Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States.
He was born on October 27th, 1858 to Theodore Roosevelt Sir. And
Martha Bulloch Roosevelt.
Throughout his youth, he was always very sick. He suffered from a
severe form of asthma which controlled much of his young life
and forced him to be home-schooled until he was old enough to
attend college.
Although he was always very sick, his father, whom Teddy greatly
looked up to, encouraged him to begin very rigorous physical
activities, such as gymnastics and boxing, to help him gain
strength and become healthier.
He attended Harvard University in 1876, due to his love of the
outdoors and nature, Roosevelt planned on studying to become a
natural scientist. But as he progressed through his studies, he
found a new interest in the area of politics.
Shortly after graduating from Harvard in 1880, he married his
first wife, Alice Hathaway and later that year went to pursue a
career in politics and law by attending Columbia Law School
After only one year at Columbia Law School, Roosevelt dropped
out and joined the New York state assembly and became a
representative of New York for two terms
During 1884, Roosevelts political career came to a stop when on
the same day, both Theodores wife and mother passed away. In
order to grieve, Roosevelt stepped down from his position in New
York and spent 2 years on his ranch in the Badlands in the Dakota
Territory, where he reconnected with his love of nature by hunting
big game and driving cattle.
When he returned back to New York in 1886, he married Edith
Kermit Carow and decided to run as mayor of New York City,
where he successfully took office.
After two years as mayor, President Benjamin Harrison assigned
Roosevelt with the duty of The U.S. Civil Service Commission to
the Republican Party, where he would eventually become the
President of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners.
After 2 years of being President, President William McKinley
assigned Roosevelt as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy
And in 1898, as the Spanish-American War arose, Roosevelt
became colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, which is also
known as the Rough Riders. Roosevelt led his men into the
successful Battle of San Juan, which gave him the title of a war
hero.
After Roosevelt was elected governor of New York in 1898, he was
soon a prospect to be Vice president on William McKinleys reelection ticket.
They assumed the Presidency in 1901, but shortly after being
elected, President William McKinley was assassinated and
Roosevelt assumed office as the Presidents
As President, Roosevelt believed that the United States should
Speak Softly and carry and big stick in the area of foreign
affairs, which means that the United States should be the
peacemaker between conflicting forces and should only use
violence if necessary.
During his presidency, Roosevelt followed his speak softly and
carry a big stick slogan by intervening with the conflict between
Panama and Columbia. In 1903, he helped Panama secede from
Columbia so that the Panama Canal could be constructed, which
opened up the realm of international affairs for the United States
and expanded our role as a nation on a global scale.
Roosevelt also bulked up the countrys defense by reconstructing
the U.S. Navy and making them a powerful force at sea.
After leaving his presidency in 1909, Roosevelt left politics and
vowed to not seek another term for President. But before he left,
Roosevelt made a deal with Republican candidate hopeful, William
Howard Taft where Roosevelt would supports Tafts run to office if
Taft promised to follow through with plans of progressive reforms
rather than giving into the conservative side of the Republican
Party.
Roosevelt left for a 10-month African safari where upon returning,
he found that President Taft did not follow through with his side of
the deal. Roosevelt was furious and decided to take his anger out
through another run for president, this time to form his own
political party called the Progressive Party, but better known as
the Bull Moose Party.
While campaigning in Milwaukee, Roosevelt was shot in an
attempted assassination, but interestingly enough, he continued
with his 90 minute speech and lived to tell the tail.
After a long life, Roosevelt died in his sleep on January 6, 1919 at
the age of 60.
