Letter to President Roosevelt from J.C. Rose regarding African American voters, 1908 June 1

The papers in the Rose family collection span from 1877 to 1918. The materials consist of mostly letters and diaries, with a few invitations, a speech, a Confederate note, and a telegram. They have been arranged into two series: the papers of Douglas Hall Rose, and the papers of John Carter Rose.

The materials of Douglas Hall Rose are mostly travel diaries. The earliest journal is dated 1884 and describes trips to Salem, Massachusetts; Hagerstown, Maryland; Niagara Falls, and Coney Island, New York. Then there is a Punch’s Pocket Book from 1887, mostly describing the day’s weather and events. This particular journal appears not to have been written by D.H. Rose himself. Other travel journals document visits to Chicago and Annapolis. There are five diaries written in 1909 describing a trip to Europe. An important piece of the collection is Douglas Hall Rose’s journal of 1904 detailing the events of the Great Fire in Baltimore. Other items in the collection are a Confederate notepaper, and a letter from a Mr. and Mrs. Marquis to Douglas Hall Rose.

The bulk of the Judge John Carter Rose series consists of correspondence between Rose and President Theodore Roosevelt, which spans fourteen years—from 1904 to 1918. The letters differ greatly in their content, many of them discussing other members in the legal field, such as Judge Thomas J. Morris, and the African American lawyer Harry Cummings. Other letters discuss the need for reform, legal cases, the reappointment of Judge Rose, the economy, public policy, proposed Acts and taxes, the Sherman Anti-trust Law, and political matters in general. A few of the letters in the later years briefly mention World War I, but mostly the discussion remains on local affairs. One notable letter written by President Roosevelt in 1906 states, “Of course I was proud of the election of the Republican Congress. I do wish, however, that the same men who get elected on the issue of standing by me would not at once turn and try to thwart me.”

The correspondence between the President and Judge Rose illustrates their solid friendship; one is often praising the other, and there are many invitations to have lunch together, or for Judge Rose and his family to visit Mr. Roosevelt in his New York home after his term as President had ended. The last letter from Roosevelt is dated November 26, 1918, just a few months before he died.