Theodore Roosevelt: The Rough Rider Who Shaped a Nation
Theodore Roosevelt (27 October 1858 – 6 January 1919) was the 26th president of the United States (1901–1909) and a writer, naturalist, and soldier.
Life and Career
He was born on 27 October 1858, in Manhattan, New York City. His father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. was a notable businessman and philanthropist, and his mother, Martha Bulloch, came from a powerful slave-holding family. Since Roosevelt was in frail health as a kid, he had private tutors.
He graduated from Harvard College in 1880, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Then he went to Columbia Law School but soon switched to writing and politics. From 1882 to 1884, he served two terms in the New York Assembly. He also ran for mayor of New York City in 1886 but lost. He campaigned for Republican presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Roosevelt was appointed to the Civil Service Commission by Harrison after he won the election. In 1893, Roosevelt was reappointed by Democratic President Grover Cleveland.
In 1895, he became president of the New York City Police Board after serving as a commissioner. He also ran for mayor of New York City in 1886 but lost. He campaigned for Republican presidential candidate Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Roosevelt was appointed to the Civil Service Commission by Harrison after he won the election. In 1893, Roosevelt was reappointed by Democratic President Grover Cleveland. In 1895, he became president of the New York City Police Board after serving as a commissioner.
In 1897, he was appointed assistant secretary of the Navy by the newly elected Republican president, William McKinley. Roosevelt had always believed in the Navy’s importance and role in national defense. In 1898, he put the Navy on alert after the U.S. battleship Maine exploded in Havana Harbor. He led a charge at the Battle of San Juan as lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment during the Spanish-American War. During the war, he was one of the most prominent heroes.
But in September 1901, assassins shot and killed President McKinley. A tragedy like this put Theodore Roosevelt in the White House as the nation’s twenty-sixth president. He was the youngest person ever in that role. His writing career began with The Naval War of 1812, which was published in 1882. A bunch of books was written by him, including The Life of Thomas Hart Benton (1887), The Life of Gouverneur Morris (1888), and The Winning of the West (four volumes, 1889-1896). He died on 6 January 1919, in Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
Award and Legacy
He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1906 for mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05). Roosevelt is usually ranked among America’s top five presidents.
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