PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT - DOCUMENT UNSIGNED WITH JOSEPH W. BAILEY, JOSEPH H. GAINES, GORDON J. RUSSELL, WILLIAM P. FRYE, JULIUS C. BURROWS - HFSID 285772

1904: THEODORE ROOSEVELT's ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE CERTIFICATION
Official Electoral College certification by the President of the Senate, William P. Frye, also signed by tellers of the US Senate and House of Representatives
Printed Declaration signed: "Wm. P. Frye/President pro tempore" of the U.S. Senate and "Julius C. Burrows" and "J.W. Bailey" as tellers on the part of the Senate and "Joseph H. Gaines" and "Gordon Russell" as tellers on the part of the House of Representatives, 1p, 11½x28, Washington, District of Columbia, not dated. Certificate of the Electoral College votes deciding Theodore Roosevelt as President and Charles W. Fairbanks as Vice President. According to the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: "The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President…and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;-The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted." The Vice President of the United States is the President of the Senate, but there was no Vice President. When President McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became President, creating a vacancy in the office. Republican WILLIAM P. FRYE, Senator of Maine (1881-1911), served as President Pro Tempore of the Senate from 1895-1911 and has signed this document beneath the following statement, in part: "This announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice-President of the United States each for the term beginning March fourth, nineteen hundred and five, and shall be entered, together with a list of the votes, on the Journals of the Senate and House of Representatives." In June, the Republicans had nominated Roosevelt for President and Indiana Senator Charles W. Fairbanks for Vice President. The Democrats could not find a nationally elected official to run against the very popular Theodore Roosevelt. They met in July and nominated a virtually unknown ticket: Chief Justice of the New York Court of Appeals Alton B. Parker to run for President and an 80-year-old retired U.S. Senator from West Virginia, Henry Gassaway Davis, to run for Vice President. With 667 votes needed, Parker was nominated on the first ballot with 679 votes. Publisher William Randolph Hearst ran a far second with 181. Ten others split the remaining 140 delegate votes. Politically, Parker differed little from his opponent. On this document, each state is listed with the electoral votes to be awarded to either presidential candidates THEODORE ROOSEVELT of NEW YORK or ALTON BROOKS PARKER of NEW YORK and either vice presidential candidates CHARLES WARREN FAIRBANKS of Indiana or HENRY GASSAWAY DAVIS of WEST VIRGINIA. Interestingly, the candidates' political parties are not listed. On November 8, 1904, Parker was soundly defeated, taking only 38 percent of the popular vote and winning 140 electoral votes to Roosevelt's 336. These totals are indicated at the bottom of the columns. There is a half inch tear on the left side margin. Some slight soiling at lower area of document, Otherwise, fine condition.