Theodore Roosevelt's path from wealth to the presidency

¶ … assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.

He took the view that the President as a "steward of the people" should take whatever action necessary for the public good unless expressly forbidden by law or the Constitution." I did not usurp power," he wrote, "but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power."

Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family, but he too struggled -- against ill health -- and in his triumph became an advocate of the strenuous life.

In 1884 his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. Roosevelt spent much of the next two years on his ranch in the Badlands of Dakota Territory. There he mastered his sorrow as he lived in the saddle, driving cattle, hunting big game -- he even captured an outlaw. On a visit to London, he married Edith Carow in December 1886. This is the beginning of the story of the life of the indefatigable Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.

The early life of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 27, 1858 to Theodore "Thee" Roosevelt Sr., of Dutch heritage, and Martha "Mittie" Bulloch. His family were wealthy industrialists who owned a successful plate-glass import business. As a young boy, "Teedie" spend much of his time indoors and was homeschooled due to his asthma but his youth was a vigorous one, spent largely in physical pursuits such as weightlifting and boxing due to the influence of his father.

Teddy graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1880, attended Colombia Law School and married Alice Hathaway Lee of Massachusetts (Blum, 1954)

His political life started early. Replacing law with politics, Theodore became the youngest representative in the New York State Assembly assuming a variety of public positions from captain of the National Guard and minority leader of the New York Assembly. The double death of his mother and his wife on the same day (February 14, 1884), however, caused Roosevelt to once again make another life shift and become a cowboy / cattle rancher not the terrains of Dakota Territory. It was there that he sought a peace of mind and reflection that would serve him well for the rest of his life.

Those years as cowboy were life changing and affirming and were something that Roosevelt would turn to time and again. They are also described evocatively in his Autobiography and would serve as catalyst for his national plans for conservation.

In 1886, Roosevelt returned to political life to be defeated in his run for New York mayor sip. he married his second wife, Edith Kermit Carow (they were cousins; both had watched the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln from their grandfather's house as children), and resumed his political trajectory as civil service commissioner, and later as New York City police commissioner and U.S. Navy assistant secretary under President William McKinley.

In 1898, he organized a volunteer cavalry known as the Rough Riders, which he led in a bold charge up San Juan Hill in the Battle of San Juan Heights, and was nominated as war hero. This subsequently led to his achieving the governorship of New York in that same year. (Blum, 1954)

Ironically, it was Roosevelt's attitude that led him to the presidency. His progressive policies ran him afoul of his own Republican party. They attempted to quiet him by squelching him in the thankless post of vice-presidency. In 1901, McKinley was assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt became the 26ht president of the United States at the youngest age of 42.

Domestic Politics

The political administration of Theodore Roosevelt may be summed up by these sayings:

"Don't hit at all if you can help it; don't hit a man if you can possibly avoid it; but if you do hit him, put him to sleep." (New York City, February 17, 1899)

This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in." (Chicago, IL, June 17, 1912).

Theodore Roosevelt has often been epitomized as a 'real' American, likely for his rugged confident personality and his do-it-yourself style. But Roosevelt too had a deep love for his country which can best be evidenced in his correspondence to John Hay, American Ambassador to the Court of St. James, and London in June 7, 1897:

Is America a weakling, to shrink from the work of the great world powers? No! The young giant of the West stands on a continent and clasps the crest of an ocean in either hand. Our nation, glorious in youth and strength, looks into the future with eager eyes and rejoices as a strong man to run a race." (Theodore Roosevelt Association; online)

Roosevelt was determined to put America on the map and to keep it there as the most exciting, most progressive, wealthiest nation in the world. He largely succeeded due to his bold, incorrigible plans.

Roosevelt's first public relations effort was centered on the U.S. navy where he boosted it, created the "Great White Fleet," and sent it on an international tours exhibition of its strength. Shortly after, he expedited completion of the Panama Canal, a feat that allowed ships to pass between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in half the time previously required ( Brinkely, 2009).

International

"Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready." (San Francisco, CA, May 13, 1903)

Often accused of 'interfering' both at home and abroad -- Roosevelt was no lazy president -- Teddy won the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his role in negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War.

Roosevelt's public image is that of bully dog who became well-known for his use of the 'big stick' -- although he also advocated placating talk. However, what Roosevelt is less well-known for is his philosophy as statesman which emphasized negotiations rather than war. Roosevelt has been accused of colonialism, of mistreating the Indians and colonizing the Mexican-Americans as well as of ruthlessly expanding his empire. However, all great individuals are complex and Roosevelt was no exception. He was also a man who believed in diplomacy rather than war and thought that discussion was the best way to settle international dispute. Ironically, this perspective led to the 'bull dog' stance where Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which claimed the right to intervene in cases of "wrongdoing by a Latin American Nation," made the United States seem the "policeman" of the Western world.

Theodore Roosevelt- a modern president

Theodore Roosevelt has often been painted as the paragon of the U.S.A. And indeed Roosevelt represents many of the mythic qualities of the nation. Rugged and confident in his schemes, Roosevelt was tiles in his fight for the underdog pushing the nation to become one of the forefront empires of its day and righting its wrongs. Averse to corruption and invincible to enemies, Roosevelt waged a mighty war against enemies of the people on both a domestic and foreign field.

He was also the nations' first modern president. He advocated for women's rights. His undergraduate thesis at Harvard, for instance, was on this topic.

Said Roosevelt:

"Much can be done by law towards putting women on a footing of complete and entire equal rights with man - including the right to vote, the right to hold and use property, and the right to enter any profession she desires on the same terms as the man."..."Women should have free access to every field of labor which they care to enter, and when their work is as valuable as that of a man it should be paid as highly."(An Autobiography, 1913)

Roosevelt also protested for the Blacks, fought for the poor and boosted exercise for all and conservationism of American historical and wild regions.

In his struggle for the Blacks, Roosevelt supported desegregation defended Minnie Cox, who experienced racial discrimination in the South while working as a postmaster, and hosted Booker T. Washington, as a guest at the White House. (Fehn, 2005)

Another first was his environmentalist activities where in 1906, he signed the National Monuments Act, protecting sites like the Grand Canyon and preserving countless wildlife sanctuaries, national forests and federal game reserves. He also instigated 21 federal irrigation projects.

In his Autobiography, Roosevelt tells us that:

"No man can lead a public career really worth leading, no man can act with rugged independence in serious crises, nor strike at great abuses, nor afford to make powerful and unscrupulous foes, if he is himself vulnerable in his private character."(An Autobiography, 1913)

Roosevelt was certainly not vulnerable neither in his private nor in his public persona. About himself, he said:

"I don't think any President ever enjoyed himself more than I did. Moreover, I don't think any ex-President ever enjoyed himself more."... "Success - the real success - does not depend upon the position you hold, but upon how you carry yourself in that position." (University of Cambridge, England, May 26, 1910; cited in Theodore Roosevelt Association; online)

Roosevelt was a man who carried himself well. Very well, indeed. Prescribed as someone who had a weak heart as a youth, doctors advised him to get a desk job and not strain himself. Roosevelt helped himself and his nation by violating their advice. He wrote more than 25 books on a variety of subjects and was the first president to receive the Medal of Honor awarded posthumously by President Clinton in 2001 (Fehn, 2005)

Theodore Roosevelt lost to Woodrow Wilson in 1912, and died on January 6, 1919.