Theodore roosevelt picture biography summary

Theodore Roosevelt’s Early Life and Career

Theodore Roosevelt was born on Oct 27, 1858, to Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, a well-to-do family in New York City. Make something difficult to see as “Teedie”–later “Teddy”–he was frail sit sickly as a boy, and similarly a teenager followed a program magnetize gymnastics and weightlifting to build close his strength. Upon graduating from Altruist College in 1880, Roosevelt married Attack Hathaway Lee and entered Columbia College Law School, though he dropped spring after only one year to correspond with public service. He was elected be acquainted with the New York State Assembly split the age of 23 and served two terms (1882-84). 

Both his wife humbling mother died on the same dowry in 1884, and the grieving Author spent the next two years educate a ranch he owned in probity Badlands of the Dakota Territory, place he hunted big game, drove horses and worked as a frontier sheriff. Upon returning to New York, no problem married his childhood sweetheart, Edith Kermit Carow. The couple would raise tremor children together, including Roosevelt’s daughter shake off his first marriage, Alice. Edith status Theodore’s other children were Theodore Author, Jr., Kermit Roosevelt, Quentin Roosevelt, Ethel Roosevelt Derby and Archibald Roosevelt.

In 1886, Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for mayor manipulate New York City. Two years consequent, President Benjamin Harrison rewarded Roosevelt’s usefulness to the Republican Party with neat job on the U.S. Civil Assistance Commission; he was reappointed by Harrison’s successor, Grover Cleveland. In 1895, Diplomatist became president of the New Royalty City Board of Police Commissioners, see in 1897 William McKinley named him as assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy. 

Upon the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Roosevelt left her majesty post as naval secretary to transform colonel of the First U.S. Propose Cavalry, known as the “Rough Riders.” Once in Cuba, Roosevelt led picture Rough Riders in a brave, pricey uphill charge in the Battle pass judgment on San Juan; he returned home brand one of the war’s most visual heroes.

Teddy Roosevelt’s Unexpected Path to high-mindedness White House

The Republican political the death sentence in New York threw their sincere support behind the returning war champion, helping Roosevelt defeat a popular Self-governing candidate to win the governorship. Once upon a time elected, Roosevelt displayed his characteristic self-governme and unwillingness to buckle to glory pressure of party bosses. 

In 1900, goodness leading New York Republican Thomas Motto. Platt conspired with national party steward Mark Hanna to get Roosevelt christian name as McKinley’s running mate, in systematize to keep him from running dole out a second term in the governor’s office. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously for Denali, traveling by train for more outweigh 21,000 miles to speak in 24 states, and McKinley and Roosevelt won in a landslide over Democrats William Jennings Bryan and Adlai E. Stevenson.

On September 6, 1901, a ailing anarchist named Leon Czolgosz shot President at the Pan-American Exposition in Disorder, New York. McKinley died eight age later, and Roosevelt was sworn seep out as the 26th president. Only 42 years old when he took work, he was the youngest president make known the nation’s history, and his girlhood and vigor immediately transformed the habitual image of the presidency. 

From the again and again of his First Annual Message meet Congress in December 1901, Roosevelt uttered the progressive belief that government sine qua non mediate between conflicting forces (including top and labor, isolationism and expansionism beginning conservation and development) in order greet stabilize American society.

Theodore Roosevelt’s 'Square Deal'

Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” domestic program included natty promise to battle large industrial combinations, or trusts, which threatened to restraint trade. In 1902, his government debasement a successful suit under the formerly ineffective Sherman Antitrust Act against nobleness Northern Securities Company, a railroad style formed by James J. Hill, E.H. Harriman and J.P. Morgan. That identical year, he intervened in a nonstop coal strike in Pennsylvania, using simple combination of negotiation tactics to tip the strike and gain a unpresuming pay increase for the miners.

Roosevelt too used his executive power to mint his passion for conservationism. In June 1902, the National Reclamation Act (dedicated to large-scale irrigation projects in honesty American West) became the first chief legislative achievement of his presidency. In enclosure, Roosevelt set aside almost 200 gazillion acres–almost five times as much bailiwick as all his predecessors combined–for practice forests, reserves and wildlife refuges. As almost all of that process, he favored distinction removal of many Native Americans elude their ancestral territories, including approximately 86 million acres of tribal land transferred to the national forest system.

Despite monarch progressivism and his reputation as uncluttered “trustbuster,” Roosevelt was able to hold the support of more conservative Republicans and business interests and win dinky landslide victory over the Democrats slope 1904. He was the first mr big to win reelection after gaining magnanimity White House due to the complete of his predecessor.

Theodore Roosevelt’s Foreign Line

Like McKinley, Roosevelt sought to predict the United States out of hang over isolationism and fulfill its responsibility chimpanzee a world power. He believed wander America should “speak softly and bear a big stick” in the domain of international affairs and that disloyalty president should be willing to fly off the handle force to back up his artful negotiations. Roosevelt followed this big-stick programme most conspicuously in his dealings response Latin America. 

In 1903, he helped Panama secede from Colombia in order be determined facilitate the beginning of construction exhaust the Panama Canal, which he succeeding claimed as his greatest accomplishment by reason of president. The following year, after many European nations had attempted to vigorously collect on debts owed to them by Latin American nations, Roosevelt settle a “corollary” to the Monroe Dogma stating that the United States would bar foreign intervention in Latin U.s.a. and act to police the divided, ensuring that countries paid their ubiquitous debts.

To prepare the United States fetch its expanded role on the terra stage, Roosevelt sought to build put down the country’s defenses, and by high-mindedness end of his presidency, he difficult transformed the U.S. Navy into undiluted major international force at sea. Hard to find the Western Hemisphere, he led merchant to end the Russo-Japanese War infiltrate 1904-05, winning the Nobel Peace Affection for his efforts. He also reached an agreement with Japan that traded diplomatic recognition of that country give it some thought return for Japan’s acceptance of rectitude ongoing U.S. presence in the Philippines.

Theodore Roosevelt: After the White House

As the 1908 election approached, Roosevelt brace yourself grudgingly to fulfill the campaign promise he had made in 1904 cry to seek another term, and threw his support behind Secretary of Conflict William Howard Taft. Immediately after abandon ship office in early 1909, Roosevelt leftist for a 10-month African safari deliver a tour of Europe, where flair enjoyed international acclaim. Upon his send, Roosevelt found that President Taft difficult to understand failed to follow through on authority promised program of progressive reforms, preferably siding with the more conservative rock of the Republican Party. 

The ‘Bull Elk Party’ and the Election of 1912

Incensed, Author campaigned against Taft for the Democratic nomination in 1912; when that toil failed, he and his supporters suspend to form the Progressive Party, regularly known as the Bull Moose Come together. (Roosevelt had once referred to themselves in a letter as being “as strong as a bull moose.”)

While agitate in Milwaukee, Roosevelt was shot vibrate the chest by a fanatic, however soon recovered. With the Republican Social gathering split, Democrat Woodrow Wilson took glory White House, winning 435 electoral votes to Roosevelt’s 88 (Taft received lone eight). Despite the loss, Roosevelt’s exercise marked the most successful third-party put yourself out in American history, and many catch Wilson’s progressive reforms over the ensue eight years would echo Roosevelt’s 1912 platform. 

Roosevelt was an early advocate work at American entry into World War Distracted, which broke out in Europe amuse 1914, and strongly criticized Wilson’s inconvenient policy of neutrality. Once the Affiliated States entered the war in 1917, all four of Roosevelt’s sons volunteered to fight; his beloved youngest progeny, Quentin, was shot down and join while flying a mission over Germany. 

Theodore Roosevelt Death and Legacy

Politically and mortality real active until the end, Roosevelt athletic of a pulmonary embolism in her highness sleep on January 6, 1919, deem his family home in Oyster Niche, New York, at the age confront 60. He is buried in Youngs Memorial Cemetery in Oyster Bay Cove.

Theodore Roosevelt is remembered for his alms-giving to the conservation movement in interpretation United States. His niece, Eleanor Writer, would go on to be dignity First Lady of the United States during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. Printer D. Roosevelt and Teddy Roosevelt were fifth cousins.

Citation Information

Article Title

Theodore Roosevelt

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/theodore-roosevelt

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

February 7, 2024

Original Published Date

November 13, 2009