THEODORE ROOSEVELT WAS BORN October 27,1858, in New York City His parents were Theodore and Martha Bulloch Roosevelt. His father was a successful merchant, and his mother was a homemaker. Theodore was the second of four children. His sister Anna was older, and his brother Elliott and sister Corinne were younger.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT GREW UP in the family's large, comfortable home in New York City. He was a weak, sickly child. His eyesight was so bad that he had to wear glasses from a young age. Theodore also had very bad asthma. Sometimes he could barely breathe. At night, when his breathing was difficult, his father would walk with him, holding him upright to help him breathe.

Theodore's father and mother were devoted to their son. His father encouraged him to build up his body by getting vigorous exercise. Over the years, Theodore grew stronger and eventually became an energetic, robust, and healthy man. His father was also concerned with his moral upbringing. He taught Theodore right from wrong and the importance of being a thoughtful, responsible man.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT WENT TO SCHOOL at home until he was college age. His parents hired tutors who taught him all his subjects until he was 18. Roosevelt was an active, curious boy. He loved to collect specimens from nature, like mice and birds. He sometimes stored them in his dresser drawers.

Roosevelt went to college at Harvard University, where he did very well. While he was still in college, Roosevelt began to write books. His first book was about the War of 1812. He finished it after he graduated from Harvard in 1880.

Roosevelt went on to law school at Columbia University in New York City. After one year of studying law, he decided that he wanted to run for office.

GETTING INVOLVED IN POLITICS: Roosevelt's first elected office was as a state assemblyman from New York. He served three one-year terms, from 1881 to 1884.

FIRST MARRIAGE: Roosevelt met Alice Hathaway Lee in 1878. The two fell in love and married on October 27, 1880. In 1884, Alice gave birth to their only child, a daughter also named Alice. Two days after giving birth, Alice Roosevelt died. That same day, Roosevelt's beloved mother, Martha, also died. Roosevelt was overwhelmed with grief. Leaving his infant daughter with relatives, he set out for the Dakota territory.

Roosevelt from his days in the Dakota Territory.

He raised cattle and learned to be a cowboy. He even captured an outlaw. Roosevelt also developed an interest in conservation during these years in the Dakotas. He saw what had happened after the buffalo and other wild game were nearly wiped out by greedy hunters. He saw the damage done to the land from over-grazing. Later, when he became President, he would set up national parks and wildlife refuges to protect the land and animals.

SECOND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY: In 1886, Roosevelt returned to New York. He became reacquainted with Edith Kermit Carow, who had been a friend since childhood. They fell in love and were married on December 2, 1886, in London, England. They had five children, Theodore, Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin. Ethel also raised Alice, who was just two when they married. She was a loving and gentle mother who was lot of fun. One of her sons once said, "When Mother was a little girl, she must have been a boy!"

RETURNING TO POLITICS: Roosevelt decided to devote his life to politics again. He ran for mayor of New York City and lost, but he was not discouraged. In 1889, he took a job as head of the United States Civil Service Commission. That is the part of the government that sets policy for government workers. In that job, he worked for a more honest and responsible civil service.

Next, Roosevelt became head of the New York City police board. He brought his energy and enthusiasm to that job, too. He was known to check on the police by walking the streets of the city after midnight, making sure that everyone did their jobs.

Roosevelt then began to work for the administration of President William McKinley as assistant secretary of the Navy. While he was in that job, the United States went to war against Spain and Teddy Roosevelt became a war hero.

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR AND THE ROUGH RIDERS: In the late 1890s, Spain controlled Cuba and Puerto Rico as colonies. Many Americans were disturbed by reports that Spain was treating Cubans cruelly. In 1898, the U.S. battleship Maine was destroyed in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. Although no one was sure who sank the Maine, most Americans blamed Spain.

Roosevelt in his Rough Rider uniform.

Congress declared war on Spain in April 1898. The Spanish-American War lasted only four months. The fighting took place on Cuba and in the Philippine Islands in the Pacific Ocean, which were also a colony of Spain. Roosevelt and his troops fought in Cuba.

Roosevelt was head of the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, known as the "Rough Riders." They were a group of soldiers made up of former cowboys and college sports stars. Roosevelt led them in a famous battle, called the Battle of San Juan Hill. They won that battle and the war.

GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK: Now a war hero, Roosevelt was asked by the Republican Party to run for Governor of New York. He won and served for two years. He was not what the Republican political "bosses" thought he was. They were used to telling their candidate what to do, but Roosevelt set his own priorities. He fought for reforms he thought needed to be made in government. He taxed wealthy corporations and tried to end "sweatshops," factories where people worked in miserable conditions.

VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many of the Republican bosses and their supporters were angry with Roosevelt for his reforms. They wanted him out of New York. So, in 1900, they nominated him for Vice President to run with William McKinley in his second term. The ticket of McKinley and Roosevelt won the election.

MCKINLEY'S ASSASSINATION: Roosevelt's term as Vice President lasted only six months. On September 6, 1901, McKinley was shot by an assassin. He died September 14, and Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th President.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Roosevelt was just 42 when he became President. He is the youngest person ever to hold the office. He took the reins of the country with his characteristic energy, bursting with new ideas for the country.

President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt thought the President should be a powerful political leader. He thought of himself as the President of all the people, not just the wealthy and powerful. He was known as the "trust buster." Trusts were large groups of companies that controlled money and jobs across the country. Roosevelt wanted their power broken up.

Roosevelt was the first President to travel outside of the U.S. In 1903 he worked on the treaty to build the Panama Canal. He visited the site of the canal, a deep trench being dug across the country of Panama in Central America. When completed, the Panama Canal created a shipping lane that linked the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It allows ships to travel between the two Oceans without having to travel far south to go around South America or far North to go around North America.

Roovevelt with the famous conservationist John Muir at Yosemite National Park in California.

THE NOBEL PRIZE: Roosevelt became the first President to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He won the award in 1906 for his help in ending the war between Russia and Japan. By this time, he was a well-known and much-loved figure around the world.

Roosevelt had said he would not run again in 1908. He didn't really want to leave office, but after seeing his friend William Howard Taft elected President, he retired.

First Lady Edith Roosevelt

Roosevelt became ill and died on January 6, 1919, at the age of 60. Edith Roosevelt lived on in Oyster Bay for almost 30 more years. She died September 30, 1948, at the age of 87.

WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE? Roosevelt was 5 feet 8 inches tall and had a powerful, muscular body. He had thick glasses and a full mustache.

HISTORIC SITES:

Birth site:
28 E. 20th St.
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-260-1616

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
20 Sagamore Hill Rd.
Oyster Bay, NY 11771
Phone: 516-922-4447 or 516-922-4788

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
641 Delaware Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14202
Phone: 716-884-0095

Theodore Roosevelt Island
Potomac River
Washington, DC 22101
Phone: 202-426-6922; 703-285-2598

Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Maltese Cross Cabin
Box 7 Medora, ND 58645
Phone: 701-623-4466

WORLD WIDE WEB ADDRESSES:

The White House offers young readers information on the U.S. government and the Presidents on a Web site called "White House for Kids." The address is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids

The Internet Public Library has a site on the Presidents. The address is: http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS

American Memory is a site maintained by the Library of Congress that contains biographical and historical information on the Presidents. It also provides links to Presidential portraits.
For Theodore Roosevelt: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/feb03.html

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site
http://www.nps.gov/thrb

Theodore Roosevelt National Park
http://www.nps.gov/thro