Teddy Roosevelt (1234 words)

Teddy RooseveltEarly Life and Family
Theodore Roosevelt, the second of four children, was born in New York, New York on October 27, 1858. He was part Dutch, English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French, and German. Because of Roosevelt’s poor health, he suffered from asthma and defective vision. He had great energy, curiosity, and determination like his father. ?Teedie? as his family would call him, loved books and the outdoors. He combined these interests into nature study. When he was ten and again when he was fourteen, Teedie went with his family on yearlong trips to Europe and the Middle East. His father built a gymnasium in his house so he could exercise regularly. His father said that he would need a strong body to give his mind a chance to develop fully. Over time, Roosevelt overcame his asthma and built up unusual physical strength.

On October 27, 1880, Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway. They were a happily married couple for about 3 years until she died on February 13, 1884, following a baby girl the next day named, Alice Roosevelt’s mother died on the same day as Theodore’s wife. Baby Alice survived, and was subsequently married in a lavish White House ceremony to Nicholas Longworth.

Meanwhile, Roosevelt married his childhood sweetheart, Edith Kermit Carow, in London. She was an intelligent, sensitive and cultivated woman. Resignedly, she accepted many of her husband’s most disruptive decisions, such as his break with the Republican Party in 1912. She gave four sons?Theodore, Jr.; Archibals; Quentin; and a daughrt Ethel. The energetic kids in the Roosevelt family were the liveliest group of children to live in the White House.

Details of Presidential Life
September 14, 1901 Roosevelt took the oath of office at Buffalo and became the twenty-sixth President of the United States. At age 42, he was the youngest man to hold that office. In May of 1902, Crater Lake National Park was established. Other National Parks established by Roosevelt are Windy Cave National Park, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota; Platt National Park, Oklahoma; and Mesa Verde National Park. In November of 1903, Roosevelt signed the Treaty with Panama for building the Panama Canal.

In November of 1904, Theodore Roosevelt was reelected president over Democrat Alton B Parker. The first major achievement of Roosevelt’s second term was the Hepburn Act of 1906, which gave the Interstate Commerce Commission power to fix railroad rates and to prohibit discrimination among shippers. During the last two years of Roosevelt’s presidency, Republican leaders defied him almost continuously. Finally on January 31, 1908, Roosevelt lashed back in one of the most bitter and radical presidential messages on record. He said that the representatives of ?predatory wealth? were thwarting his program.
In 1902, Roosevelt gave his support to the Democratic-sponsored Newlands Act. Under his authority 30 immigration projects, inculding Roosevelt Damn in Arizona, were begun or completed during his presidency. In October of 1912, Roosevelt was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt during a characteristically aggressive campaign. But Democratic governor of New Jersey, Woodrow Wilson, received 42% of the popular votes and won overpowering in the Electoral College.

Early Jobs / Career Goals Prior to Presidency
When Theodore was 23, he was elected to serve his first term in the New York State Assembly. As the leader of a minority of reform-minded Republicans, he pushed through a number of ?good government? bills.

From 1884 to 1886, Roosevelt took up his lonely time by writing history and by operating a cattle ranch in the Dakota Territory, where he earned the respect of cowhands and ranchers. In the fall of 1886, he returned east to run for mayor of New York against Congressman Abram S. Hewitt and the economist Henry George. Hewitt won decisively, while Roosevelt finished a poor third.

In 1887, Roosevelt was named Assistant Secretary of the Navy by President William McKinley. With this important job, Roosevelt worked behind the scenes for war against Spain. In 1878, Roosevelt resigned to accept a lieutenant colonelcy in the 1st U.S. Volunteer Calvary ? the ?Rough Riders?. He led the Rough Riders in a heroic charge up Kettle Hill in the battle for San Juan.

As head of the commission, Roosevelt was being lead by the belief that the spoils system was a ?fruitful source