Description:

Theodore Roosevelt
[New York, NY], June 21, 1910
Teddy Roosevelt TLS Declining Visit to Portsmouth, Where He Had Brokered Peace Treaty 5 Years Before
TLS
A 1p typed letter signed by former 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) as "Theodore Roosevelt" at bottom right. June 21, 1910. [New York, New York]. On watermarked stationery with "The Outlook / 287 Fourth Avenue / New York" letterhead, and typed in turquoise ink throughout. Expected wear including even toning, light horizontal paper fold, and some grubbiness to the edges including fingerprints. Else very good to near fine. 6.375" x 7.75".

Roosevelt regretfully declined the invitation of E. Percy Stoddard (born 1877), Councilman-at-Large of the City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to attend an upcoming event in the city. While the exact nature of the event is not known, we can speculate that it may have been the Sons and Daughters of Portsmouth Reunion (a tradition similar to Old Home Week) that was scheduled to take place on July 4, 1910. E. Percy Stoddard served as secretary of the reunion's organizing committee.

As he explains in this letter, Roosevelt's post-presidential schedule was punishing and only permitted him to attend fewer than 1% of proffered invitations! Events on the horizon included a visit to Harvard University, Roosevelt's alma mater, on June 29, 1910. Roosevelt had attended his eldest son Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.'s wedding in New York City the day before.

Roosevelt wrote in part:

"I wish I could accept, but it is a simple impossibility. You have no conception of the multitude of requests to speak and invitations to attend banquets and reunions which I have received. It is physically impossible for me to accept even one in a hundred. I am deeply touched by the courtesy shown to me in asking me to go to these banquets and make these speeches, but I could not possibly accept more than a relatively small portion unless I absolutely abandoned all thought of doing anything else of any kind or sort…"

Thus Roosevelt would not return to Portsmouth, site of the famous peace talks he negotiated during the late summer of 1905. The Portsmouth Peace Conference (also known as the Treaty of Portsmouth) effected a peace settlement between representatives from Russia and Japan, hitherto engaged in a bloody territorial dispute known as the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). Roosevelt was awarded the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize for the role he played in ably brokering the peace.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 6.375" x 7.75"
  • Medium: TLS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

April 10, 2024 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000