Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born into a life of privilege on October 27, 1858 in New York City. His family was wealthy and influential - his father Theodore Sr. was a successful businessman and philanthropist, while his mother Martha "Mittie" Roosevelt was from a prominent Southern family.[1][2]
As a child, young "Teedie" Roosevelt suffered from debilitating asthma and other illnesses. Rather than accept his physical limitations, he embraced a strenuous lifestyle to build up his strength. Roosevelt was primarily educated at home by private tutors and his parents. The young Roosevelt was an avid reader with wide-ranging interests in subjects like biology and naval affairs.[1][2]
In 1876, Roosevelt enrolled at Harvard College, where he excelled academically while also participating in sports like boxing. After graduating magna cum laude in 1880, he briefly attended Columbia Law School before dropping out after one year to embark on a career in public service.[1][2]
Rising Through the Political Ranks
Roosevelt wasted no time jumping into politics. At the young age of 23, he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1881 as a Republican. During his three years in the state legislature, Roosevelt quickly made a name for himself as an opponent of corrupt machine politics.[1]
After the simultaneous deaths of his wife Alice and his mother Mittie on the same day in 1884, a grieving Roosevelt retreated to his cattle ranch in the Badlands of the Dakota Territory for a few years. On returning to the East Coast, he made an unsuccessful run for mayor of New York City in 1886.[1][2]
President Benjamin Harrison appointed Roosevelt as a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission in 1889, where he fought to reform the patronage system. His efforts caught the eye of newly-elected President William McKinley, who named Roosevelt as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1897. In this role, Roosevelt helped prepare the U.S. Navy for the Spanish-American War.[1][2]
Rough Riding to the White House
When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Roosevelt resigned from his Navy post and helped form the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, better known as the "Rough Riders." Roosevelt and his Rough Riders gained nationwide fame for their bold charge up Kettle Hill during the Battle of San Juan Heights in Cuba.[1][2]
Returning home as a war hero, Roosevelt rode that popularity to the New York governor's mansion, winning the 1898 gubernatorial election. As governor, he became such a zealous reformer in rooting out corruption that Republican Party bosses wanted to sideline him by making him President McKinley's running mate in the 1900 election, assuming the vice presidency was a powerless dead-end.[1]
However, when McKinley was assassinated by an anarchist in September 1901, Roosevelt unexpectedly became president at age 42, the youngest ever to assume the office. Far from being sidelined, the energetic and ambitious Roosevelt brought new excitement and power to the presidency.[1][2]
"Square Deal" Domestic Agenda
As president, Roosevelt sought to balance the interests of big business, labor, and consumers. He promised the American people a "Square Deal" - his phrase for a domestic agenda that would give everyone a fair shot under the law.[1]
Roosevelt believed the federal government should have an expanded role in regulating the economy and curbing the excesses of large corporations. Using the Sherman Antitrust Act, his administration launched over 40 lawsuits to break up business monopolies like Northern Securities and Standard Oil. At the same time, Roosevelt restrained labor unions, as seen in his intervention to resolve the Great Coal Strike of 1902.[1][4]
Conservation of the country's natural resources was another hallmark of Roosevelt's presidency. He added over 100 million acres to the national forests, created 50 wildlife refuges and 5 new national parks, and oversaw major irrigation projects. For Roosevelt, conservation meant using resources efficiently rather than locking them away.[1][2]
Some of Roosevelt's other domestic achievements included passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act to protect consumers and the Hepburn Act to allow greater federal regulation of railroads. While Roosevelt believed in regulating corporations, he thought they were a necessary part of a modern economy. His "Square Deal" aimed for a balance between reining in corporate abuses and allowing businesses to thrive.[1][4]
Big Stick Diplomacy Abroad
In international affairs, Roosevelt's motto was "speak softly and carry a big stick." He believed a strong military was the best way to ensure peace. To that end, he greatly expanded the U.S. Navy and sent a "Great White Fleet" of American battleships to circumnavigate the globe as a display of naval might.[1][2]
Roosevelt's most consequential foreign policy decision was to facilitate the construction of the Panama Canal. When Colombia rejected an American offer to build the canal across the Colombian province of Panama, Roosevelt supported Panamanian rebels in declaring independence in 1903. The newly-independent Panama then allowed the U.S. to build the canal.[1][2]
Through the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904, Roosevelt declared that the U.S. would intervene in Latin American countries that failed to maintain stability and pay their international debts. This policy led to increased American involvement in the region, including taking over customs operations in the Dominican Republic.[1][2]
Roosevelt also helped negotiate an end to the Russo-Japanese War, an intervention that won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize, the first ever awarded to an American. He reached the "Gentlemen's Agreement" with Japan to cut off Japanese immigration to the U.S. in exchange for desegregating California schools.[1][2]
Final Years and Enduring Legacy
Roosevelt declined to run again in 1908, instead throwing his support behind Secretary of War William Howard Taft, who won the presidency. After leaving office in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari and toured Europe.[1]
Disappointed with Taft's policies, Roosevelt sought the 1912 Republican nomination. When that failed, he founded the Progressive Party, nicknamed the "Bull Moose Party," and ran an unsuccessful third party campaign, coming in second to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.[1][2]
In his post-presidency, Roosevelt wrote prolifically, including his autobiography and through magazine articles and editorials. When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, Roosevelt became a fierce critic of President Wilson's neutrality. After the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Roosevelt sought to lead a volunteer infantry division, but Wilson declined, citing the former president's age and health. Roosevelt's four sons all served in World War I, but his youngest son Quentin was killed in action, a devastating blow to the former president.[1][2]
Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep on January 6, 1919 at his Sagamore Hill estate in New York. He was 60 years old. Vice President Thomas Marshall's reaction captured how the nation felt, remarking "Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight."[1]
Today, Theodore Roosevelt is widely considered one of the greatest U.S. presidents, consistently ranking in the top five in historical rankings. Through his "Square Deal" domestic programs and his "speak softly and carry a big stick" foreign policy, Roosevelt greatly expanded the power of the presidency. He redefined the role of the federal government in regulating big business, protecting consumers, and conserving natural resources.[1][2]
Roosevelt's larger-than-life personality, his many achievements, and his wide range of interests all contributed to making him an iconic figure in American history. His visage is enshrined on Mount Rushmore alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln - a testament to Roosevelt's enduring legacy as one of the most consequential presidents.[1][2]
Citations: [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/theodore-roosevelt/ [2] https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/theodore-roosevelt-biography.htm [3] https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/theodore-roosevelt [4] https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/life-before-the-presidency [5] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tr-early/ [6] https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Theodore_Roosevelt [8] https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/life-after-the-presidency [9] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodore-Roosevelt [10] https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/age-of-empire/a/the-presidency-of-theodore-roosevelt