Roosevelt's 1884 Diary

Library of Congress · Theodore Roosevelt Papers

A year in Roosevelt's pocket

This small leather pocket diary carried Theodore Roosevelt through 1884. In February he marked one page with an X. By summer he was riding the Badlands. Turn its pages, read every entry, and see what he left blank.

Drag a page corner, swipe, or use the arrows to turn pages.

Every page with writing

About the diary

An “Excelsior Diary” for 1884, with one printed page for each day of the year and account pages at the back. Roosevelt wrote on about fifty of its 400-plus pages. Most of the other days are blank.

Reading the transcription

word^? uncertain reading
[illegible] can't be read
~~word~~ struck through by Roosevelt
word added above the line

Roosevelt's spelling and punctuation are kept exactly as written. Printed headings, later archive markings and the condition of the page are listed separately from his handwriting.

Front cover of the diary, black leather with a tab closure — Front cover

The diary's binding opened flat, showing the inside of the leather wallet flap — The wallet binding, opened

Images and the original diary: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Theodore Roosevelt Papers (mss38299, Series 8, Vol. 7).