Theodore Roosevelt Life Story and Presidency

Roosevelt is the 26th President of the United States, born on October 27th, 1858 in New York and died at 60 years of age on January 6th, 1919 from a PE (Pulmonary Embolism). During his life, Roosevelt became a soldier, writer, adventurer, and statesman, serving as the 25th Vice President of the United States. He was also the 33rd governor of New York. Historians say Roosevelt played a major role in turning the United States into an important world power. Theodore Roosevelt was the second of his parents' four children. His mother, Martha "Mittie" Roosevelt, was a southerner who had been raised on a plantation in Georgia. His father, Theodore Sr., was a well-known and eager philanthropist and businessman. The Roosevelts were among the wealthiest families in New York.Theodore Roosevelt's youth was substantially shaped by debilitating asthma and poor health. As a teenager, he decided that he would undertake a program of weightlifting and gymnastics which helped his mental and physical health. After that, Roosevelt became a major advocate for exercise, and a strong believer of the strenuous life.Roosevelt graduated from Harvard College in 1879. He studied law for one year at Columbia University but never completed law school or practiced law.

Roosevelt was twenty-three years old when he published his first book, which was called the Influential Naval War of 1812 and was elected to the New York state legislature on the Republican ticket. He grew up mostly being homeschooled by tutors and his parents. Roosevelt excelled in social studies and geography but struggled in English and mathematics. He left his home in New York City to study at Harvard on September 27th, 1876. His father, Roosevelt Sr. suddenly passed away on February 9th, 1878. Roosevelt was devastated as he and his father were very close. Roosevelt was already a well accomplished naturalist, and a published orthodontist when he began to study biology intently. During his time at Harvard, he competed in rowing and boxing. Roosevelt was once runner up in a boxing tournament at Harvard. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard on June 30th, 1880. Looking back on what he learned and achieved during his time at Harvard, Roosevelt felt that he had gained nothing. He was depressed from the treatment, and the rigidity; Roosevelt thought he learned too many useless things that he would never use in his life. After Roosevelt Sr.'s death, he inherited $125,000. Back then, this was by far enough to live comfortably for the rest of his life. He later gave up on a plan he made earlier to study natural science and instead decided to attend Columbia Law School.

Roosevelt's studying at Columbia involved just him writing a book about the war of 1812 as he was not enjoying law. Determined to enter politics, he became a New York State Assemblyman in 1882, 1883, and 1884. Immediately, Roosevelt began fighting corruption; Roosevelt's anti-corruption attempts, played a major role in him winning re-election in 1882 by nearly doubling the runner ups score. On July 2, 1881, after only four months in office, James A. Garfield was shot twice in a railroad station by Charles J. Guiteau. Roosevelt won the election as the Republican Party leader in the state assembly. Right after allying with Governor Cleveland to win the passage of a civil service reform bill, Roosevelt won re-election a second time, and tried to become the Speaker of the House, but was defeated by Titus Sheard in a 41 to 29 vote by the GOP caucus. Before becoming President, Roosevelt was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He resigned in 1898 to organize the Rough Riders, a cavalry unit for the United States of America, which fought in the Spanish American War. The original plan for recruiting men to join the Rough Riders called for people within the Indian territory, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma. However, once Roosevelt joined, the group became a mix of troops from Ivy League athletes, to bartenders from California. Roosevelt and Colonel Leonard Wood trained and cared for their troops so well that the Rough Riders were allowed to fight unlike most other volunteer groups.

At the end of May,, they went to Tampa and set sail for Santiago de Cuba on June 13th, where they joined the Fifth Corps, another highly trained and enthusiastic group made up of excellent soldiers, a mixture of volunteers and the regular army. The Rough Riders first battle was at Las Guásimas when General Samuel B.M. Young was ordered to attack a village three miles north of Siboney on the way to Santiago. The battle was not significant in the Spanish American war, but still managed to quickly make headlines in leading newspapers. They also gained fame for their role in the Battle of San Juan Hill. Coming back from the Spanish American War, the Rough Riders were moved to a camp at Montauk Point, Long Island. Roosevelt and his men were briefly quarantined due to the fear of Yellow Fever, a viral disease with symptoms that include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains in the back, and headaches. Shortly after Roosevelt returned to the United States, Republican Congressman Lemuel E. Quigg, asked Roosevelt to run in the 1898 Gubernatorial Election of New York. Platt, the party boss, disliked Roosevelt on a personal level, but needed a strong candidate due to the unpopularity of the Republican governor, Frank, S. Black. Roosevelt then agreed to become their nominee and try not to "make war" with the Republicans while in office. Roosevelt defeated Black in the Republican caucus by a vote of 753 against 218 and faced Democrat, Augustus Van Wyck, who was a well-respected judge in the general election.

On November 1899, Garret Hobart, current Vice President, died due to a tragic heart failure, leaving an open spot on the 1900 republican national ticket. Despite Henry Cabot Lodge and many others encouraged him to run for Vice President in 1900, Roosevelt was reluctant to take the position as it was powerless and later issued a public statement saying he would not accept the nomination. Plus, Roosevelt was informed by President McKinley and current campaign manager, Mark Hanna, that he would not be considered for the role of vice president due to his actions prior to the Spanish??“American War. On September 6 1901, William McKinley was shot in the Pan American Exposition at the temple of music in Buffalo, New York. McKinley was greeting the public when Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist from Alpena Michigan, shot him twice in the abdomen. Eight days later McKinley passed away. Roosevelt had only been Vice President for 194 days before taking the position of presidency. Being a Republican, Roosevelt won a full four year term as presidency in 1904 beating out Alton B. Parker by more than two to one. The 1904 election was actually the first ever election where the Socialist Party participated under Eugene V. Debs who got 2.8% of the votes. Roosevelt negotiated the Russo-Japanese peace treaty also known as the Portsmouth treaty. It formally ended the Russo-Japanese war after being signed on September 5, 1905. The war is a military conflict where the victorious Japan forced Russia to abandon its expansionist policy in Asia, also becoming the first Asian power in modern days to defeat a European power.

Two years later, Roosevelt is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for peacefully mediating the Russo-Japanese War treaty. He also established numerous monuments and national parks including the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota which exhibits bison, deer, and elk who roam freely throughout the park. In March, 1909, Roosevelt's presidency ends. Roosevelt goes and enjoys himself in Africa on a hunting trip, he publishes several books and gives many public speeches across the nation. In February 1912, 3 years after Roosevelt finished his presidency, he is nominated as the presidential candidate for the Progressive party. On October 14th, Roosevelt was shot in his chest while he was giving his presidential speech. Although the wounds were minor, Roosevelt still managed to finish his speech. On November 5th, despite receiving the greatest number of votes for a third-party candidate, Roosevelt lost the presidential election to Woodrow Wilson. From February to April 1914, Roosevelt embarks on an expedition to explore an uncharted tributary of the beautiful Amazon River. Roosevelt sustains a severe leg injury during his expedition and is not expected to survive. Despite these odds, Roosevelt manages to make it safely back on May 5th. In the year 1917, four of Roosevelt's sons enlist in the military and his daughter Ethel, serves as a Red Cross nurse. On July 14th, Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, is killed in action while serving as a fighter pilot in France. One year later, on January 6th, Roosevelt dies in his sleep at Sagamore Hill of a coronary embolism which is when your artery clots up preventing blood flow from the heart. Roosevelt was 60 years old when he died; Roosevelt is remembered as one of our nation's great presidents and a national symbol for justice.

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