US statesman and 26th president (19019), born in New York City, New York, USA, the fifth cousin of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Born into a patrician family, he was sickly as a boy but built up his body and physical abilities. He graduated from Harvard (1880) and the next year gained election to the New York legislature (Republican, 18824). During the 1880s he also began his extensive historical writings, including such works as The Naval War of 1812 (1882), Essays on Practical Politics (1888), and The Winning of the West (4 vols, 188996). In 18846 he ran a ranch in Dakota Territory. He went to Washington, DC to serve as a US Civil Service commissioner (188995). Named president of the New York police board in 1895, his vigorous reformist efforts - and his tendency to get himself into the headlines - gained him a national reputation, which led to his being appointed assistant navy secretary by President William McKinley (1897).
When war with Spain broke out in 1898, Roosevelt resigned to lead the Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry unit whose celebrated charge up Kettle Hill in the battle outside Santiago, Cuba, made him a national hero. This helped take him to the governorship of New York (18891901) and then to the 1900 Republican ticket as McKinley's vice-president. Roosevelt succeeded to the presidency on the assassination of McKinley in 1901, and proved a powerful and effective leader in a time of national expansion, easily gaining re-election in 1904. Citing as his motto, Speak softly and carry a big stick, he demonstrated American power on the world stage, including machinations that led to the creation of the Panama Canal, and built up the navy. In the Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe Doctrine he proclaimed the USA the policeman of the Western Hemisphere. Equally active on the domestic front, he pioneered in government regulation of big business with his prosecution of corporations for trust violations. He also created national parks, oversaw passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act, and signed the Hepburn Act regulating railroads.
During his campaign in 1904 he declared that he would not run again, and in 1908 he reluctantly promoted his protégé William Howard Taft in a successful presidential campaign. He moved on to a life of travelling, hunting, and writing, but by 1911 he was clearly unsatisfied with the conservative direction of the government. He made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1912 with the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party. As World War 1 proceeded, he began to denounce President Wilson's cautious policy, and he was considering another run for the presidency when he suddenly died. Theodore Roosevelt can be claimed as a hero or villain by proponents of many ideologies or causes, but all would agree that he was defiantly one of a kind as both man and president.
Theodore Roosevelt|
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| 26th President of the United States | |
|---|---|
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In office September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909 |
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| Vice President(s) |
None (1901–1905) Charles Warren Fairbanks (1905–1909) |
| Preceded by | William McKinley |
| Succeeded by | William Howard Taft |
| 25th Vice President of the United States | |
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In office March 4, 1901 – September 14, 1901 |
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| Preceded by | Garret Hobart |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. Fairbanks |
| Born |
October 27, 1858 New York City, New York, in Gramercy, Manhattan |
| Died |
January 6, 1919 Oyster Bay, New York |
| Political party | Republican Party; Bull Moose Party (Progressive Party) |
| Spouse |
1st:Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt; 2nd:Edith Carow Roosevelt |
| Religion | Dutch Reformed |
| Signature | |
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as T.R. and to the public as Teddy, (hence, the teddy bear was named after him) was the 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt is most famous for his personality — he dominated a generation by his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, and his model of masculinity — the famous “cowboy” persona. Roosevelt was a Progressive reformer who sought to move the Republican Party into the Progressive camp.
Roosevelt understood the strategic significance of the Panama Canal, and negotiated for the U.S. to take control of its construction in 1904. Historian Thomas Bailey, who disagreed with Roosevelt's policies, nevertheless concluded, "Roosevelt was a great personality, a great activist, a great preacher of the moralities, a great controversialist, a great showman. On June 26, 2006, Roosevelt, once again, made the cover of Time Magazine with the lead story, "The Making of Modern America - The 20th Century Express": "At home and abroad, Theodore Roosevelt was the locomotive President, the man who drew his flourishing nation into the future."
Childhood and education
Roosevelt was born at 28 East 20th Street in the modern-day Gramercy section theNew York City on October 27, 1858, the second of four children of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and two younger siblings—his brother Elliott (the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and his sister Corinne. The Roosevelts had been in New York since the mid 17th century and had grown with the emerging New York commerce class after the American Revolution. Theodore's father, known in the family as "Thee", was a New York City philanthropist, merchant, and partner in the family glass-importing firm Roosevelt and Son.
Sickly and asthmatic as a youngster, Roosevelt had to sleep propped up in bed or slouching in a chair during much of his early childhood, and had frequent ailments. After obtaining the seal's head, the young Roosevelt and two of his cousins formed what they called the "Roosevelt Museum of Natural History".
To combat his poor physical condition, his father compelled the young Roosevelt to take up exercise. To deal with bullies, Roosevelt started boxing lessons. Of him Roosevelt wrote, "My father, Theodore Roosevelt, was the best man I ever knew. Roosevelt's sister later wrote, "He told me frequently that he never took any serious step or made any vital decision for his country without thinking first what position his father would have taken." A leading biographer says: "The most obvious drawback to the home schooling Roosevelt received was uneven coverage of the various areas of human knowledge." His father's death in 1878 was a tremendous blow, but Roosevelt redoubled his activities. As an adult, a visitor would get a not so subtle hint that Roosevelt was losing interest in the conversation when he would pick up a book and begin looking at it now and then as the conversation continued.
While at Harvard, Roosevelt was active in numerous clubs, including Delta Kappa Epsilon and Alpha Delta Phi fraternities. The sportsmanship Roosevelt showed in that fight was long remembered. Upon graduating from Harvard, Roosevelt underwent a physical examination and his doctor advised him that due to serious heart problems, he should find a desk job and avoid strenuous activity. Roosevelt disregarded the advice and chose to embrace the strenuous life instead. At Columbia, Roosevelt researched and wrote his first major book, "The Naval War of 1812", in 1882, which still is considered the only comprehensive history on the subject.
Early life
Early public life
Roosevelt was a Republican activist during his years in the Assembly, writing more bills than any other New York state legislator.
First marriage
At the age of 22, Roosevelt married his first wife, 19-year-old Alice Hathaway Lee, on October 27, 1880, at the Unitarian Church in Brookline, Massachusetts. Alice Roosevelt died exactly four years later, only two days after the birth of their first child, also named Alice. In a tragic coincidence, Roosevelt's mother died of typhoid fever on the same day at the Roosevelt family home in Manhattan.
Although he noted her loss in his diary and made several references to her in the subsequent months, from the next year on Roosevelt refused to speak his first wife's name again (even omitting her name from his autobiography) and did not allow others to speak of her in his presence.
Later that year, Roosevelt left the General Assembly and his infant daughter Alice, whom he had left in the long-term care of his older sister, Bamie.
Life in Badlands
Roosevelt built a second ranch he named Elk Horn thirty five miles north of the boomtown, Medora, North Dakota. On the banks of the "Little Missouri", Roosevelt learned to ride, rope, and hunt. As a deputy sheriff, Roosevelt hunted down three outlaws who stole his boat and were escaping north with it up the Little Missouri River.
While working on a tough project aimed at hunting down a group of relentless horse thieves, Roosevelt came across the famous Deadwood Sheriff Seth Bullock. Roosevelt ran as the Republican candidate for mayor of New York City in 1886, coming in a distant third. They honeymooned in Europe, and Roosevelt climbed Mont Blanc, leading only the third expedition of record to reach the summit, a feat which resulted in his induction into the British Royal Society. "Uncle Ted" was the godfather and favorite uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt, whom he gave away in marriage to their cousin Franklin D.
Roosevelt is the only President to have become a widower and remarry before becoming President. Roosevelt argued that the harsh frontier conditions had created a new "race" or people--the American people. He was later chosen president of the American Historical Association
Return to public life
In the 1888 presidential election, Roosevelt campaigned for Benjamin Harrison in the Midwest. President Harrison appointed Roosevelt to the United States Civil Service Commission, where he served until 1895. In spite of Roosevelt's support for Harrison's reelection bid in the presidential election of 1892, the eventual winner, Grover Cleveland (a Bourbon Democrat), reappointed him to the same post. During the two years that he held this post, Roosevelt radically changed the way a police department was run. NYPD's history division records that Roosevelt was, "an iron-willed leader of unimpeachable honesty, (who) brought a reforming zeal to the New York City Police Commission in 1895." Roosevelt and his fellow commissioners established new disciplinary rules, created a bicycle squad to police New York's traffic problems and implemented standardized 32 calibre pistol practice. Roosevelt implemented regular inspections of firearms, annual physical exams, appointed 1,600 new recruits appointed not on the basis of political affiliation but solely for their physical and mental qualifications, opened admission to the department to ethnic minorities and women, established the first police meritorious service medals, shut down the corrupt police hostelries, and a Municipal Lodging House was established by the Board of Charities." Roosevelt required his officers to be registered with the Board.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt had always been fascinated by navies and their history. Urged by Roosevelt's close friend, Congressman Henry Cabot Lodge, President William McKinley appointed a delighted Roosevelt to the post of Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897. Long at the time, this basically gave Roosevelt control over the department.) Roosevelt was instrumental in preparing the Navy for the Spanish-American War.
War in Cuba
Upon the declaration of war in 1898 that would be known as the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt resigned from the Navy Department and, with the aid of U.S. Army Colonel Leonard Wood, organized the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment out of a diverse crew that ranged from cowboys from the Western territories to Ivy League friends from New York. Originally Roosevelt held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and served under Colonel Wood, but after Wood was promoted to Brigadier General of Volunteer Forces, Roosevelt was promoted to Colonel and given command of the Regiment. Though out of the Rough Riders, Roosevelt was the only one who had a horse, and was forced to dismount and walk up Kettle Hill on foot after his horse, Little Texas, became tired. Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 for his actions.
Governor and Vice President
On leaving the Army, Roosevelt re-entered New York state politics and was elected governor of New York in 1898 on the Republican ticket. Roosevelt was a powerful campaign asset for the Republican ticket, which defeated William Jennings Bryan in a landslide based on restoration of prosperity at home and a successful war and new prestige abroad. Roosevelt countered with many speeches that argued it was best for the Filipinos to have stability, and the Americans to have a proud place in the world. Roosevelt's few months as Vice President (March to September, 1901) were uneventful. McKinley died on September 14, vaulting Roosevelt into the presidency. Roosevelt did so, but after reelection in 1904, he moved to the political left, stretching his ties to the Republican Party's conservative leaders.
Anthracite coal strike of 1902
A national emergency was averted in 1902 when Roosevelt found a compromise to the anthracite coal strike by the United Mine Workers of America that threatened the heating supplies of most urban homes. Roosevelt called the mine owners and the labor leaders to the White House and negotiated a compromise.
Square Deal
Roosevelt promised to continue McKinley's program, and at first he worked closely with McKinley's men. They did not act but Roosevelt did, issuing 44 lawsuits against major corporations; Hanna died, and Roosevelt had an easy renomination and reelection in 1904.
Building on McKinley's effective use of the press, Roosevelt made the White House the center of news every day, providing interviews and photo opportunities. His daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt, became quite popular in Washington.
Regulation of industry
Roosevelt firmly believed, "The Government must in increasing degree supervise and regulate the workings of the railways engaged in interstate commerce."
In response to public clamor, Roosevelt pushed Congress to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, as well as the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. Congress replaced Roosevelt's proposals with a version supported by the major meatpackers who worried about the overseas markets, and did not want small unsanitary plants undercutting their domestic market.
Conservationist
Roosevelt was the first American president to consider the long-term needs for efficient conservation of national resources, winning the support of fellow hunters and fishermen to bolster his political base. Roosevelt was the last trained observer to ever see a passenger pigeon, and on March 14, 1903, Roosevelt created the first National Bird Preserve, (the beginning of the Wildlife Refuge system), on Pelican Island, Florida. Roosevelt urged congress to establish the United States Forest Service (1905), to manage government forest lands, and he appointed Gifford Pinchot to head the service. Roosevelt set aside more land for national parks and nature preserves than all of his predecessors combined, 194 million acres. In all, by 1909, the Roosevelt administration had created an unprecedented 42 million acres of national forests, 53 national wildlife refuges and 18 areas of "special interest", including the Grand Canyon. This environmental record was unequaled until President Bill Clinton's term, 90 years later.The Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands commemorates his conservationist philosophy. In 1903, Roosevelt toured the Yosemite Valley with John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, but he rejected Muir's philosophy that privileged nature, and emphasized instead the more efficient use of nature. In 1907, with Congress about to block him, Roosevelt hurried to designate 16 million acres (65,000 km²) of new national forests. Roosevelt explained, "There is an intimate relation between our streams and the development and conservation of all the other great permanent sources of wealth." During his presidency, Roosevelt promoted the nascent conservation movement in essays for Outdoor Life magazine. Roosevelt, like Pinchot (but unlike Muir), believed in the more efficient use of natural resources by corporations like lumber companies.
Foreign policy
Roosevelt's administration was marked by an active approach to foreign policy. Roosevelt saw it as the duty of more developed ("civilized") nations to help the underdeveloped ("uncivilized") world move forward.
Roosevelt dramatically increased the size of the navy, forming the Great White Fleet, which toured the world in 1907. Roosevelt also added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the United States could intervene in Latin American affairs when corruption of governments made it necessary.
Roosevelt gained international praise for helping negotiate the end of the Russo-Japanese War, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Roosevelt later arbitrated a dispute between France and Germany over the division of Morocco.
Panama Canal
Roosevelt's most famous foreign policy initiative, following the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, was the construction of the Panama Canal, which upon its completion shortened the route of freighters between San Francisco, California and New York City by 8,000 miles (13,000 km).
Roosevelt ultimately decided, with the encouragement of Panamanian business interests, to help Panama declare independence from Colombia in 1903.
The Great White Fleet
As Roosevelt's administration drew to a close, the president dispatched a fleet consisting of four US Navy battleship squadrons and their escorts, on a world-wide voyage of circumnavigation from December 16, 1907, to February 22, 1909. Roosevelt wanted to demonstrate to his country and the world that the US Navy was capable of operating in a global theater, particularly in the Pacific. In February 1909, Roosevelt was in Hampton Roads, Virginia to witness the triumphant return of the fleet and indicating that he saw the fleet's long voyage as a fitting finish for his administration. To the officers and men of the Fleet Roosevelt said, "Other nations may do what you have done, but they'll have to follow you." This parting act of grand strategy by Roosevelt greatly expanded the respect for as well as the role of the United States in the international arena.
Life in White House
Roosevelt relished the presidency and seemed to be everywhere at once.
During his presidency, Roosevelt tried but failed to advance the cause of simplified spelling. Roosevelt's friend, literary critic Brander Matthews, one of the chief advocates of the reform, remonstrated with him for abandoning the effort. Roosevelt replied on December 16: "I could not by fighting have kept the new spelling in, and it was evidently worse than useless to go into an undignified contest when I was beaten.
Roosevelt's daughter, Alice, was a controversial character during Roosevelt's stay in the White House. When friends asked if he could rein in his elder daughter, Roosevelt said, "I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice.
Roosevelt's contribution to the White House was the construction of the original West Wing, which he had built to free up the second floor rooms in the residence that formerly housed the president's staff.
Presidential firsts
Roosevelt's presidency saw a number of firsts. Straus became the first Jew appointed as a Cabinet Secretary, under Roosevelt. In 1902, in response to the assassination of President William McKinley on September 6, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the first president to be under constant Secret Service protection. Roosevelt was the first President to wear a necktie for his official portrait, a tradition which all of his successors followed. Although four Vice Presidents before Roosevelt had succeeded to the presidency upon the death of their predecessor, Roosevelt, in 1904, became the first to be elected in his own right or even win his party’s nomination for reelection. After Roosevelt, three more Vice Presidents who succeeded to the Presidency would be elected to full terms (Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson).
In 1906, Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work towards ending the Russo-Japanese War.
Roosevelt was also the first president to appreciate the power and influence of the press and formally invited the press into the White House on a permanent basis.
Administration and Cabinet
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President | Theodore Roosevelt | 1901–1909 |
| Vice President | Charles Fairbanks | 1905–1909 |
| Secretary of State | John Hay | 1901–1905 |
| Elihu Root | 1905–1909 | |
| Robert Bacon | 1909 | |
| Secretary of the Treasury | Lyman J. Gage | 1901–1902 |
| Shaw | 1902–1907 | |
| Cortelyou | 1907–1909 | |
| Secretary of War | Elihu Root | 1901–1904 |
| William Howard Taft | 1904–1908 | |
| Wright | 1908–1909 | |
| Attorney General | Philander C. Knox | 1901–1904 |
| Moody | 1904–1906 | |
| Bonaparte | 1906–1909 | |
| Postmaster General | Charles E. Smith | 1901–1902 |
| Payne | 1902–1904 | |
| Wynne | 1904–1905 | |
| Cortelyou | 1905–1907 | |
| Meyer | 1907–1909 | |
| Secretary of the Navy | John D. Long | 1901–1902 |
| Moody | 1902–1904 | |
| Paul Morton | 1902–1906 | |
| Bonaparte | 1905–1906 | |
| Metcalf | 1906–1908 | |
| Newberry | 1908–1909 | |
| Secretary of the Interior | Ethan A. Hitchcock | 1901–1907 |
| James Rudolph Garfield | 1907–1909 | |
| Secretary of Agriculture | James Wilson | 1901–1909 |
| Secretary of Commerce and Labor | George B. Cortelyou | 1903–1904 |
| Metcalf | 1904–1906 | |
| Straus | 1906–1909 | |
Supreme Court appointments
Roosevelt appointed three Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States:
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: 1902 William Rufus Day: 1903 William Henry Moody: 1906Although Moody was a close associate of Roosevelt, Holmes, who would serve on the Supreme Court until 1932, gained his appointment by virtue of sharing a mutual acquaintance with Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge. Moody was forced to resign due to ill health four years after his appointment, and after retiring, Roosevelt would clash with both Holmes and Day for not supporting reforms he backed.
States admitted to the Union
During Roosevelt's Presidency, one state, Oklahoma, was admitted to the Union. Although the bill passed on June 14 and was signed into law by Roosevelt, the people of Arizona and New Mexico rejected the offer of statehood.
Post-presidency
African safari
In March 1909, shortly after the end of his second term, Roosevelt left New York for a safari in Africa. Of the large number of animals taken, Roosevelt said, "I can be condemned only if the existence of the National Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and all similar zoological institutions are to be condemned." Roosevelt wrote a detailed account of this adventure;
Republican Party rift
Roosevelt certified William Howard Taft to be a genuine "progressive" in 1908, when Roosevelt pushed through the nomination of his Secretary of War for the Presidency. Taft usually proved a less adroit politician than Roosevelt and lacked the energy and personal magnetism, not to mention the publicity devices, the dedicated supporters, and the broad base of public support that made Roosevelt so formidable. When Roosevelt realized that lowering the tariff would risk severe tensions inside the Republican Party—pitting producers (manufacturers and farmers) against merchants and consumers—he stopped talking about the issue. While the crisis was building inside the Party, Roosevelt was touring Africa and Europe, so as to allow Taft to be his own man.
Unlike Roosevelt, Taft never attacked business or businessmen in his rhetoric. However, he was attentive to the law, so he launched 90 antitrust suits, including one against the largest corporation, U.S. Steel, for an acquisition that Roosevelt had personally approved. The upshot was that Taft lost the support of antitrust reformers (who disliked his conservative rhetoric), of big business (which disliked his actions), and of Roosevelt, who felt humiliated by his protégé. More trouble came when Taft fired Gifford Pinchot, a leading conservationist and close ally of Roosevelt.
Roosevelt, back from Europe, unexpectedly launched an attack on the federal courts, which deeply upset Taft. Not only had Roosevelt alienated big business, he was also attacking both the judiciary and the deep faith Republicans had in their judges (most of whom had been appointed by McKinley, Roosevelt or Taft.) In the 1910 Congressional elections, Democrats swept to power, and Taft's reelection in 1912 was increasingly in doubt. In 1911, Taft responded with a vigorous stumping tour that allowed him to sign up most of the party leaders long before Roosevelt announced.
Election of 1912
Late in 1911, Roosevelt finally broke with Taft and LaFollette and announced himself as a candidate for the Republican nomination. But Roosevelt had delayed too long, and Taft had already won the support of most party leaders in the country. Most of LaFollette's supporters went over to Roosevelt, leaving the Wisconsin Senator embittered.
Roosevelt, stepping up his attack on judges, carried 9 of the states with preferential primaries, LaFollette took two, and Taft only one. However, these primary elections, while demonstrating Roosevelt's popularity with the electorate, were in no ways as important as primaries are today. So while the man in the street still adored Roosevelt, most professional Republican politicians were supporting Taft, and they proved difficult to upset in non-primary states. But after two weeks, Roosevelt, realizing that he would not be able to win the nomination outright, asked his followers to leave the convention hall. They moved to the Auditorium Theatre, and then Roosevelt, along with key allies such as Pinchot and Albert Beveridge created the Progressive Party, structuring it as a permanent organization that would field complete tickets at the presidential and state level. It was popularly known as the "Bull Moose Party", which got its name after Roosevelt told reporters, "I'm as tough as a bull moose." The platform echoed Roosevelt's 1907-08 proposals, calling for vigorous government intervention to protect the people from the selfish interests.
While campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on October 14, 1912, a saloonkeeper named John Schrank failed in an assassination attempt on Roosevelt. Schrank did shoot the former President, but the bullet lodged in Roosevelt's chest only after hitting both his steel eyeglass case and a copy of his speech he was carrying in his jacket. Roosevelt carried it with him until he died.
Roosevelt failed to move the political system in his direction. Roosevelt had 88 electoral votes to Taft's 8 electoral votes. (This meant that Taft became the only incumbent President in history to actually come in third place in an attempt to be re-elected.) But Pennsylvania was Roosevelt's only Eastern state; After a briefing of several of his own expeditions, he convinced Roosevelt to commit to such an expedition in 1912. To finance the expedition, Roosevelt received support from the American Museum of Natural History, promising to bring back many new animal specimens. It was later renamed Rio Roosevelt in honor of the former President. Roosevelt's crew consisted of his 24-year-old son Kermit, Colonel Cândido Rondon, a naturalist sent by the American Museum of Natural History named George K.
During the trip up the river, Roosevelt contracted malaria and a serious infection resulting from a minor leg wound. These illnesses so weakened Roosevelt that, by six weeks into the expedition, he had to be attended day and night by the expedition's physician, Dr. Cajazeira and his son, Kermit. By this time, Roosevelt considered his own condition a threat to the survival of the others. Roosevelt was having chest pains when he tried to walk, his temperature soared to 103°F (39°C), and at times he was delirious. Without the constant support of Dr. Cajazeira, and Rondon's leadership, Roosevelt would likely have perished.
Upon his return to New York, friends and family were startled by Roosevelt's physical appearance and fatigue. Roosevelt wrote to a friend that the trip had cut his life short by ten years.
When Roosevelt had recovered enough of his strength, he found that he had a new battle on his hands. Roosevelt would have to defend himself and win international recognition of the expedition's newly-named Rio Roosevelt.
Writer
Despite his weakened condition and slow recovery from his South America expedition, Roosevelt continued to write with passion on subjects ranging from foreign policy to the importance of the national park system. In all, Roosevelt wrote about 18 books (each in several editions), including his Autobiography, Rough Riders and History of the Naval War of 1812, ranching, explorations, and wildlife.
World War I
Roosevelt angrily complained about the foreign policy of President Wilson, calling it "weak". When World War I began in 1914, Roosevelt strongly supported Britain, France and the Allies of World War I because he admired their fight for civilization; In 1916, he campaigned energetically for Charles Evans Hughes and repeatedly denounced those Irish-Americans and German-Americans whose pleas for neutrality Roosevelt said were unpatriotic because they put the interest of Ireland and Germany ahead of America's. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Roosevelt sought to raise a volunteer infantry division, but Wilson refused
Roosevelt's attacks on Wilson helped the Republicans win control of Congress in the off-year elections of 1918. Roosevelt was popular enough to seriously contest the 1920 Republican nomination, but his health was broken by 1918 because of the lingering malaria. It is said that the death of his son distressed him so much that Roosevelt never recovered from his loss.
Last years
Despite his debilitating diseases Roosevelt remained upbeat to the end of his life. One early Scout leader said, "The two things that gave Scouting great impetus and made it very popular were the uniform and Teddie Roosevelt's jingoism."
On January 6, 1919, at the age of 60, Roosevelt died in his sleep of a coronary embolism at Oyster Bay, and was buried in nearby Young's Memorial Cemetery. Marshall said of his death "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight."
Personal life
Roosevelt was baptized in the family's church, part of the Reformed Church in America; Later in life, when Roosevelt lived at Oyster Bay he attended an Episcopal church with his wife.
Roosevelt had a lifelong interest in pursuing what he called "the strenuous life." Roosevelt was also an avid reader, reading tens of thousands of books, at a rate of several a day in multiple languages. Along with Thomas Jefferson Roosevelt is often considered the most well read of any American politician.
Legacy
For his gallantry at San Juan Hill, Roosevelt's commanders recommended him for the Medal of Honor, but his subsequent telegrams to the War Department complaining about the delays in returning American troops from Cuba doomed his chances. In the late 1990s, Roosevelt's supporters again took up the flag on his behalf and overcame opposition from elements within the U.S. Army and the National Archives. On January 16, 2001, President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded Theodore Roosevelt the Medal of Honor for his charge up San Juan Hill, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War. Roosevelt's eldest son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., received the Medal of Honor for heroism at the Battle of Normandy in 1944. The Roosevelts thus became one of only two father-son pairs to receive this honor.
Roosevelt's legacy includes several other important commemorations. Roosevelt was included with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln at the Mount Rushmore Memorial, designed in 1927. The United States Navy named two ships for Roosevelt: the USS Theodore Roosevelt (SSBN-600), a submarine was in commission from 1961 to 1982; and the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), an aircraft carrier has been on active duty in the Atlantic Fleet since 1986.
The Roosevelt Memorial Association (later the Theodore Roosevelt Association) or "TRA", was founded in 1919 to preserve Roosevelt's legacy.
Overall, historians credit Roosevelt for changing the nation's political system by permanently placing the presidency at center stage and making character as important as the issues. His friend, historian Henry Adams, proclaimed, "Roosevelt, more than any other living man ....showed the singular primitive quality that belongs to ultimate matter — the quality that mediaeval theology assigned to God — he was pure act." Historians typically rank Roosevelt among the top five presidents.
Popular culture
As a charismatic President often considered larger than life, Roosevelt (or characters using his name loosely based on him) has appeared in numerous fiction books, television shows, films, and other media of popular culture.
In the Scrooge McDuck comics by Keno Don Rosa, Roosevelt appears several times, often as the mentor of an adolescent Scrooge, teaching him the values of self-confidence and self-reliance.
Roosevelt was used in an episode of the Disney cartoon version of Tarzan on his African excursion after the Presidency. In the comic play and movie Arsenic and Old Lace part of the zany atmosphere is created by a character who holds the delusion that he is Theodore Roosevelt.
Filmmaker John Milius directed two films in which Roosevelt was a central character: The Wind and the Lion (1975) in which he was played by Brian Keith;
Roosevelt's lasting popular legacy is the stuffed toy bears (teddy bears), named after him following an incident on a hunting trip in 1902. Bears and later bear cubs became closely associated with Roosevelt in political cartoons thereafter. On September 3, 1902 a landau carrying Roosevelt and Secret Service Operative William Craig was struck by a trolley in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Media
Theodore Roosevelt's voice can be heard in several speeches from the Vincent Voice Library at Michigan State University: http://www.lib.msu.edu/vincent/presidents/index.htm
Roosevelt in San Francisco, 1903 (file info) Parade for the school children of San Francisco, down Van Ness Avenue. Teddy Roosevelt video montage (file info) Collection of video clips of the president. Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia (1941), Roosevelt's opinions on many issues; Roosevelt, Theodore (1999). Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography. Roosevelt, Theodore. some of TR's books are available online through Project Bartleby Theodore Roosevelt books and speeches on Project Gutenberg
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