Teddy Roosevelt and the Marquette Libel Trial
On the same day Theodore Roosevelt narrowly survived an assassination attempt, his press secretary handed him a newspaper editorial from the Iron Ore, a small town daily located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Its publisher, George Newett, had printed "...Roosevelt lies and curses in a most disgusting way; he gets drunk, too, and that not infrequently, and all his intimates know about it."
Tired of having his boisterous personality equated with intoxication, Roosevelt angrily shouted, “Let’s go at him!” and the paper was formally charged with a suit of libel. As the case convened, a cadre of admirals, statesmen and fellow explorers descended on Marquette to testify to T.R.’s unimpeachable personal character in the biggest libel trial of the early Twentieth Century. Includes never before seen photos of Roosevelt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
About Mikel B Classen (Traverse City, Michigan Author)
Mikel B. Classen has been writing about northern Michigan in newspapers and magazines for over thirty-five years, creating feature articles about the life and culture of Michigan’s north country. He’s written about Upper Peninsula history, travel, outdoors, the environment and many other subjects. A journalist, historian, photographer and author with a fascination of the world around him, he enjoys researching and writing about lost stories from the past.
Classen makes his home in the oldest city in Michigan, historic Sault Ste. Marie. He is also a collector of out-of-print history books, historical photographs and prints of Upper Michigan. At Northern Michigan University, he studied English, history, journalism and photography. He lives with his wife, Mary L. Underwood, and his Labrador retriever, Grand Sable Dune.
His book, Au Sable Point Lighthouse, Beacon on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast; was published in 2014 and his book, Teddy Roosevelt and the Marquette Libel Trial; was published in 2015. Both by the History Press. He has two books of fiction called Lake Superior Tales and Journeys into the Macabre, both published by NetBound Books.
To learn more about Mikel B. Classen and to see more of his work, check out his website at www.mikelclassen.com.