Description:

Theodore Roosevelt
Washington, D.C., February 13, 1908
Theodore Roosevelt TLS as Pres. Re: Army to Whom "we owe the fact that we have a Nation at all"
TLS
A typed letter signed by Theodore Roosevelt in which he lauds the service of veterans of the Union Army. 1p, measuring 7" x 9", Washington, D.C., dated February 13, 1908. On White House stationery, signed "Theodore Roosevelt" and addressed to George C. Ross. Roosevelt praises the veterans, stating "to them we owe the fact that we have a Nation at all." The letter has been tipped to another sheet. With a flattened mail fold. Light toning and soiling at the edges. Boldly signed.

Reading in full:
"I thank you for the kind invitation extended to me to attend the banquet in honor of the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, and regret that it will not be possible for me to accept. I wish all success to the Grand Army gathering. There is no other set of men to whom we owe as much as to those represented in this gathering; because it is to them we owe the fact that we have a Nation at all. Again extending to you my good wishes, believe me, Sincerely yours..."

The Grand Army of the Republic was formed in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, by Benjamin F. Stephenson. Made up of Union Civil War veterans, the "GAR" was one of the first advocacy groups, supporting such causes as veteran's pensions, black voting rights, and Republican political candidates. As the Republican commitment to Reconstruction ebbed in the 1870s, the organization weakened, but revived in the 1880s by renewing the call for adequate pensions. Although the organization was not the only post-Civil War veterans group, they quickly became the most visible and powerful. The political power of the GAR was substantial; it was nearly impossible to secure the Republican nomination without their support. The high water mark of the organization was in 1890, when they could boast 490,000 members. The GAR formally dissolved in 1956 upon the death of its last member, Albert Woolson. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a parallel organization formed in 1881, became the GAR's legal successor.

Colonel George C. Ross was a member of the Department of the Potomac, Burnside Post #8 chapter of the GAR. He was also the Chairman of the Grand Army of the Banquet Arrangements Committee, when he sent this letter to Roosevelt. The President's gracious response signifies both commitment to the memory of the veterans and the political reach of the GAR. Three months after this letter, Ross would recite the Gettysburg Address during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the 26th President, and a fervent nationalist, environmentalist, and reformer. He began his political career as a Republican state assemblyman, then president of the New York Police Board in 1895-1897, where he fought administrative corruption. Roosevelt organized and led a regiment, the Rough Riders, in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He used his newfound celebrity to win election as governor of New York (1898-1900), and was nominated as Vice President under William McKinley for the Election of 1900. In 1901, he became President upon McKinley's assassination, and was re-elected in his own right in 1904. He insisted on a strong navy, civil service reform, national conservation efforts, and federal regulation of trusts, monopolies, and meatpackers. Roosevelt declined to run again in 1908, instead throwing his support behind William Howard Taft. However, disappointed with his hand-picked successor, in 1912, Roosevelt decided to run against Taft as a third-party candidate against Taft. The split in the Republican Party, and a strong showing by Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs, propelled Democrat Woodrow Wilson into the White House. Though he was mentioned as a candidate in 1916, Roosevelt retired from politics, but was a strong advocate of entering World War I on the side of Britain and France.

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.

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  • Dimensions: 7" x 9"
  • Medium: TLS

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