A Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, Authorized by the State of New York Legislature, 1919

State of New York. A Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. Authorized by the Legislature, February Twenty-first, Nineteen Hundred Nineteen. Albany: J. B Lyon Company, Printers, 1919. Octavo. Original dark gray cloth boards, gilt embossed titles to the front cover and spine. Frontispiece portrait of Theodore Roosevelt. New archival cloth slipcase. 

Presented is A Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt, a commemorative volume authorized by the New York State Legislature on February 21, 1919, and published by the J.B. Lyon Company of Albany, New York. Issued in the months following Roosevelt’s death on January 6, 1919, this memorial volume preserves the tributes and proceedings held in honor of Theodore Roosevelt. It is presented in the original dark gray cloth boards with gilt embossed titles to the front cover and spine and includes a tissue-guarded photographic frontispiece portrait of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Memorial was created during a period of national mourning and reflection following Roosevelt’s passing. A lifelong New Yorker, Roosevelt remained closely tied to the state that shaped his early life, political career, and public identity. In response to his death, the New York State Legislature authorized a formal memorial to honor his contributions as governor of New York, Vice President, and twenty-sixth President of the United States. The resulting publication records the proceedings of the state’s memorial observances, including the resolutions adopted by the Legislature and the proclamation issued by Governor Alfred E. Smith, who recognized Roosevelt as “a leading figure in all things which had to do with the welfare of the nation.” The volume provides a contemporary record of how Roosevelt’s legacy was understood by his home state in the immediate aftermath of his death.

The Appendix contains the complete transcription of the memorial address delivered by Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge before the United States Congress on February 9, 1919. Lodge, Roosevelt’s close friend and political ally, offered a deeply personal tribute that reflected on Roosevelt’s extraordinary public career and his role in shaping American politics. He opened with the disclaimer that “[we] can not approach Theodore Roosevelt along the beaten path of eulogy, or satisfy ourselves with the empty civilities of commonplace funeral tributes, for he did not make his life journey over main-traveled roads, nor was he ever commonplace.” In his address, Lodge recalled Roosevelt’s service as a reformer, his leadership during the Spanish-American War, his presidency, and his commitment to civic responsibility.

CONDITION: 

Very good+ condition. Octavo. Original dark gray cloth boards, gilt embossed titles to the front cover and spine. Gilt is bright. Bumping to the spine and corners. Spine sunned. Interior pages healthy with light even toning. Frontispiece portrait of Theodore Roosevelt. Small presentation stamp from Assembly member James J. Mullen on front free endpaper and title page, stamped in blue ink. New archival cloth slipcase with inlay. 

Book dimensions: 10 1/4" H x 7 3/8" W x 5/8" D.
Slipcase dimensions: 10 5/8" H x 7 1/2" W x 1 1/8" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.