Rare Signed Photograph of Theodore Roosevelt During the Campaign of 1912, Which Saw Him Split from the Republican Party and Run as the Progressive Party Candidate
Signed just days after his announcement that he would run again
The election of 1912 was an unconventional one. Theodore Roosevelt, turning against his former ally William H. Taft, attempted to capture the Republican nomination. He had been out of politics since early 1909, when he left the White House to travel to Africa.
On February 21, in a speech to a state...
The election of 1912 was an unconventional one. Theodore Roosevelt, turning against his former ally William H. Taft, attempted to capture the Republican nomination. He had been out of politics since early 1909, when he left the White House to travel to Africa.
On February 21, in a speech to a state constitutional convention in Columbus, Ohio, Roosevelt laid out a progressive agenda of government reform and business regulation as a precursor to a formal announcement of his candidacy. Roosevelt’s arguments for judicial recall and popular referendum in his “Charter of Freedom” speech in Columbus threatened to ignite a civil war within the Republican Party. He formally announced in very late February.
Primary season began on March 19. Senator Robert “Fighting Bob” La Follette won two of the first four Republican primaries (North Dakota and his home state of Wisconsin), but Taft won a major victory in Roosevelt’s home state of New York and continued to rack up delegates in more conservative, traditional state conventions.
On March 28, Roosevelt issued an ultimatum: if Republicans did not nominate him, he would run as an independent. Beginning with a runaway victory in Illinois on April 9, Roosevelt won nine of the last ten presidential primaries (including Taft’s home state of Ohio), losing only Massachusetts.
Arthur H. Samuels was the correspondent covering Theodore Roosevelt for the New York Sun for periods from 1909-1913. He went on to a career in publishing music and producing radio.
Photograph signed, framed, inscribed to Samuels, March 5, 1912, “With all good wishes from his friend, Theodore Roosevelt.”
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