This Week at the MHS

“Dear Cabot:

Tell the President for Heavens sake to send us every regiment and above all every battery possible.... For three days I have been at the extreme front of the firing line; how I have escaped I know not; I have not blanket or coat; & have not taken off my shoes even; I sleep in the drenching rain, & drink putrid water. Best love to Nannie.

Yours ever TR

For God’s sake have heavy reinforcements

sent us instantly.”

—Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Henry Cabot Lodge, 3 July 1898

The Friendship between Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt

These two photographs depict Henry Cabot Lodge (1850–1924) in 1910, (left), and Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) in 1908, (right). The two politicians first met in 1884 at Harvard University’s Porcellian Club. Republican Party politics brought these young firebrands together over whether or not to support the tainted presidential candidacy of James G. Blaine, who was anathema to their fellow political reformers.

With the election of Republican William McKinley to the presidency in 1896, Lodge worked behind the scenes to secure a position in the new government for his protégé Roosevelt. Roosevelt then became president in 1901. The two men remained friends until Roosevelt’s death in 1912. However, their friendship would be severely tried when Roosevelt left the GOP to run for president as the Progressive “Bull Moose” candidate in 1912.

View the portrait photograph of Henry Cabot Lodge up close here. View the portrait photograph of Theodore Roosevelt up close here.

MHS News

Making History Gala 2024—Tickets Are Available

Our website recently encountered an error that may have led you to believe that the Making History Gala is sold out. Ticket sales are going well, but there are still plenty of seats available. Join us on Thursday, 6 June 2024, at the iconic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, for an unforgettable evening with featured speaker Doris Kearns Goodwin. Purchase your tickets today!

Upcoming Events

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 23 January | 5:00 PM

Prostitutes in Private: Sexual & Consumer Culture in Early 20th-Century New York Tenements

Deena Ecker, CUNY Graduate Center, with comment by Kathy Peiss, University of Pennsylvania.

AUTHOR TALK

Wednesday, 24 January | 6:00 PM

A History of Boston

Daniel Dain

In-person registration has sold out.

SEMINAR

Tuesday, 30 January | 5:00 PM

Deported Americans: US Citizens & the Expanding Global Deportation Regime during the Interwar Era

Emily Pope-Obeda, Lehigh University, with comment by Kunal Parker, University of Miami School of Law

Tuesday, 6 February, 5:00 PM: The Social World of Revolutionary New England with Nicole Breault, University of Texas, El Paso, and Christopher Walton, Southern Methodist University, with comment by Mark Peterson, Yale University. This is a seminar.

Thursday, 8 February, 5:00 PM: “A New Witch Hunt in Salem”: The Rise & Fall of Low-Cost Birth Control Clinics during the Great Depression with Jeanna Kinnebrew, Boston University, with comment by Lauren MacIvor Thompson, Kennesaw State University. This is a seminar.

Tuesday, 13 February, 5:00 PM: Farm, Factory & Mine: Worcester Coal & the Role of Extractive Industries in Early 19th-Century New England with Katheryn Viens, Independent Scholar, with comment by Brian C. Black, Pennsylvania State University. This is a seminar.

Thursday, 15 February, 6:00 PM: First Family: George Washington’s Heirs & the Making of America with Cassandra Good, Marymount University, in conversation with Sara Georgini, MHS.

See full calendar.

Looking for More?

Registration and Events

Visit www.masshist.org/events for more information and to register.

Interested in Past Programs?

If you missed a program or would like to revisit the material presented, please visit www.masshist.org/video.

Exhibition and Library Hours

Now Open! “The Dye is cast”: Interests & Ideals That Motivated the Boston Tea Party. The exhibition is open through 29 February 2024. Learn more about the exhibition and explore items from our collection related to the Tea Party.

Our galleries and library are open Monday and Wednesday through Friday, from 9:30 AM to 4:45 PM, Tuesday from 9:30 AM to 7:45 PM, and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (the galleries and library open at 12:00 PM the second Tuesday of the month). Please note that the last admission is 45 minutes prior to closing.

Please check our hours and admissions for hours, building closings, and other events.

An advance appointment is strongly encouraged. Please log in to your Portal1791 account to select your preferred visit dates.

Set up an appointment via Zoom or live chat with a member of our reference staff.

Learn more at www.masshist.org/library.

2024 Making History Gala

Join us for an unforgettable evening on 6 June 2024, with featured speaker Doris Kearns Goodwin at the iconic Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Visit www.masshist.org/gala to purchase tickets.

The MHS Fund and Membership

Our Members make it possible for us to offer an array of complimentary services including admission to our exhibition galleries and library, online access to our collections and digital editions, and onsite and remote reference services for all. Membership begins with a fully tax-deductible contribution of $250 or more to the MHS Fund. All Members enjoy a full year of social, cultural, and educational experiences, including invitations to our annual Holiday Party, FREE program registration, and Member Week perks. Learn more and join today!

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