My Brother, Theodore RooseveltRobinson, Corinne Roosevelt
History
My Brother, Theodore Roosevelt
Robinson, Corinne Roosevelt
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
When we parted in Philadelphia, I to return to my home in Orange
and he to go on to meet this vital moment of his career, I remember
feeling a poignant anxiety about the result of the election, and it
can well be understood the joy I felt that evening when the returns
proved him overwhelmingly successful at the polls. Late at night, we
received a telegram from the White House directed to Mr. and Mrs.
Douglas Robinson in answer to our wire sent earlier in the evening. It
ran as follows: “Was glad to hear from you. Only wish you were with us
this evening.” The next morning I received a letter, only a few lines
but infinitely characteristic. They were penned by my brother upon
his arrival at the White House after we had parted in Philadelphia,
some hours before he knew anything of the election returns. In this
letter he describes his sudden reaction from the condition of nervous
excitement from which he had suffered during the day. He says: “As I
mounted the White House steps, Edith came to meet me at the door, and
I suddenly realized that, after all, no matter what the outcome of the
election should prove to be; my _happiness_ was assured, even though my
ambition to have the seal of approval put upon my administration might
not be gratified,--for my life with Edith and my children constitutes
my _happiness_.” This little note posted to me on the eve of his great
victory showed clearly his sense of proportion and his conception of
true values.
On November 11, 1904, he writes again: “Darling Corinne: I received
your letter. I have literally but one moment in which to respond, for I
am swamped with letters and telegrams. We have received between eight
and ten thousand. I look forward with keen eagerness to seeing you and
Douglas.”
And so the crucial moment was over, and by a greater majority than had
ever before been known in this country, the man of destiny had come
into his own, and Theodore Roosevelt, acclaimed by all the people whom
he had served so faithfully, was, in his own right and through no sad
misfortune, President of the United States of America.
Almost immediately after the excitement of the election, namely, on
November 12, 1904, my brother writes to my husband: “If you and Corinne
could come on with us to the St. Louis Fair, it would be the greatest
possible delight. Now, for Heaven’s sake, don’t let anything interfere
with both of your coming.”
Needless to say, we accepted the invitation joyfully, and the trip to
the St. Louis Fair was one of our most unique experiences. Coming as
it did almost immediately after the great victory of his overwhelming
election, wherever the train stopped he received a tremendous ovation,
and my memory of him during the transit is equally one of cheering
groups and swarming delegations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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