Theodore Roosevelt probably should have never been president.
A popular and outspoken governor from the state of New York, Roosevelt was encouraged
to run as William McKinley’s vice-presidential candidate because party bosses in New York
hoped to get him out of state politics.
Little did they know that in a year’s time, “Teddy” would be the most powerful man
in the United States of America.
Growing up, Theodore Roosevelt suffered from severe asthma, but where many people would
have given up, Roosevelt refused to.
He took up weight lifting, running, horseback riding, and boxing, and he managed to become
a very good athlete.
Although born into wealth, Roosevelt experienced many rough periods in his life.
Yet nothing could have prepared him for what happened in 1884 when his mother and first
wife died on the same day.
Roosevelt was shattered, and the tragedies nearly ended his political career.
Roosevelt took a brief leave and went to the Dakotas where he worked on a ranch for several
years.
While there, he became an avid hunter and outdoorsman.
He returned to New York as a changed man, and he never mentioned his first wife again.
In the 1890s, Roosevelt rode a rapid ascension through politics to serve as assistant secretary
of the US Navy.
By 1897, under President William McKinley, Roosevelt was wielding a tremendous amount
of power and influence within the Navy Department.
When war with Spain broke out in 1898, Roosevelt ordered the Pacific fleet under the command
of George Dewey to capture the Philippines.
Determined not to miss out on the fighting himself, Roosevelt left the Navy Department
and raised a group of volunteers to fight the Spanish in Cuba.
The unit was made up mostly of wealthy Easterners and Western cowboys from Arizona and New Mexico
territories.
The unit became known as the Rough Riders, and they gained national fame for their roles
in capturing San Juan and Kettle hills during the conflict.
Media coverage of Roosevelt’s personality and the exploits of his men catapulted the
39-year-old Roosevelt into the national spotlight.
Roosevelt rode his fame to the governorship of New York and later the vice-presidency.
Roosevelt initially had no interest in being vice-president, but after much encouragement
from people with their own self-interest in mind, he accepted, reasoning that he could
run for president in 1904.
The Republican national chairman, Mark Hanna, had opposed Roosevelt being named vice-president.
When Roosevelt accepted the nomination, Hanna exclaimed, “Don’t any of you realize there’s
only one life between that madman and the presidency?”
That life was lost on September 14, 1901.
Three months before, President McKinley had been visiting Roosevelt’s home state of
New York for the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo.
During the visit, McKinley was shot by an anarchist named Leon Czolgosz.
Initially, McKinley appeared to be recovering.
However, gangrene set in along the walls of his stomach, slowly poisoning his blood.
McKinley’s death made Theodore Roosevelt, at the age of 42, the youngest person to ever
hold the office of President of the United States.