Today’s page takes a look at the exciting life of this dynamic native New Yorker who became the nation’s 26th president.
THE future president was born on Oct. 27, 1858, in New York City. The family lived at 28 E. 20th St. until he was about 14.
Young Teddy, as he was nicknamed, suffered from asthma, which caused him to be sick quite often. He started a rigorous exercise program and regularly worked out in his family’s home gymnasium. He developed what would become a lifelong passion for sports and for what he called the strenuous life.
By the time he attended Harvard, Teddy had become quite an athlete, excelling at boxing and rowing. After graduating, Teddy indulged his passion for sports and ranching.
Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway and climbed the Matterhorn during their wedding trip. After the death of his wife and mother and the birth of his first child on the same day, Feb. 24, 1884, he retreated to North Dakota. While there, he served as a deputy sheriff and even captured fugitive outlaws.
In 1886, Roosevelt married his childhood friend Edith Quentin. The family returned to New York City, where Roosevelt became police commissioner, developing one of the nation’s first training academies and significantly reducing corruption.
In 1897, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
In the Spanish American War, Roosevelt successfully led an unlikely band of volunteer soldiers called the Rough Riders, in the Battle of San Juan Hill. He later received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery.
In 1898, Roosevelt was elected governor of New York.
Roosevelt became vice-president of the United States and assumed the presidency after the assassination of William McKinley in 1901. At 42, he was the youngest U.S. president ever. The Roosevelt administration excelled at strengthening foreign relations.
President Roosevelt gained unprecedented popularity after refusing to shoot a captive bear. The press went wild with the story, and with the help of Clifford Berryman’s political cartoons, the “Teddy” bear was born.
Roosevelt was an avid reader, sometimes reading a book a day. He was also a prolific author, writing 32 books. He corresponded with his many friends by writing more than 150,000 letters.
Roosevelt was a devoted family man, who closed shop promptly at 4 p.m. every day to play with his six children.
The popular Roosevelt was overwhelmingly elected to a second term.
He loved nature and was shocked to see how natural land and animals were dwindling in the United States. He became the nation’s greatest conservationist, establishing preserves and creating national parks like Yellowstone.
In 1906, Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth, ending the Russo-Japanese War. He was the first American to win the prestigious award.
After leaving the White House, the adventure-loving Roosevelt, considered an expert on large mammals, led a group on an 11-month African Safari.
The long and dangerous hunt yielded more than 1,000 specimens, most of which were given to the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.
Theodore Roosevelt died on Jan. 6, 1919, at his New York State home. He is buried in Oyster Bay, NY.
Today’s lesson fulfills the following New York standards: ELA: 1c, 2b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 5a; Social Studies Standards 1
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New York Post activities
* Use the Internet to learn more about the life of Theodore Roosevelt.
* President Roosevelt accomplished many things in his life. Write an essay about someone you know and admire who has enjoyed great accomplishments.
* Visit the American Museum of Natural History at 79th St. and Central Park West.
* Plan a trip to President Roosevelt’s birthplace at 28 E. 20th St. in Manhattan.