Soon-to-be Vice President Theodore Roosevelt Will Not Abide by the Restrictions of His New Office For Long

He chafes under the unwritten restrictions: “I now find, however, that I am expected not to recommend anyone for appointments, not to make any political speeches…and to make very few speeches indeed that are even non-political; as well as to write no articles!”

With the 1900 election approaching, many reform-minded Republicans relished the idea that New York governor Theodore Roosevelt should be the party’s vice presidential nominee. While flattered by all the support for his candidacy, Roosevelt did not relish the idea of being vice president. He worried that as vice president he "could not do anything." For a man who thrived on the "strenuous life," it was an unpleasant prospect indeed. He would have few responsibilities in the office, and needing to follow the President’s lead, it would restrict his ability to speak out on issues that greatly concerned him. He worried that "if I did anything I would attract suspicion and antagonism." He considered the potential for a vice president to be active in formulating policy to be "infinitesimal." As governor of New York, at least, he was actively doing the work that so stimulated him; as vice president that would not be possible.

Presiding over the Senate did not appeal to him either. The job would undoubtedly be a "bore" and might, in fact, prove quite maddening. As he wrote to Lodge, "I would be seeing continually things that I would like to do, and very possibly would like to do differently from the way in which they are being done." The vice president had little, if any, real authority in the Senate, and Roosevelt was adamant that he would "not like to be a figurehead."

There were also financial reasons for Roosevelt's reluctance to run. He was, by his own standards, a man of "very moderate means." The vice president was expected to carry on an active social life in Washington, which required "the expenditure of a good deal of money for entertaining and the like." The more Roosevelt thought about it, the less appealing the vice presidency became. He continually expressed this opinion to anyone who asked, finally stating, "I would a great deal rather be anything, say professor of history, than Vice-President."

New York boss Senator Tom Platt was looking for a way to get Governor Roosevelt out of Albany. The corporations and large financial interests of the state were increasingly disturbed by the governor's positions, especially his support of the franchise tax on corporations, and were anxious to return to business as usual. They placed growing pressure on Platt to do something about his governor. While reluctant to resort to a potentially disastrous fight against Roosevelt's renomination for governor, the boss saw an opportunity in all the talk about the vice-presidency. If he could push Roosevelt into that position devoid of power, he would get the young reformer out of the way, appease his financial supporters, and be free to select a more pliable governor as Roosevelt's replacement. It seemed the perfect solution.

In February 1900 Roosevelt therefore attempted to remove himself from the vice-presidential race, telling the New York Tribune that "under no circumstances could I, or would I, accept the nomination for the vice presidency." The boom for his nomination, however, continued, with friends and foes alike fanning the flames. Meanwhile, in Washington, President McKinley remained silent on the issue. The president had never been greatly impressed by Governor Roosevelt for reasons of both personality and policy. Yet he gave no indication of preference in the selection of his new running mate. Most Republican leaders believed Roosevelt would bring a new kind of glamor and excitement to their ticket. The governor was a recent war hero, whose record in office had been very popular. By the time the Republican National Convention opened in June in Philadelphia, it had become obvious that Roosevelt was the favorite to receive the vice-presidential nomination. While he continued to protest that he would rather be governor of New York, at the convention his magnetic presence fired the enthusiasm of his partisans to a fever pitch. When western states joined the call, his nomination was sealed. McKinley kingmaker Mark Hanna was in the minority and could only protest, "Don't you realize that there's only one life between this madman and the White House?"

The ticket of McKinley and Roosevelt was elected on November 6, 1900, and TR was soon being schooled about the office he would hold as of March 4, 1901. While he was well aware going in that he would have no real power, he was apparently unaware of the strict, unwritten conventions that placed limitations on a vice president’s activities, particularly in regards to making speeches and writing articles. These were two activities in which TR very actively engaged, and he was none to pleased to discover that he simply could not consider doing the things he wanted. In this letter, Roosevelt tells his friend (and soon-to-be-governor of Massachusetts) Colonel Curtis Guild, Jr., about these limitations, and shows his independence by making it clear that once he understood the scope of the limitations, he would proceed to circumvent some of them.

Typed Letter Signed, as Vice President-Elect, with a few holograph corrections, Oyster Bay, January 4, 1901, to Guild, about the unexpected restrictions, his present caution so as to avoid an embarrassing blunder on the doorstep of office, and his plan to strike out making his own rules once he knew the lay of the land. “I am exceedingly sorry to have to write you what I must, but I find that it is against all the conventions for a Vice President to make a political speech, or a speech at a purely political club, so I shall not be able to speak at the Home Market Club. I had made several such engagements and have cancelled them all. I was utterly unaware of the existence of these conventions, being too busy with closing up my governorship that I did not think of the vice presidency at all. I now find, however, that I am expected not to recommend anyone for appointments, not to make any political speeches, or speeches to the political clubs, and to make very few speeches indeed that are even non-political; as well as to write no articles! I am not well contented with these conventions, and I think I shall depart from them somewhat, but not until I get on the ground and learn thoroughly what I can and what I cannot do. I am exceedingly sorry, old fellow, but I do not want to begin by any possible blunder or by doing anything which can give aid and comfort to my enemies. I do wish you could be in Washington about the Inauguration.”

TR was a man who made his own rules, but it is rare to see him put that in writing.