Theodore Roosevelt Writes His Old Harvard Classmate Concerning a Proposed Speech at the National Conference of Social Work

Frederic Almy of Buffalo, New York was a noted social worker and President of the National Conference of Social Work. He also served for over 25 years as secretary of Buffalo's Charity Organization Society, and was author of the book, Fifty years of family social work, 1877-1927. He was Theodore Roosevelt’s classmate at Harvard, and secretary of his graduating class. Amy invited TR to deliver the opening address at the National Conference of Social Work’s convention.

Typed letter signed, on his Metropolitan letterhead, New York, December 5, 1916, being his response to Almy. “I am very much touched and pleased by your letter. My dear fellow, I hope you understand that I am entirely grateful for what you have to say about me. But, now I hate to say it is not possible for me to make the speech you ask of me. Since election I have received from 30 to 50 requests to speak, every week. Many of these speeches I would genuinely like to make, but it is not easy for me to prepare a speech. I work slowly and with difficulty, and I loathe speaking until it is “borne in on me to testify”, as our Methodist brethren say. I’ve had to refuse to undertake any new speeches for the next eight or ten months to come. If I make one, I am obliged to make another, or else cause heart burning. Moreover, in this case I am not familiar enough with the subject to give you a good speech without an amount of study that I am now wholly unable to undertake.”

The piece is mounted to a firm board on the verso.