Letters Sent, 1888-1919

Much of Theodore Roosevelt’s outgoing correspondence during the post-presidential period was reproduced using carbon paper to produce carbon copies for his own records. These pages were bound into volumes reflecting the chronological arrangement of the contents, which are contained in Subseries 3A of the Roosevelt Papers. In many cases, carbon “bleed through” on a copy created a shadow of reversed text on the facing page in a volume, and the shadow text does not need to be transcribed. A smaller group of letters in Subseries 3B originated as carbon copies, loose letters, press copies, or file drafts of correspondence.

The subjects contained in the letters in Series 3 ranged from short replies on routine matters to extensive observations about issues of national or personal interest. The 1912 presidential election (in which Roosevelt ran as the Progressive or “Bull Moose” Party candidate) and World War I are significant subjects in Roosevelt’s correspondence. The letters Roosevelt sent often responded directly to incoming communications received from friends, colleagues, and the general public, many of which may be found in Series 1 of the Theodore Roosevelt Papers.