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Theodore Roosevelt biography

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A New York governor who became the 26th U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt is remembered for his foreign policy, corporate reforms and ecological preservation.


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During his presidential term, the White House—although he hired the most illustrious architects of the time, McKim Mead and White, to renovate the decrepit mansion—also served as a lively playground for the Roosevelts' six children; due in no small part to the president's passion for sports and books, each room of the home was enlivened with activity, from crawl space to library. "Giving the pony a ride in the elevator was but one of many stunts" of the (Theodore) Roosevelt White House,

according to memoirs published in 1934 by Ike Hoover, the White House's chief usher.

Travel and Post-Presidency Politics

When Teddy Roosevelt left office in 1909, he felt assured that he was leaving it able hands; Roosevelt's successor was his friend, former secretary of war William Howard Taft. Having enjoyed his travels in Europe and the Middle East with his family as a young boy, as well as his two years as a rancher in the Dakotas and countless hunting trips, it seems only logical that Roosevelt's next move would be embarking on an African safari.

But after two years of collecting specimens, speaking engagement and traveling—including as special ambassador to England for the funeral of King Edward VII—Roosevelt became disgruntled with Taft’s weak enforcement of progressive policies, and decided to make another run for the presidency. To do so, though, meant launching a third party initiative, as Taft was running on the Republican Party ticket. So Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party, also known as the Bull Moose Party, and began campaigning for the 1912 election. While delivering a speech on the campaign trail, Roosevelt was shot in the chest in an assassination attempt by John Nepomuk Schrank. Shockingly, he continued his speech for 90 minutes before seeing a doctor, later chalking up the incident to the hazards of the business.

Roosevelt lost to Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 election, in a rather close popular vote. He considered running again in 1916, winning the Progressive nomination, but bowed out in favor of Republican Party nominee Charles Evans Hughes.

His political aspirations, however, would soon prove to be far from over: When WWI loomed on the horizon, Roosevelt became frustrated with Wilson’s stance on neutrality. In 1914, when war was finally inevitable, Roosevelt requested the president’s permission to head a volunteer division for service in France in World War I, but Wilson declined.

Roosevelt was proud that all four of his sons enlisted for service during WWI, but brokenhearted when his youngest son, Quentin, was shot and killed in Germany.

Death and Legacy

When Teddy Roosevelt was a young boy, doctors discovered that he had a weak heart, and advised him to get a desk job and not strain himself. However, he lived a more active life than most. Outside of his political career, Roosevelt published more than 25 books about a range of subjects, including history, biology, geography and philosophy. He also published a biography and an autobiography, including The Winning of the West, comprised of four volumes.

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