Theodore Roosevelt (United States Presidents)

United States Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt

Anne Welsbacher ABDO Publishing Company

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visit us at www.abdopub.com Published by Abdo Publishing Company 4940 Viking Drive, Edina, Minnesota 55435. Copyright © 1999 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States. Cover and Interior Photo credits: Peter Arnold, Inc., SuperStock, Archive, CorbisBettmann Edited by Lori Kinstad Pupeza Contributing editor: Brooke Henderson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Welsbacher, Anne, 1955Theodore Roosevelt / Anne Welsbacher. p. cm. -- (United States presidents) Includes index. ISBN 1-56239-742-7 1. Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919--Juvenile literature. 2. Presidents--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. [1. Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919. 2. Presidents.] I. Title. II. Series: United States presidents (Edina, Minn.) E757.W48 1998 973.91’1’092--dc21 [B] 98-4808 CIP AC

Contents Theodore Roosevelt ............................................ 4 Early Years ........................................................ 10 Harvard ............................................................. 12 Jack-in-the-Box................................................. 14 The Making of the 26th United States President ................................ 16 Theodore the Reformer ..................................... 18 A Rough Rider .................................................. 20 President Roosevelt .......................................... 22 Bull Moose Adventurer .................................... 26 Fun Facts........................................................... 28 Glossary ............................................................ 30 Internet Sites ..................................................... 31 Index ................................................................. 32

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. Being the youngest president, he was full of energy and life. Theodore Roosevelt set up the national park system. He made new laws to protect workers. He worked for safer food and drug rules. Theodore Roosevelt loved to hunt, see the world, and fight in battles. He also helped bring peace between two countries, and won a Nobel Peace Prize. Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York. As a child, he studied animals and insects. He also traveled to many countries and read many books. Theodore went to Harvard University. He married Alice Hathaway Lee. But she died shortly after giving birth. He moved to a ranch in North Dakota for two years and worked hard to recover from his sadness.

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Theodore Roosevelt campaigning for William McKinley

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Theodore married Edith Carow and had many children. He was head of New York’s police and head of the U.S. government workers. He fought dishonesty in the goverment, and passed many laws to protect people. Theodore also fought a big battle in Cuba during a war with Spain. Later, he was elected governor of New York. Soon he was chosen to be vice president of the United States! When President McKinley was killed, Theodore Roosevelt became president. He worked for a “square deal” for all Americans. He made new laws to protect mine workers. He fought against dishonest owners of railroad companies. Theodore Roosevelt wanted all future Americans to enjoy nature and animals. He made laws to keep millions of acres of land as parks. These make up the national park system. After he retired, Theodore traveled to Africa. There he hunted wild animals. He also traveled to Europe, Brazil, and wrote books. After a full life, Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep at age 60. Opposite page: Theodore Roosevelt campaigning for the presidency in 1904

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Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th President BORN: PLACE OF BIRTH: ANCESTRY: FATHER: MOTHER: WIVES: CHILDREN:

EDUCATION: RELIGION: OCCUPATION: MILITARY SERVICE: POLITICAL PARTY:

October 27, 1858 New York, New York English, Dutch, Scottish, Huguenot Theodore Roosevelt (1831-1878) Martha Bulloch Roosevelt (1834-1884) First wife: Alice Hathaway Lee (1861-1884) Second wife: Edith Kermit Carow (1861-1948) First wife, one girl (Alice Lee) Second wife, five: 4 boys (Theodore Jr., Kermit, Archibald, Quentin), 1 girl (Ethel) Private tutoring; 1876-1880 Harvard (B.A.); studied law at Columbia Dutch Reformed Writer, historian, ranchman Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, 1st U.S. Volunteers Cavalry Regiment (Rough Riders) 1898 Republican

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OFFICES HELD:

New York State Assemblyman; U.S. Civil Service Commissioner; President of New York Board of Police Commissioners; Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Governor of New York State; Vice President AGE AT INAUGURATION: 42 TERMS SERVED: Two (1901-1905) (1905-1909) VICE PRESIDENT: First term: None. Second term: Charles W. Fairbanks (1905-1909) DIED: January 6, 1919, Oyster Bay, New York, age 60 CAUSE OF DEATH: Coronary embolism Detail Area

New York New York Birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt

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Early Years Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, in New York, New York. His nickname was “Teedie.” His father, Theodore Sr., was a millionaire. His mother, Martha Bulloch, was from Georgia. As a child, Theodore was very sick with asthma. Sometimes he couldn’t breathe, and his family was afraid he would die. Because he was so weak, he studied at home. He read many books. Theodore loved to collect insects, mice, snakes, and other animals. He kept their bodies in his room and wrote down everything about them. He called his collection “The Roosevelt Museum of Natural History.” Despite the work of many doctors, Theodore was still very sick. When he was 10, his father told Theodore to build up his body. Theodore agreed. He learned to box, lifted weights, hiked, and swam. Slowly Theodore got stronger. At 16, Theodore began studying hard so he could go to Harvard University.

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Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt at age 10

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Harvard Theodore was 18 when he entered Harvard. He still studied animals and now had hundreds in his collection. He also danced, rowed boats, swam, ran races, high jumped, and joined the Harvard boxing team. Theodore always did everything with energy. He asked lots of questions in class. He loved to talk. He told jokes at parties and made people laugh. In 1878, Theodore’s father died of cancer. Theodore was very sad. He decided to work to be someone important in memory of his father. Not long after, he wrote a book about the War of 1812. Theodore wrote many more books in his life. In his second year of college, Theodore met Alice Hathaway Lee. He wanted to marry her, but she was not sure. In 1880, Theodore graduated from Harvard. Alice finally agreed to be his wife. They were married on October 27, his 22nd birthday.

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That year Theodore went to Columbia Law School. He met many working people and learned about unfair things that happened to them. Soon he was working in politics to help change those things.

An 1880 portrait of Theodore Roosevelt as a Harvard student

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Jack-in-the-Box In November 1881, Theodore was elected to the New York Assembly, a group in politics. He asked many questions and had many ideas. Since Theodore often jumped up with questions, a newspaper writer called him a jack-in-the-box! On February 12, 1884, Alice gave birth to a baby girl. But two days later, Alice died from a kidney disease. The same day, Theodore’s mother died of typhoid fever. Theodore was so sad, he left New York to start the Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota. His sister, Anna, took care of his baby daughter, whom Theodore named Alice Lee. Theodore worked as a ranchman for two years. He wrote books and raised cattle. He also hunted birds, rabbits, and grizzly bears, and helped the sheriff chase outlaws! In 1885, Theodore returned to New York. He built a new home on Long Island. That same year, Theodore fell in love with his childhood friend, Edith Carow. He also ran for mayor

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of New York, but lost. In December 1886, Theodore married Edith. In the spring of 1887, Theodore, Edith, and young Alice Lee moved into the house on Long Island. Theodore called it Sagamore Hill. Theodore and Edith had five children together: Theodore Jr., Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin. Theodore loved to play with them and tell them stories. He filled the house with toys. Sagamore Hill was a very happy home for everyone who lived there. President Roosevelt with his family at Sagamore Hill in 1907

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The Making of the 26th United States President

1858 Born Oct. 27 in New York, NY

1885 Works as a ranchman in North Dakota

1901 President McKinley is assassinated. Theodore Roosevelt is now president

1871 Theodore gets his first pair of glasses

1886 Marries Edith Carow

1904 Elected president in his own right by a large majority

1878

1876 Enters Harvard University

Theodore’s father dies

1895

1889 Works for government in civil service office

1908

1906 Wins Nobel Peace Prize

PRESIDENTIAL

Takes over as police commissioner in New York

Roosevelt retires his presidency to William Taft

YEARS

“It is well indeed for our land that we of this generation have learned to think nationally.”

1880 Graduates from Harvard, marries Alice Hathaway Lee

1897 Moves family to Washington, D.C., and is assistant secretary to the navy

1881 Elected to New York assembly

1898 Elected governor of New York

1909

1910

Travels to Africa to hunt wild animals

Travels to Europe

1884 Baby daughter is born, Alice dies after giving birth, mother dies the same day

1900

Historical Highlights during Roosevelt Administration Coal strike (1902) Dept. of Commerce and Labor created (1903) Treaty with Panama for building Panama Canal (1904) Louisiana Purchase exposition (1904)

Elected vice president of U.S. under William McKinley

1912 Runs for president again and loses to Woodrow Wilson

1919 Dies in his sleep on January 6

Theodore the Reformer In 1889, the president of the United States asked Theodore to lead the civil service office. There were many dishonest people in the government. Theodore worked to change this. He fired dishonest people. He also made the government a better place to work. Soon, Theodore was asked to be the head of the New York police. Once again, he worked to end dishonesty. He dressed up in disguise and watched police officers to make sure they were doing their jobs. He fired more people—even the chief of police! Theodore wanted William McKinley to be the next president of the U.S. In the summer of 1896, he campaigned for McKinley. McKinley won the election. But Theodore was winning, too. His hard work and his campaign made people all over America notice Theodore Roosevelt!

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Theodore Roosevelt working in a civil service job

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A Rough Rider President McKinley made Theodore the assistant secretary to the navy. In 1897, Theodore and his family moved to Washington, D.C. Theodore loved battles and ships, and he was excited about his new job. At that time, Spain and Cuba were at war. Theodore wanted to help Cuba fight against Spain. While the secretary of the navy was out of town, Theodore ordered ships to Spanish ports. This made many people angry. In February 1898, the destruction of the U.S. ship Maine caused a brief war between Spain and the U.S. Theodore quit his job and went to Cuba to fight in the war, called SpanishAmerican War. Theodore trained men to help him fight in Cuba. They were a little wild, like him. People called his men “Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.” On July 1, 1898, the Rough Riders charged up Kettle Hill in Cuba and won a battle. This battle was incorrectly called the battle of San Juan Hill. Cuba won the war two weeks later. When Theodore Roosevelt came home, Americans welcomed him as a hero. 20

In the fall of 1898, Theodore was elected governor of New York. He helped shorten long working hours for children. He made laws that forced big companies to pay their share of taxes. In 1900, William McKinley ran for president of the United States, with Theodore as vice president. In November, McKinley was elected president, and Theodore Roosevelt was the new vice president. But in September 1901, only six months later, President McKinley was shot and killed. By law, Theodore Roosevelt became the new president of the United States. He was only 42, the youngest president ever.

The 1905 inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt

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President Roosevelt Many things were happening in the United States while Roosevelt was president. Big companies charged unfair prices and didn’t pay their workers enough money. Theodore forced these big companies to change. Workers in mines had unsafe jobs. Sometimes they were hurt in the mines, and they had to work more than 12 hours every day! They tried to form groups that would demand fair rules from the mine owners. Theodore helped the groups, called unions, talk to the owners. He also created a new government program to help workers get a fair deal. Theodore called this a “square deal.” Theodore also passed laws to get a canal built through the country of Panama. The Panama Canal made it easier and faster for ships to carry goods from one country to another. In 1903, Theodore set aside Pelican Island in Florida to be a park. Later he created Yosemite National Park in California and

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Theodore Roosevelt making a speech

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other parks in the Southwest. During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt set aside more than 125 million acres of land for parks around the country. In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt was elected president. He continued to work for reform. In 1906, he passed a new law called the Pure Food and Drug Act. It forced meat packers to make sure the meat they sold to people was safe to eat. In 1905, Russia and Japan were about to go to war. Theodore Roosevelt brought them together to talk. Because of his actions the two countries decided not to go to war. In 1906, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for keeping this war from happening. In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt campaigned for William Taft for president. Taft won the election, and 50-year-old Theodore left the White House for new adventures.

Opposite page: President Theodore Roosevelt pictured in the White House in 1908

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Bull Moose Adventurer In March 1909, Theodore went to Africa to hunt wild animals. His son and many scientists and writers went with him. Theodore killed 500 animals and birds. He gave most of them to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1910, Theodore traveled to Europe. He met kings and famous people in Germany, Sweden, and England. Finally, in June 1910, he returned home to New York. In 1912, Theodore decided to run for president again! But this time he ran in a new political party, called the Progressive Party. People called it the Bull Moose Party because Theodore felt as strong as a bull moose! Theodore lost the election to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. In 1913, Theodore wrote another book, the story of his life. Then he traveled to the Grand Canyon with his sons. In January 1914, Theodore had his last big adventure. He traveled to Brazil. He hiked through jungles and took boats down rivers. But he fell from his boat and cut himself. The cut got infected and he got sick.

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By 1918, Theodore was in bad health. He went to the hospital with an ear infection and a disease called rheumatism. On January 6, 1919, Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep. He was 60 years old. Theodore Roosevelt beside an elephant he shot in Africa in 1909

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Fun Facts •Theodore Roosevelt’s children were called “The White House Gang.” They roller-skated all through the White House, walked around on stilts, raced up and down the stairs, and slid down the banisters! •Once when Theodore was hunting in Mississippi, he saw a bear cub. He did not shoot it because it was just a baby. Newspapers took pictures of him with the bear, and soon stores invented new toys—soft, stuffed bears. They called them “teddy bears.” •In October 1901, President Roosevelt invited the famous leader Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House. It was the first time an African American ate dinner at the White House as a guest. •Women in the United States did not win the right to vote until 1922. But 44 years earlier, in 1878, Theodore Roosevelt wrote a paper arguing that women should vote. In 1912, when he ran for president under the Bull Moose Party, Theodore again argued for women’s right to vote.

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•Theodore Roosevelt loved to read. Before he learned to read, when he was only 2 or 3, he looked at pictures. But soon he knew all the pictures and wanted to learn more about them. So he went all through the house asking grownups to read to him and teach him words. As a grownup, he sometimes read a new book every day! •Theodore Roosevelt once said the best way to bring changes was to “speak softly and carry a big stick.” He learned these words from an African saying. •As a boy, Theodore kept a large collection of dead animals—along with skins, wings, and other parts—in his bedroom. But the creatures turned up in other places, too. He once asked the family cook to boil a dead woodchuck for a day. She would not do it! Another time he lifted his hat to say hello to a friend. A frog popped out! Roosevelt with the Rough Riders

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Glossary Asthma—a disease that makes breathing difficult. Campaign—to make speeches, write letters, or travel around the country asking people to vote for you or somebody else. Canal—a small river made by people. Civil service—work for the state or United States government. Inauguration—a ceremony that begins the president’s term. The inauguration takes place a few months after a president is elected. The president makes a speech promising to do the best he can, and after the speech there is a big party. Millionaire—a person who has millions of dollars. Party—a group organized to gain political power. Politics—the process of making laws and running a government. Reform—to change something that seems wrong into something that seems better. Retire—to give up an office or job. Rheumatism—a disease that causes soreness of the joints or muscles. Typhoid—a deadly disease from bad water that causes a high fever. University—a school you can go to after high school. Veteran—a person who fought in a war; after the war in Cuba, the Rough Riders were veterans. 30

Internet Sites PBS American Presidents Series http://www.americanpresidents.org Visit the PBS Web site which features the biographies of each president. Check out the key events of each presidency, speeches, fun facts, and trivia games. Welcome to the White House http://www.whitehouse.gov The official Web site of the White House. After an introduction from the current president of the United States, this site takes you through biographies of each president. Get information on White House history, art in the White House, first ladies, first families, and much more. POTUS—Presidents of the United States http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS/ In this Web site you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, presidency highlights, and some odd facts on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site.

These sites are subject to change. Go to your favorite search engine and type in United States presidents for more sites.

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Index A

G

Progressive Party 26 Pure Food and Drug Act 24

activities 12 Africa 26, 28 animal collection 10, 12, 29 assistant secretary to the navy 20 asthma 10

government 6, 18 governor 6, 9, 21 Grand Canyon 26

R

B

H Harvard University 4, 8, 10, 12 health 10, 26, 27 hunting 6, 14, 26, 28

birth 10 books 6, 10, 12, 14, 26, 29 Brazil 6, 26 Bull Moose Party 26, 28

J

C

marriage 6, 12, 15 mayor 14 McKinley, President William 18, 20, 21 military service 8 mother 10, 14

campaign 18, 24 cattle 14 children 6, 14, 15, 20, 26 civil service 9, 18 Columbia Law School 13 Cuba 6, 20

D death 6, 27 doctors 10

E Elkhorn Ranch 14 Europe 6, 26

F father 10, 12

Japan 24

M

N

ranchman 14 retirement 6 Rough Riders 8, 20 Russia 24

S Sagamore Hill 15 San Juan Hill 20 secretary of the Navy 20 sister 14 Smithsonian Institution 26 Spain 6, 20 square deal 6, 22

T Taft, President William 24 teddy bears 28

U unions 22

national park 4, 6, 22 navy 9 New York Assembly 14 New York Assembly 18 nickname 10 Nobel Peace Prize 4, 24

P Panama Canal 22 police 6, 9, politics 13, 14 president 21, 22, 24, 28

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V vice president 6, 9, 21

W war hero 20 Washington, D.C. 20, 26 White House 24, 28 White House Gang 28 Wilson, President Woodrow 26 wives 4, 6, 12, 14, 15, 20 women’s right 28