Teddy Roosevelt is born, Oct. 27, 1858
- Teddy Roosevelt sits for a portrait in 1910. | Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt — an energetic Republican reformer who went on to become the nation’s 26th president and did much to shape the modern presidency — was born in New York City.
As assistant Navy secretary in 1897, TR, as he was known, advocated war with Spain. When war broke out, he led the Rough Riders, a volunteer cavalry group that won the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba. Roosevelt rode his military fame to the governorship of New York in 1898 and then to the vice presidency.
In 1901, when President William McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt became, at 42, the youngest president ever to assume the office. He adopted the phrase “square deal” to describe his domestic agenda. His trust-busting progressive stance helped propel him to another White House term in 1904.
On the world stage, Roosevelt’s policies were framed by his motto: “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.” He oversaw completion of the Panama Canal and sent the Great White Fleet around the world as a display of U.S. naval power. He helped negotiate an end to the Russo-Japanese War, for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906.
In 1912, three years after having left office, Roosevelt, as the candidate of reform-minded Republicans, challenged President William Howard Taft, allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to defeat a badly divided GOP.
Roosevelt argued for U.S. entry into World War I and sought a commission to lead an Army division in France. When Wilson turned him down, Roosevelt retaliated by opposing Senate ratification of Wilson’s League of Nations.
On Jan. 6, 1919, Roosevelt died at Sagamore Hill, his estate overlooking New York’s Long Island Sound. Most likely, tropical diseases he contracted during his travels caught up with him. He was 60 years old.
Source: “TR: The Last Romantic,” by Henry William Brands (2001)