Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican and a member of the Progressive Party, was the 26th President of the United States. He was a man of many talents and is perhaps most famous for his energetic personality and diversity.
1. Nickname
Theodore Roosevelt went by the nickname “Teddy” by the public although it is interesting to note that those who were closer to him never called him by that name. The Teddy bear was named after Roosevelt following one of his hunting expeditions.
2. Vast Range of Interests
Roosevelt was a professional historian, naturalist, explorer, hunter, author and soldier. He had a great deal of energy, a vast range of interests and achievements and was a model of Western masculinity.
3. War Hero
Roosevelt’s energy and hyper-masculinity made him a noteworthy war leader. Because of his service during the Spanish-American War, he easily won the election for New York’s governorship. The people were more than willing to elect a war hero to their state’s highest office.
4. Military Service
Roosevelt was Assistant Secretary of the Navy during his last years of service in the armed forces. Roosevelt actually prepared for and advocated war with Spain in 1898. One of the things that Roosevelt is most famous for is his involvement with the “Rough Riders.” He organized and helped command this first U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish-American War.
5. Author
Roosevelt wrote 35 books during his life. These books include works on outdoor life, natural history, the American frontier, political history, naval history and his autobiography. Roosevelt also kept a journal.
6. Vice President
Roosevelt was William McKinley’s Vice President. In 1901, Roosevelt succeeded President McKinley after McKinley’s assassination. He remains the youngest person to become President at the age of 42. Roosevelt is also remembered for his relationship with President William Howard Taft (his successor) and his 1912 presidential run on his own Bull Moose ticket, a ticket that was only used once.
7. Progressive Reformer
Roosevelt was a Progressive reformer. He sought to take the ideals and beliefs held by members of the Republican party to a place that was more forward in its thinking. He did this by doing many things not done before by a politician such as dissolving forty monopolistic corporations because he did not trust the big-businessmen who were behind them. His point in doing this was not to destroy principles of trust and capitalism but to demonstrate his feelings about corruption and illegal practices and what should be done to stop such actions.
8. Presidential Changes
Roosevelt’s time in the presidency was filled with many historic changes, two of which were his “Square Deal” and his involvement with the Panama Canal. Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” promised a fair business relationship for both the average citizen and businessmen. Following in this same spirit, he was the first U.S. president to call for universal health care and national health insurance. He promoted natural conservation, emphasizing efficient use of natural resources, a natural platform for him because of his obvious love of the outdoors. Roosevelt is also responsible for the negotiation for the U.S. to take control of the Panama Canal and its construction in 1904.
9. Nobel Prize
Theodore Roosevelt was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906, for negotiating the peace in the Russo-Japanese War.
10. Honored on Mount Rushmore
Because of Theodore Roosevelt’s personality, activism, moral principles and overall popularity, he was given the honor of having his image stand alongside Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln on Mount Rushmore.
Leave a Reply