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August 03, 2024
Teddy Roosevelt and Indiana connections
He visited Indiana 10 times, trips that included riveting and colorful episodes that made national news.
In 1902 as the sitting U.S. president, Teddy Roosevelt had emergency surgery in Indianapolis at what was then St. Vincent Infirmary. A debate ensued about whether a general aesthetic should be used on the Republican president, a particular concern because the nation had no vice president then.
Two years later, he was elected along with a vice president from Indianapolis, Charles Fairbanks, with whom Roosevelt had a chilly relationship. It was not helped by a "cocktail controversy" in 1907, when Manhattans were served at Fairbanks' mansion during a luncheon attended by both men.
Although Fairbanks was unlike Roosevelt in both politics and personality, another Indiana public figure, U.S. Sen. Albert Beveridge, was regarded as extremely influential on the charismatic man whose nicknames included "T.R." and "Tough Teddy". Beveridge, an imperialist, joined Roosevelt when he formed a third party, the Bull Moose Party; Teddy was an unsuccessful presidential candidate on that short-lived party's ticket in 1912.
Another connection between Indiana and Roosevelt: Some Hoosiers were members of the flamboyant Rough Riders, the U.S. cavalry regiment during the Spanish-American War associated with "Tough Teddy".
Our show focusing on these and other aspects of Teddy Roosevelt (1858-1919) comes prior to a national gathering in Indianapolis of the Theodore Roosevelt Association, a New York-based organization formed to perpetuate his ideals and aspirations. Many events during the Oct. 17-20 meeting are open to the public. For our show, Nelson's guests will be:
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Fritz Gordner, the founder of the Indiana chapter of the Theodore Roosevelt Association and its past president. An Indianapolis resident, Fritz works in the life insurance industry; a mountain climber, he says his TR enthusiasm was inspired during a trip to the Tetons that resulted in an appreciation for his conservation efforts.
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And Michael Cullinane, an acclaimed public historian for the Theodore Roosevelt Association, which is based in Oyster Bay, N.Y., where "TR" lived. Mike also is the chair of the Theodore Roosevelt studies at Dickinson State University.
During our show, Mike will share insights about Sen. Beveridge (1862-1927) and TR related to issues ranging from child labor laws and food and drug legislation to imperialism. Beveridge generally was considered a progressive, like Roosevelt.
In contrast, Fairbanks (1852-1918), was conservative, a former railroad attorney and, according to the Vice Presidents: A Biographical Dictionary (which features a chapter about Fairbanks written by Ray Boomhower of the Indiana Historical Society), he was put on the 1904 presidential ticket for balance.
A teetotaler known as "Buttermilk Charlie", Fairbanks was derided as "Cocktail Charlie" after the 1907 scandal, which happened during an era when many Americans were favoring the eventual enactment of Prohibition. Manhattan cocktails were served at the luncheon in Fairbanks' mansion attended by Roosevelt. Ironically, as we explored during a show in 2014 about presidential visits to Indiana, historians think neither of the two men consumed a cocktail themselves.
There was no vice president in 1902 when Roosevelt visited Indianapolis because he had assumed the presidency the previous year after the assassination of President William McKinley. Before embarking on a train trip to Indiana that included stops at depots in Logansport, Tipton and Noblesville, Roosevelt had been in a carriage in Massachusetts that was struck by a speeding streetcar.
He suffered a severe wound in his leg, which worsened during his visit to Indiana. Fearing that an abscess would become infected and result in blood poisoning, physicians in Indianapolis prevailed on the president to endure emergency surgery, an episode explored during a Hoosier History Live show in 2021 about the 25th Amendment and its Indiana connections. Former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh from Indiana was the author of the 25th Amendment, which wasn't ratified until 1967 and clarified presidential succession.
History fact: The Congressional Medal of Honor Memorial in Indianapolis lists both TR (for his service with the Rough Riders) and one of his sons, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who served in both World Wars I and II.
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