Roosevelt Assassination Attempt Speech Sheet Sold for $150,000
A recently uncovered page from the speech that took a bullet during Theodore Roosevelt's assassination attempt in 1912 has been sold by the Raab Collection for $150,000. On October 14, 1912, while in Milwaukee, Roosevelt was shot by John Schrank. The bullet was stopped by a 50-page manuscript and an eyeglasses case in his pocket, leading to a broken rib but avoiding damage to vital organs. Remarkably, Roosevelt spoke for about an hour before getting medical help, with the bullet remaining inside him for life. The Raab Collection also sold an annotated version of the speech for $115,000. This specific page, labeled "1," includes Roosevelt's note stating it was one of the sheets the bullet passed through. It was originally kept by a family friend for 75 years. A similar page is in the Smithsonian, and Roosevelt's bloodstained shirt is displayed at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Museum in NYC.
Key facts
- The assassination attempt occurred on October 14, 1912, in Milwaukee.
- John Schrank shot Roosevelt with a Colt revolver.
- The bullet was slowed by a 50-page manuscript and eyeglasses case in Roosevelt's vest pocket.
- Roosevelt delivered his speech for about an hour before going to the hospital.
- The bullet remained in Roosevelt's body for the rest of his life.
- A previously unknown page from the speech was sold by the Raab Collection for $150,000.
- An annotated copy of the speech typed by stenographer Elbert Martin was sold for $115,000.
- The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History acquired a similar page in 1974.
Entities
Artists
- Theodore Roosevelt
- John Schrank
- William Howard Taft
- Woodrow Wilson
- Edmund Morris
- Nathan Raab
- Elbert Martin
- Henry F. Cochems
Institutions
- Raab Collection
- Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
- Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace Museum
- Hotel Gilpatrick
- Bull Moose Party
Locations
- Milwaukee
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- United States