Wingate, F. R. (Francis Reginald), Sir, 1861-1953

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Alfred E. Pease

President Roosevelt updates Alfred E. Pease on his thoughts about various supplies that he needs for his upcoming safari. He explains that he only wants to hunt in British East Africa and Nyanza, and then travel from Gondokoro to Khartoum. The animal he wants to get the most is a lion. He has decided to take Frederick Courteney Selous’s advice and hire a white man to manage his caravan so that he is free to enjoy his trip. He intends to hire William C. Judd unless Pease objects.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-08-22

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 Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt outlines his travel plans and schedule for his upcoming safari in Africa for Ambassador Reid. He wants Reid to make clear that he only intends to shoot specimens for the Smithsonian Institution, and perhaps a few extra trophies for himself and his son Kermit. He does not want special treatment in any of the countries he will pass through, although he would appreciate any game reserves being opened for him if possible. If it is not possible for him to travel through Europe without fanfare during the months following the safari, Roosevelt will likely return straight home to America. If he does travel through Europe with his family, he would like the American diplomats to make it clear that he is traveling as a former president and does not want to meet heads of governments.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

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

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Sir John L. Harrington

President Roosevelt thanks John L. Harrington for the letter, and says that he will need the animals and saddles in about a year. He asks, though, that Harrington write to F. R. Wingate, who will also be furnishing some mules and donkeys, as he does not want his two friends to be working at cross purposes. Roosevelt expects to take Harrington’s advice and begin shooting at Gambela.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-01-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to John L. Harrington

President Roosevelt thanks John L. Harrington for sending a map, which gave him exactly the information he wanted. Roosevelt is extremely eager to get to Africa for his safari, and appreciates all the assistance Harrington has given him in writing to various people.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-29

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Lewis Morris Iddings

President Roosevelt thanks Lewis Morris Iddings, American Consul General in Egypt, for what he has done in helping Roosevelt to prepare for his safari. Roosevelt is confident that the mosquito boots will be all right, but promises to inform Iddings if something is wrong with them. Roosevelt is “quite overcome by the kindness of all [his] friends, English and American.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-21

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Winchester Repeating Arms Company

President Roosevelt has just spoken with Billy Hofer, who suggested that the Winchester Repeating Arms Company may have shipped hollow-point bullets for Roosevelt to use during his safari. Roosevelt does not remember ordering hollow-point bullets, and would like to receive a full accounting of this claim. Roosevelt also asks the Winchester Repeating Arms Company to make a duplicate of his present .405 rifle. He inquires of the possibility of sending materials to Khartoum rather than Mombasa, and asks to be notified when the current shipment reaches Mombasa.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-16

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Kermit Roosevelt

President Roosevelt was proud to hear that his son, Kermit Roosevelt, visited Robert Harry Munro Ferguson and Isabella Ferguson, and is concerned about their situation. Roosevelt has been enjoying the fall weather at the White House, and updates Kermit on some family matters, including that he has sold a horse. Preparations for Roosevelt’s African safari are proceeding, with many officials and friends coming together to help ensure that they are able to find the animals that Roosevelt wishes to hunt.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-27

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt asks Ambassador Reid if he would be able to petition Lord Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes to write to officials in Uganda that Roosevelt would appreciate being given a guide and information that would allow him to hunt a white rhinoceros or elephant. The current unrest in India concerns Roosevelt, and asks what the feelings of British officials are towards it. Roosevelt also remarks briefly on his plans to leave immediately after William H. Taft’s inauguration as president, and comments on a controversy that arose at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, which is still fostering some resentment between the two nations. If Roosevelt can secure a third specimen of the white rhinoceros, he would be happy to send it to the British Museum.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Percy C. Madeira

President Roosevelt tells Percy C. Madeira that he has sent exactly the information Roosevelt needs for his upcoming African safari. Roosevelt will follow Madeira’s recommendations about books to read, getting maps of the region through American Embassies, short trips to get into shape, and boats for navigating the Nile.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-31

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Edward North Buxton

President Roosevelt sends Edward North Buxton a pair of Kermit Roosevelt’s shoes to use as a pattern for new boots for the upcoming African safari. Roosevelt believes it would be good to accept Alfred E. Pease’s invitation to hunt at his ranch in Africa, unless Buxton advises otherwise. Roosevelt suggests a short one week trip to get himself and Kermit Roosevelt in shape and accustomed to the safari staff before the main hunt. Roosevelt appreciates the information on Uganda, but thinks if he can get the game he wants in Sudan or British East Africa, he will not visit Uganda. Roosevelt appreciates all that Buxton is doing for him.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Whitelaw Reid

President Roosevelt sends Ambassador Reid details about his plans for his African safari. Roosevelt discusses the timing and route of his trip, as well as his plans for hunting and gathering scientific specimens for the United States National Museum. Roosevelt is “delighted beyond all measure” that Sir F. R. Wingate has opened the reserves under his command to Roosevelt’s expedition. He assures Reid that he will not take too many trophies or slaughter game without cause. Roosevelt asks Reid to pass along this information to Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes in the hopes that he will open the reserves in British East Africa, Uganda, and Sudan, as well as to relieve the minds of other East African provincial officials about the nature of Roosevelt’s trip. Roosevelt would also like to visit Italy, France, and England on the way home from his safari, but does not want to place undue burden on the governments of those nations. He does not wish for official state functions, but to visit old friends with his family.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-07-20

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Letter from Leigh S. J. Hunt to Theodore Roosevelt

Leigh S. J. Hunt wants to help entertain President Roosevelt in Khartoum, but has heard that Sirdar F. R. Wingate would also like this honor. If so, Hunt will propose that he fund the entertainments that Wingate hosts. Roosevelt will thus have access to excellent facilities without being beholden to anyone. Hunt asks that Roosevelt send along his post-presidency mailing address so that Hunt can update him after discussing the matter with Wingate.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-07

Creator(s)

Hunt, Leigh S. J., 1855-1933

Letter from Charles Tuchmann to Theodore Roosevelt

Charles Tuchmann invites President Roosevelt and his wife, Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, to stay at the Grand Hotel in Khartum when they visit the city. Tuchmann owns the hotel, which has hosted many Americans and members of the British aristocracy, and its manager is an American naturalized citizen. They would be honored to have the Roosevelts visit, and the price would be “very moderate.” He also requests an autograph for his daughter, a sportswoman who admires Roosevelt’s athleticism.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-02-05

Creator(s)

Tuchmann, Charles

Letter from John L. Harrington to Theodore Roosevelt

John L. Harrington writes to President Roosevelt to follow up on a conversation they had at a recent lunch, and gives Roosevelt some details about a journey on the Upper Nile that he took in 1904. Harrington has already been making some arrangements for Roosevelt to be able to hunt during this leg of the journey. He appends a copy of a map of the region to the letter for Roosevelt to look at.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-28

Creator(s)

Harrington, John L. (John Lane), Sir, 1865-1927

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Ambassador Reid writes to President Roosevelt on a number of topics, including the present situation in India, the aftermath of a controversy in the 1908 Olympics, the health of German Emperor William II and British King Edward VII, and Roosevelt’s upcoming safari. Reid encourages Roosevelt to reconsider bringing a ceremonial outfit along with him for the period following his safari. Edward North Buxton has asked if Reid can send Roosevelt a rifle to test, and Reid is investigating whether such a thing can be done via diplomatic pouch.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-12-21

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912

Letter from Lee Stack to Lewis Morris Iddings

British Army Officer Lee Stack informs American Consul General Iddings that on the orders of the Sirdar, Sir F. R. Wingate, Stack has commissioned the creation of six pairs of mosquito boots of various sizes for President Roosevelt and his son Kermit Roosevelt. Wingate hopes that Roosevelt will accept the boots as a small personal offering. Stack will bring the boots to Iddings once they are complete.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-28

Creator(s)

Stack, Lee, Sir, 1868-1924

Letter from Whitelaw Reid to Theodore Roosevelt

Whitelaw Reid, Ambassador to the United Kingdom, updates President Roosevelt on King of Britain Edward VII’s respectful behavior toward Sultan of the Turks Abdülhamid II. Turkey has embraced British Ambassador Sir Gerard Lowther, who has ended up in a position of power mostly by luck. The German Emperor William II has been recklessly deepening the financial troubles that plague Berlin. Reid does not think Roosevelt will need his Colonel’s uniform for visiting England, and details the appropriate attire. He discusses an agreement made with Chairman of the Republican National Committee Frank H. Hitchcock to send copies of the Daily Tribune to voters in New York. Lord Robert Offley Ashburton Crewe-Milnes has been unavailable due to travel, but Reid should have more information when the next session begins in three weeks.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-09-23

Creator(s)

Reid, Whitelaw, 1837-1912