiting Buxton after his trip to Africa. There are several men he wants to meet when he travels to England to present the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to T. Herbert Warren

Theodore Roosevelt writes to Dr. T. Herbert Warren about his lecture “Oxford and Poetry” and his apprehension about the lack of “literary productivity” in the United States. He expresses concern that the amount of “first-rate work” is significantly less than the “enormous ocean of second, third, and tenth-rate work.” Roosevelt recalls his visit Oxford with pleasure.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-06-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt clarifies for Ambassador Reid that on his African safari, he intends only to shoot specimens for the National Museum, with the exception of half a dozen trophies for himself, if he is able to shoot extras under his license. He discusses at length is plans for traveling through Europe following the safari. He accepts that he will have to see various heads of state in the countries he visits, and informs Reid that he will be delivering the Romanes lecture at Oxford. Roosevelt approves of the Japanese plan to postpone their international exposition until 1917 and wants to help them “put a good face” on the situation. He agrees with Reid’s assessment of various incidents at the Olympic games. However, Roosevelt stresses that all public statements about the Olympics should be positive.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Frederick Courteney Selous

President Roosevelt discusses the various supplies, including food and drink, that he should bring on his safari. He tells Frederick Courteney Selous that he does not want the trip to be too luxurious, and does not want to bring very much alcohol. He also discusses the type of guns he should use and when he intends to leave for Africa. Selous’s friend Charles Sheldon recently visited Roosevelt and told about his hunting experiences in Alaska. Roosevelt has been invited to give the Romanes lecture in Oxford in 1910, and will be going to England after he leaves Africa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-19

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt asks Edward North Buxton to procure the list of his provisions from Lawn and Alder, and to add whatever Buxton thinks is necessary. He trusts Buxton’s judgment. He also discusses his rifle preferences, but yields to Buxton’s recommendation for what rifle will be best for hunting in Africa. He is pleased that he was asked to deliver the Romanes Lecture at Oxford, which gives him a good excuse to go to England and see old friends there.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to T. Herbert Warren

President Roosevelt approves of the arrangements T. Herbert Warren suggests for the publication of his 1910 Romanes lecture, both in the United States and England. He will write the lecture before he leaves for his African safari, but may make revisions after his trip before he delivers it. Roosevelt is concerned that Warren may be expecting his lecture to be intended for a wider audience, because he is preparing a largely academic talk.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-02

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Johann Heinrich Bernstorff

President Roosevelt encloses a copy of the address he will give at the University of Berlin next year and asks Count von Bernstorff, the German ambassador, to send it to the university’s president.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-01

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to George Cabot Lodge

President Roosevelt humbly inquires whether George Cabot Lodge would mind offering criticisms for drafts of University of Berlin, Oxford, and Sorbonne addresses. Roosevelt invites Lodge to stop by Sunday evening to discuss the addresses.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-23

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to T. Herbert Warren

President Roosevelt tells Vice Chancellor T. Herbert Warren, of Oxford University, that whatever he decides shall be done, and that Oxford University’s press will publish his Romanes lecture in lecture form on both sides of the Atlantic. He understands that he will be able to publish his lecture later in a volume of essays, similar to John Morley’s recent volume. Roosevelt sends Warren a copy of his lecture to look over and keep for him until he arrives in England in 1910.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-30

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to James Bryce

President Roosevelt asks British Ambassador Bryce if he would be available to visit the White House some upcoming evening in order to go over Roosevelt’s Romanes Lecture, which he will deliver at the University of Oxford.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Evelyn Baring Cromer

President Roosevelt introduces Evelyn Baring, Earl of Cromer, to W. Cameron Forbes, a grandson of Ralph Waldo Emerson who is currently vice-governor of the Philippines. Roosevelt will be in England in May 1910 to deliver the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford, and hopes he will be able to see Baring then.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-23

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to N. J. Elwes

President Roosevelt cannot accept N. J. Elwes’s invitation out of hand because his stay in England will be so short, and does not want to make any plans at present that are not connected to his delivery of the Romanes Lecture at the University of Oxford. However, he would like to see Elwes, along with Frederick Courteney Selous, St. George Littledale, Edward North Buxton, and John Guille Millais.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Sydney Brooks

President Roosevelt sends Sydney Brooks a copy of a letter he wrote to Senator Henry Cabot Lodge accurately predicting the outcome of the recent presidential election. He is greatly amused to hear about the reaction of the British press to his involvement in the campaign of president-elect William H. Taft, and briefly comments on American politics. Roosevelt is glad to be joining the staff of The Outlook after leaving the presidency, and is looking forward to his safari, which he has received a great deal of help planning from his British friends. He is sorry to learn that a number of American papers have been attacking Britain for its rule over India, and says that he believes that while there have been faults committed, it is nevertheless “one of the mighty feats of civilization.” He also notes that some British papers have criticized the United States for its work in the Philippines.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919