PRESENTING AN EXCEPTIONALLY RARE and FULLY AUTHENTIC Teddy Roosevelt Letter November 1918.
On ‘The Kansas Star’ letterhead. Typed and personally signed and amended by Theodore Roosevelt.
With it’s original Kansas City Star envelope, stamp and postage marks.
Dated November 8th 1918.
What makes this letter so important is the content.
It refers to the recent death of Teddy’s son, Quentin in France in WW1 and the pain and morning of both he and Edith.
It is addressed to Eliza Calvert Hall-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 Kansas City Star
The Office of Theordore Roosevelt
New York Office
347 Madison Avenue
November 8th, 1918
“My dear Mrs. Obenchain,
Last July soon after Quentin’s death I took Mrs Roosevelt to spend three weeks with our daughter and her two babies on the Maine coast. (I need not tell you that the babies help a sore heart very much). The immense mass of correspondence that came in was answered by various kinsfolk – it was not possible on account of the mass for us to deal with it personally, not to mention the fact that we were away. But there were some people who ought to have been answered personally, and you were one. You do not need to be told how Mrs. Roosevelt and I believe in you, how we admire your writings, and believe in you and your whole family. This is just a belated line of acknowledgment.
Faithfully yours,
Theodore Roosevelt
Mrs. M.A. Obenchain,
Ogden College,
Bowling Green, Ky.“
The envelope is From: The Kansas City Star, New York Office, 347 Madison Avenue.
Addressed to: Mrs. M.A. Obenchain, Ogden College, Bowling Green, Ky but redirected to 10004 Bryan Park, Dallas, Texas.
It is stamped on the front as posted from New York Post Office at Grand Central on Nov. 13 1918.
It has a purple 3 Cent ‘George Washington’ Postal Stamp.
On the rear of the envelope is a stamp from Bowling Green, KY Post Office dated Nov 15 1918.
Obviously, the Bowling Green Post Office forwarded the letter to Mrs Obenchain who had now re-located to Dallas Texas.
To Read more about Mrs Obenchain click on the following Link: https://rockwellantiquesdallas.com/lida-calvert-hallobenchaingodwinmcmillan-collection/
The reference by Teddy to “loss” and “babies” …. refers to Lida’s loss of her husband in 1916 and her move to Dallas from Bowling Green to be with her children and grandchildren.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (/ˈroʊzəvɛlt/ ROH-zə-velt;[b] 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 November 1918.
Provenance: https://rockwellantiquesdallas.com/lida-calvert-hallobenchaingodwinmcmillan-collection/
Condition: Very Good. Some discoloration (yellowing of paper) through passage of time. Some staining on the front of envelope. No tears to letter.
Dimensions: Envelope is 6.5 inches wide and 3.65 inches tall
The Letter is: 8.5 inches wide and 11.2 inches tall.
PRICE NOW: $12,000
