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Roosevelt Family Collection

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States--the youngest president in the country's history--and a leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Movement. He had five children from his second marriage: Theodore Jr., Kermit, Ethel Carow, Archibald Bulloch, and Quentin. He was the godfather and favorite uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt, whom he gave away in marriage to their fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on 17 March 1905. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States. Elected to four terms in office, he served from 1933 to 1945, and is the only U.S. president to have served more than two terms.

The collection consists of selected correspondence and documents of several members of the Roosevelt family. Included are one autograph letter and one typed letter from President Theodore Roosevelt to Casper Whitney, dated 19 January 1911 and 13 July 1913. In his first letter, Roosevelt mentions Frederick Selous, the famous game hunter and explorer who had led him on an African safari. There is an undated letter from Roosevelt to a "Mr. Howard," apologizing for not being able to attend a Press Club dinner. There is one typed letter by Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., oldest son of the president, to Ernest C. Whitton regarding his health. Also included is a calling card from Eleanor Butler Roosevelt (Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.) sent to Mrs. W. L. Christianson, with envelope dated 15 August 1923, accompanied by two holograph Bible quotations, one dating from 1764. Included is a signed photograph (heliogravure print) of Franklin D. Roosevelt, inscribed to Mrs. Burridge Butler. There are five typed letters (1941,1959) by Eleanor Roosevelt to a "Mr. Davis" and another (9 April 1948) by her to John E. Weaver regarding the arrangement of a meeting. In addition, there are several blank membership forms for the "Roosevelt Memorial Association."

An additional accession consists of five letters from Franklin D. Roosevelt to William Edwards (1932-1941).

The collection was formed as a result of a Departmental practice of combining into one collection material of various accessions relating to a particular person, family, or subject.

The letter to Mr. Howard was a gift of E. H. White, Jr., Princeton Class of 1910, on November 3, 1960.

The five letters to Mr. Davis were the gift of J. Lionburger Davis.

The letter to Mr. Weaver was given by Frederick L. Arnold, on November 2, 1971.

The photograph of F. D. Roosevelt was the gift of Mrs. Hamilton Cottier, on October 12, 1979.

The calling card was the gift of Bruce C. Willsie, Princeton Class of 1986, on November 22, 1991.

The letters to Casper Whitney were transferred from Rare Books, where they had been laid in Theodore Roosevelt's African Game Trials: An Account of the African Wandersings of an American Hunter-Naturalist.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Folder inventory added by Nicholas Williams '2015 in 2012.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2008
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Roosevelt, Theodore: Roosevelt Memorial Association Membership Documents, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Theodore: Letter to Mr. Howard, 18 August. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor: Miscellaneous Papers, 1941-1959. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Edwards, William: Letters from Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932-1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Anna Eleanor: Letter to John Weaver, 9 April 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Theodore, Jr: Letter to Ernest C. Whitton, 21 May 1927. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano: Signed Photograph of F. D. Roosevelt, Inscribed to Mrs. Burridge Butler, undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Mrs. Theodore, Jr: Calling Card with Envelope to Mrs. W. L. Christianson, 15 August 1923. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Roosevelt, Theodore: Letters to Casper Whitney, 1911-1913. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

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