Scope and Content Note
The papers of Rudolph Forster (1872-1943) span the period 1898-1943, with the bulk of the material dating from the presidential administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, 1901-1908; Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921; and Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1934-1943. The papers include presidential files, correspondence, clippings, invitations, and memorabilia.
Among the presidential files are handwritten notes, signed proclamations, drafts of speeches and telegraphic correspondence of presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The correspondence includes official exchanges with political notables including cabinet officials such as Cordell Hull and Dwight Davis. Also included are letters, cards and notes written to Forster by his family and many friends upon the occasion of his wife’s death, 1939, and his illness during October-November 1941 and letters and cards written to Forster’s son, Warren R. Forster, upon his father’s death. Among the invitations are a large number to functions at the White House.
The clippings document Forster’s tenure as a public servant. They also contain the public announcement of his honorary doctorate from Reed College and President Franklin Roosevelt’s decision to extend Forster’s service past the mandatory retirement age. The memorabilia file contains passports and other official documents related to Forster’s travel or the overseas travel of the presidents he served.