Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt the 26th president of the United States, was born
at 33 East 20th Street in New York on October 27, 1858.His father was a man of
some wealth and importance in civic affairs. A prosperous family like the
Roosevelts had a better than most people in that era. At eight years of age he
was sickly and delicate and then his interest in natural-history started at this
early age. Through sports and outdoor living, he became rugged and a love of the
strenuous life that he never lost. T Through private tutoring and travel he
became a very smart boy.
In 1876 Theodore entered Harvard college. At Harvard every ha to dress,
walk, and have good manners, but Thoedore did do these things. Most
students thought him odd. Later years at Harvard were better than the
earlier years. He was a member to: Porcelain Club, Institute of 1770, Hasty
Pudding Club , Alpha Delta Phi , O.K. Club , Natural History Society , The
Harvard Advocate (editor) , Glee Club , and in the Class Committee. After he
graduating from Harvard in 1880 , he married Alice Hathaway Lee of Boston. In
the same year he entered Columbia University Law School. But historical writing
and politics lured him away from a legal career.
His yearning for public acknowledge plus the corrupt state of New York
led him to join a local Republican Reform Club. In 1881 he was elected to
New York assembly where he set out to stop the corruption in both party
machines. In 1884 the death of his wife and a defeat in his political career
made him retreat to the Dakota Territory. In 1886 he came back to New York.
He ran for mayor when he came back.He was third. For the next three years
he stayed out of public affairs, and attending to his personal affairs . In
those three years he married Edith Kermit Carow and built a home near Oyster
Bay, Long Island. He had been appointed to the U.S. Civil Service by
President Harrison . His defeats in his political career helped him get
this job. A position he held from 1889 to 1895.In 1895 he accepted the
presidency of the Board of Police Commissioners in New York City. In this
position he called for war with Spain , and occasionally embarrassed his
superiors.At the start of the Spanish-American war he readily resigned to
join his friend Leonard Wood in organizing the first volunteer Calvary, but
widely know as the"Rough Riders" . Later he became the leader of the Rough
Riders and led charge up Kettle Hill during the battle of San Juan Hill.
His success in the Spanish-American war and the stories in the newspaper
he became sort of a national hero . In 1898 , when he came back , he was
nominated for governor two weeks after he came back. He won the election and
he fulfilled all of his campaign promises .
In 1900 he was nominated for vice-president he accepted it in part
that he was not sure he would be elected again for governor of New
York state . He was bored of the vice-presidency and talked about leaving
and going back to law. He became the 26th president of the Untied States
when president McKinley was shot by a former campaign worker. At first
he said there would be no change in McKinley's polices , but then it
was apparent there would be. He was worried about the trusts. He went on
a anti-trust campaign and he brought back the Anti-trust Act that had
been almost been dead for twelve years. He attacked the heart of these
be bringing down the Northern Securities Company in 1904. Helping Panama win
there independence from Columbia was a good move for him. They let the U.S.
lease the land for the canal. He was the first president to travel off of U.S.
soil when he went to oversee the construction of the canal. ne other thing he
did while president was to expand the Monroe Doctrine to the Roosevelt Corollary.
This law said that we could intervene in any Latin American law He did so that
if any of those countries posed a threat we could just invade them and do what
we wanted to the government. In 1902 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing
the Russians and the Japanese to the Portsmouth Conference. In 1909 after he
secured Taft's nomination he left the office.
After he left the office he traveled all over the world. He took a
ten month hunting trip to North Africa,and made a grand tour of Europe visiting
all of the Royal people. After hearing from of his friends he decided
to come back to America and go back into politics. The Republican Party
already had a nominee ,so he ran on a ticket he made up called the Bull
Moose Party. They lost the campaign for president . For two years after
he lost the 1912 election he was out of the public eye. He became a supporter
of U.S. going into WWI after the sinking of the "Lustinia". In the very
close election of 1916 , the Republican lossed and Roosevelt thought his
public usefulness was over , because the Republicans lost . In 1919 Theodore
Roosevelt died in his sleep that was related to a fever he had gotten in Brazil.

"The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt" by Steffan Lorant Encyclopedia
Britannica volume 19