PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT - NAVAL APPOINTMENT SIGNED 01/02/1907 CO-SIGNED BY: VICTOR H. METCALF - HFSID 5185

THEODORE ROOSEVELT, CO-SIGNED BY: VICTOR METCALF
Appointment of the US Navy's Assistant Paymaster, also signed by Navy Secretary Metcalf
Naval Appointment signed: "Theodore Roosevelt" as President and "V.H. Metcalf" as Secretary of the Navy, 1p, 14¾x18. On vellum. Washington, 1907 January 2. In part: "Know Ye, That reposing special Trust and Confidence in the Patriotism, Valour, Fidelity, and Abilities of Neal B. Sarisell I have nominated, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate do appoint him an Assistant Paymaster in the Navy with the rank of Lieutenant junior grade, from the 30th day of July, 1906, in the service of the United States...." ROOSEVELT (1858-1919) is one of America's most well-known and flamboyant presidents. Roosevelt's heroism in the Spanish-American War, where he earned the Medal of Honor for leading his volunteer "Rough Riders" in a charge up San Juan Hill (1898), helped him win the governorship of New York the next year. Elected Vice President in 1900, Roosevelt assumed the presidency upon President William McKinley's assassination (1901), becoming America's youngest president. He was re-elected in 1904. Roosevelt was the first American to win a Nobel Prize for Peace, receiving the 1906 award for mediating the end of the Russo-Japanese War. Known for his "Speak softly and carry a big stick" foreign policy, Roosevelt settled the Canadian-Alaskan boundary dispute in 1903 and initiated construction of the Panama Canal in 1904. He converted more than 125 million acres of land into national forests and was a staunch advocate of antitrust legislation. After failing to secure the Republican nomination, he run as the Progressive ("Bull Moose") candidate in the famous presidential contest of 1912. He lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson but securing more votes than incumbent William Howard Taft, becoming the most successful third-party candidate in recent United States history as of this biography. METCALF (1853-1936) was Secretary of Commerce and Labor (1904-1906) and Secretary of the Navy (1906-1908) under Roosevelt. A former attorney, Metcalf had represented California in the U.S. House of Representatives (1899-1904), where he served on the House Committee on Naval Affairs and advocated the building of a large battleship navy. During his tenure as Roosevelt's Secretary of the Navy, "The Great White Fleet" was launched. On December 16, 1907, President Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet of 16 battleships on a cruise around the world, returning home on February 22, 1909. Its presence sent a message to the world, especially to Japan, that the United States was an important international power. Fine 2¼-inch seal. 5 nailhead-size holes and 4 pinhead-size holes at lower blank right corner. 4 letters of "Theodore" show some skipping of ink in forming them. Rippled.