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President Roosevelt reports on the snowy weather and riding the horses through Rock Creek Park. Edith traveled to Philadelphia, so Roosevelt told stories to Archie and Quentin. He had his last sitting with John Singer Sargent and likes Sargent’s portrait.
1903-02-19
President Roosevelt and some unsuspecting and unprepared friends go for “a little walk in Rock Creek Park.” Roosevelt enjoyed rock climbing and referred to it as “scrambling.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
1901-1908
Theodore Roosevelt writes to Kermit Roosevelt to say he will try to be home for Kermit’s birthday and says he has found some places at Rock Creek Park that are perfect for climbing.
1897-09-20
President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit that people are urging him to run for a third term as president but he will not do it. He wants to get Secretary of War Taft nominated. Roosevelt talks of riding in Rock Creek Park and playing tennis. He also refers to a letter from Marvin Hughitt that was enclosed, asking Kermit if he wants to fish in Wisconsin or go duck and chicken hunting in Minnesota or Dakota in the fall.
1907-05-15
President Roosevelt tells his son Kermit he is happy with Kermit’s marks and is very interested in the books he is reading. Roosevelt wants to know if he would be interested in Flashlights in the Jungle, but adds in a postscript that Edith said Kermit would not enjoy it. He also talks of taking a scramble down Rock Creek with C. Grant La Farge, Douglas Robinson, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon, and the French Ambassador.
1906-01-21
Theodore Roosevelt thanks his daughter Ethel Roosevelt for the note and describes for her some of the members of his household: two kittens that live in the backyard, an African American coachman named Marshall, and a big horse with floppy ears.
1897-09-20
President Roosevelt tells Archibald B. Roosevelt that Quentin Roosevelt had to miss school due to illness. President Roosevelt describes the Blackford family as “dears” and recounts a recent horse ride through the snow around Rock Creek with Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt as a “first class gallop”.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1909-01-23
President Roosevelt thanks Henry Litchfield West, Commissioner of the District of Columbia, for the interesting picture of Boulder Bridge.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-29
President Roosevelt thought the letter Fitzhugh Lee sent to Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt was very interesting. He is pleased that the French officers are accepting Lee, and believes it is because of Lee’s willingness to work hard and do his duty. Roosevelt comments on a recent hike in Rock Creek Park he took with a number of Generals, and sends Lee some amusing pictures that were drawn afterwards of it. The Roosevelt family had a pleasant Christmas.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-12-26
President Roosevelt updates his son Kermit on the goings-on at the White House, and his plans for the coming days. He and Edith had been riding regularly until it snowed, thawed, and froze. He hopes to play tennis with General Leonard Wood, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Bacon, and Secretary of the Interior James Rudolph Garfield, although the court may be too muddy. He recently took a “scramble walk” in Rock Creek Park with Representative Nicholas Longworth, Postmaster General George von Lengerke Meyer, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury Beekman Winthrop, and Ambassador Henry White. He had a dinner with African big game hunters, and wishes that Kermit could have met Sir Harry Johnston. His labor dinner is tomorrow night.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-16
President Roosevelt welcomes General Wood back from his trip with the Atlantic Fleet. He would like to see Wood and his wife in Washington, D.C. He tells Wood about a walk through Rock Creek Park he took with fifty members of the General Staff and War College.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-10
President Roosevelt agrees with his son Archie that it is good that “Taft, Hughes, and Groton” were victorious. He updates Archie on his brother Quentin, who is doing very well at football and tennis, and is doing well in school. Kermit Roosevelt is home now. Roosevelt took a fall on a “scramble walk” in Rock Creek Park but was uninjured.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-11-08
President Roosevelt does not feel “very favorable” to Meridian Hill Park, as the cost seems exorbitant. Rather, he is anxious to extend Rock Creek Park and other parks in congested areas. He tells Mary Foote Henderson that he has not taken any part in the bill.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-25
President Roosevelt updates Archibald B. Roosevelt on the weather and flora in Washington, his riding with Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, and Quentin Roosevelt’s baseball playing. The family will go see the juggler Harry Kellar tonight.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-05-01
President Roosevelt tells his son Ted about a visit he had recently from Endicott and Fannie Peabody that he greatly enjoyed. He took a rather sedate walk with Peabody, but plans to go on a more strenuous one with some other people soon. Roosevelt thinks that there will be a difficult struggle until the Republican National Convention in June, as financiers and congressmen who are opposed to Roosevelt’s progressive policies are working to nominate someone other than Secretary of War William H. Taft. Roosevelt is hopeful, but acknowledges that it may be a difficult contest.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-11
President Roosevelt values Douglas Robinson’s loyalty and friendship very highly, and looks forward to seeing him and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson. He will invite D. F. Davidson, Robinson’s cousin, and his wife Ellen Beatrice Davidson to the Army and Navy Reception, and to supper afterwards.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1908-02-08
President Roosevelt encloses a letter for his son, Kermit Roosevelt. They have the choice of fishing in Wisconsin or duck and chicken shooting in Minnesota or Dakota. Roosevelt describes the spring weather and scenery on a ride. He is dealing with friends pressuring him to run for a third term, which he does not want to do. Roosevelt thinks the Republican Party will be able to nominate Secretary of War William H. Taft, but it is too early to call since the election is so far off. He plays tennis with J. J. Jusserand and others on days that he does not ride horses.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-05-15
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
President Roosevelt wants Henry B. F. Macfarland, President of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, to bring to the board’s attention the necessity of recommending that Congress enact a law prohibiting the hunting of birds and small game within the city limits. Existing laws limit the seasons in which game can be shot, but Roosevelt believes it is now time to prohibit the practice all year round. He feels doing so would benefit both wildlife and the public.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-21
President Roosevelt is glad that his son Theodore Roosevelt visited Kermit Roosevelt at Groton School, and is glad that Kermit had a chance to play football this fall. He encourages him to “peg away” at his studies. He is having his “usual number of difficulties” that any President has, and has taken scramble walks in Rock Creek Park and gone riding with Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt. Roosevelt discusses the books that Edith is reading to Archibald B. Roosevelt and Quentin Roosevelt, and the books that he plans to read them in her absence.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-11-12