Theodore Roosevelt Accommodates a Newspaper Tycoon by Giving Him a Permanent Pass for Immediate Admittance to See Him
John C. Shaffer owned eight newspapers and had supported TR in his 1912 Bull Moose run for the presidency
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We cannot recall any other president document on the market issuing such a blanket pass
John Charles Shaffer was a noted newspaper editor and publisher of the day. Shaffer built his empire from a humble start as a telegraph operator, to become a major newspaper publisher and owner of business concerns in...
We cannot recall any other president document on the market issuing such a blanket pass
John Charles Shaffer was a noted newspaper editor and publisher of the day. Shaffer built his empire from a humble start as a telegraph operator, to become a major newspaper publisher and owner of business concerns in grain and railroad transportation. He arrived in Chicago in 1874 and began amassing a fortune through his railroad investments. In 1901, Shaffer purchased the Chicago Evening Post, and then a series of other papers including the Indianapolis Star, Muncie Star, Terre Haute Starr, and the Louisville Herald. He then purchased the Denver Post, Denver Times, and Rocky Mountain News. Shaffer was also a philanthropist who focused mainly on music, funding the Chicago Symphony orchestra and the civic opera in Chicago.
Shaffer was a strong supporter of Theodore Roosevelt, and TR valued the connection. The two were in touch as early as 1903, when Shaffer wrote Roosevelt thanking him for his hospitality and congratulating him on influencing politicians towards business and economic legislation. Shaffer supported Theodore Roosevelt’s Bull Moose party in 1912, a real boon to TR’s candidacy. In addition to his business holdings, Shaffer owned the Ken-Caryl Ranch near Denver, and TR was a guest at the ranch. The ranch exists today as a residential community.
When Shaffer tried to see Roosevelt and was denied access, TR sent him what amounted to a permanent pass for immediate admittance to see him. Autograph letter signed, on his Kansas City Star letterhead, to Shaffer. “I was greatly annoyed when I learned that you had not been immediately shown in to see me. I have asked that you sit by me at the Thursday lunch. If ever you wish to see me again, use the enclosed note.” That note, not included, read “Wherever I am, and however engaged, Mr. Shaffer is to be admitted to see me at once…” This letter remained in the Shaffer for generations before we acquired it.
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