Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter from White House June 1907

PRESENTING AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE and FULLY AUTHENTIC Teddy Roosevelt Letter from White House June 1907.

On ‘The White House’ letterhead. Typed and personally signed and amended by President Theodore Roosevelt.

With it’s original White House envelope, stamp and postage marks.

Dated June 14th 1907.

What makes this letter so important is the author, the office and the content.

It refers to the beliefs and opinions of the then President and First Lady (Edith) towards the women’s sufferage and empowerment movement that was the ‘hot topic’ of the time.

It is addressed to Eliza Calvert Obenchain who was a well known author at the end of the 19th Century and Early 20th Century. In 1905, Teddy referred to her book “Aunt Jane of Kentucky’, in a speech and recommended that every man in America should read it to understand ‘the plight of their womenfolk’. He regularly corresponded with her and we have a number of those letters in our collection. It appears that both he and Edith became big fans of Mrs Obenchain who was also heavily involved in the Suffragist movement.

The letters also provide a fascinating and historic record of Roosevelt’s personal beliefs and feelings on female empowerment.

The Letter Reads:

The White House

Washington

Oyster Bay, N.Y.,

June 14, 1907

Personal

“Dear Mrs. Obenchain:

I gladly accept the autographed copy of “Aunt Jane” which you have been so kind to send me. But Aunt Jane is so good and so wise that she must not (amount “race (illegible)) fall into the terrible mistake of the self-indulgent, selfish, shortsighted women, cold in heart and in temper, who shirk the duties of mother-hood and then try to cover up to themselves and to others their cowardice or self-indulgence by making believe they are actuated by wise or lofty motives. *

With great regard, believe me,

Sincerely yours,

Theodore Roosevelt

*And she must not give aid and comfort to unsexed or sexless creatures by a jest which they may take for earnest !

Mrs. Eliza Calvert Obenchain,

Bowling Green, Kentucky.“

The envelope is From: The White House.

Addressed to: Mrs. Eliza Calvert Obenchain, Bowling Green, Kentucky and marked ‘Personal’.

It is stamped on the front as posted from Oyster Bay, New York Post Office on June 16 1907.

It has a red 2 Cent ‘George Washington’ Postal Stamp.

On the rear of the envelope is a stamp from Bowling Green, KY Post Office dated June 17 1907.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (/ˈroʊzəvɛlt/ ROH-zə-velt; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or his initials T. R., was an American politician, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He previously served as the 25th vice president under William McKinley from March to September 1901, and as the 33rd governor of New York from 1899 to 1900. Having assumed the presidency after McKinley’s assassination, Roosevelt emerged as a leader of the Republican Party and became a driving force for anti-trust and Progressive policies.

Roosevelt was a sickly child with debilitating asthma but partly overcame his health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle. He integrated his exuberant personality, a vast range of interests and achievements into a “cowboy” persona defined by robust masculinity. He was home-schooled and began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard. His book The Naval War of 1812 (1882) established his reputation as a learned historian and popular writer. Upon entering politics, he became the leader of the reform faction of Republicans in New York’s state legislature. His wife and mother both died in the same night and he was psychologically devastated. He recuperated by buying and operating a cattle ranch in the Dakotas. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley and in 1898 helped plan the highly successful naval war against Spain. He resigned to help form and lead the Rough Riders, a unit that fought the Spanish army in Cuba to great publicity. Returning a war hero, he was elected governor of New York in 1898. The New York state party leadership disliked his ambitious agenda and convinced McKinley to make Roosevelt as his running mate in the 1900 election. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously, and the McKinley–Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of victory, peace and prosperity.

Roosevelt assumed the presidency at age 42 after McKinley was assassinated in September 1901. He remains the youngest person to become President of the United States. Roosevelt was a leader of the progressive movement and championed his “Square Deal” domestic policies, promising the average citizen fairness, breaking of trusts, regulation of railroads, and pure food and drugs. He prioritized conservation and established national parks, forests, and monuments intended to preserve the nation’s natural resources. In foreign policy, he focused on Central America where he began construction of the Panama Canal. He expanded the Navy and sent the Great White Fleet on a world tour to project American naval power. His successful efforts to broker the end of the Russo-Japanese War won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. Roosevelt was elected to a full term in 1904 and continued to promote progressive policies. He groomed his close friend William Howard Taft to succeed him in the 1908 presidential election.

Roosevelt grew frustrated with Taft’s brand of conservatism and belatedly tried to win the 1912 Republican nomination for president. He failed, walked out, and founded the Progressive Party. He ran in the 1912 presidential election and the split allowed the Democratic nominee Woodrow Wilson to win the election. Following the defeat, Roosevelt led a two-year expedition to the Amazon basin where he nearly died of tropical disease. During World War I, he criticized Wilson for keeping the country out of the war; his offer to lead volunteers to France was rejected. He considered running for president again in 1920, but his health continued to deteriorate. He died in 1919. He is generally ranked in polls of historians and political scientists as one of the five best presidents.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt

Important Teddy Roosevelt Letter from White House June 1907 .

Provenance: From the Estate of Eliza Calvert Hall

Condition: Very Good. Some discoloration (yellowing of paper) through passage of time. Some staining on the front of envelope. No tears to letter. which is a folded double folio but only written on one page.

Dimensions: Envelope is 7.3 inches wide and 4.75 inches tall

The Letter is: 8.5 inches wide and 11.2 inches tall.