Teddy Roosevelt

Theodore was born on October 27th, 1858 in New York. He was the second of four brother and sisters nicknamed "Teedie" as a child. Furthermore young Roosevelt suffered from ill health through much of his youth. Theodore was a nearsighted, asthmatic, frail child. TR was privately tutored because of his health. In his spare time he would read books. His first love was natural history. Being the son of a wealthy banker, Teedie had very good education. Because of frequent asthma attacks, he loved the outdoors and fresh air. His father had high expectations and helped TR in everything he could possible. TR fought his health and in the end he became a model for generations of young people. He frequently boxed, wrestled, rode horses, hunted, and did swimming activities.

Immediately after finishing school he went to Harvard University at the age of eighteen. Teddy originally wanted to major in science, TR turned to history and literature. He went to Harvard from 1876 to 1880. During college TR fell in love in love with Alice Hathaway Lee. They married in 1878.They moved to New York City were Teddy started The Columbia Law School, but he hated schooling and accounting. He worked industriously on his book, The Naval War of 1812. He published it in 1882. In 1881 he easily won his election in the state assembly in Albany, New York, as a member of the Republican Party. squeaky voice, Roosevelt immediately made his mark. Roosevelt became the leader of the Republican minority but earned the ill will of powerful members of his party.

Roosevelt suffered a double shock on Valentines Day of the year 1884, with the death of his mother and his wife. Although he was deeply grieved with their deaths, he continued to work and put his daughter in the care of his sister, Anna Roosevelt. She took care of Alice while Roosevelt was off in the West. He started the Elkhorn Ranch on the Little Missouri River, in Dakota Territory. The next several years he lived the life of a cowboy. During this time he wrote Hunting Trips of a Ranch Man (1885) and Thomas Hart Benton (1886). Because he was mistrusted by liberals and party leaders at the time, he remained unsure about his political career.

He wrote Essays on Practical Politics in 1888. Then later he wrote his popular series, The Winning of the West, from 1889 to 1896. In 1888 Roosevelt was active in the Presidential campaign with Benjamin Harrison who defeated Grover Cleveland. He gave out government jobs based on people's patronage to the Republican Party. As a reward, Harrison appointed TR U.S. Civil Service commissioner in 1889. As his fame spread, he too rose in authority. In 1895 when Roosevelt returned to New York City he became the President of the city police board. In time he didn't want to be a crime fighter and longed for military adventure.

He wanted to be involved in national affairs. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1898. He played a big part in the Spanish-American War. Eager for combat and tired of administrative affairs he commanded the volunteered regiment named the Rough Riders. By that time he was a Captain after three years in the Army National Guard. Under Teddy's command, the Rough Riders performed brilliantly under difficult conditions. He assumed the rank of Colonel and took command of the regiment soon after.

Soon after his return, he accepted an invitation from Republican Leader, U.S. Senator Thomas C Platt, to run for governor. He won by a small majority and served from 1899-1901. He became universally known as "Teddy", a name he hated, but endured for public purposes. Soon Senator Platt was tired of TR's energy and feared his independence. He was nominated in 1900 to be McKinley's running mate and he devoted his great energy to winning the presidential race. McKinley's victory was a triumph until September 6, 1901 when President McKinley was shot. McKinley died eight days later and Teddy assumed Presidency at the age of 42. He was the youngest President ever in U.S. history. He was the 26th president. He greatly enjoyed being President. His motto was "Speak softly and carry a big stick" in international affairs. He believed the U.S. was an example to the rest of the World. He adopted a moral approach to many problems. Roosevelt even started the Panama Canal project. He foresaw the passage of the pure food and drugs act during his second term. During his Presidency he set aside 150 million acres in land to conservation. In 1907 he ordered that a world tour be done by the Great White Fleet to display military power and to impress the Japanese.
When TR left the white house in 1909 he went on a safari in Africa to collect animals for the Smithsonian Museum. He wrote African Game Trails in 1910. When he returned to the U.S. he had a huge welcome, but Taft filed a law suit against TR. He was enraged and stated "My hat is in the ring," right before starting to campaign once again for president. While campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin he was shot in his right lung in an attempted assassin. Although he was shot he still gave his speech.

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