Theodore Roosevelt

Born into the promient Roosevelt family of Oyster Bay, Theodore Roosevelt was determined to be important. Overcoming a sickly childhood, Roosevelt built himself into a robust man physically and a energetic personality with a great penchant for learning. Brilliantly educated and rising the ranks of local politics, TR took on the obstacles he faced with a determination that often lacked polish, but certainly brought results. Taking on the bosses of New York, Roosevelt rose quickly. When he came to the Navy Department as Assistant Director, little did he know that decisions made there would propel him to the White House. Gaining war hero status as the leader of the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War, Roosevelt was propeled into the New York Governorship and from their the Vice Presidency under McKinley. An assassin would bring Roosevelt to the seat of power where as a stanch progressive, Roosevelt bulled through an agenda of reforms unparalleled by any previous president. Chosing Taft as his replacement in 1908, Roosevelt went off to Africa to hunt big game. When he returned, however, he was enraged to find that Taft had turned his back on Roosevelt's policies. It set in motion an attempt at another term on the Bull Moose ticket throwing the election to Democrat Wilson. Roosevelt would die suddenly in his sleep in 1919 throwing the nation into mourning. Roosevelt was in many ways a revolutionary President changing the office and the country in important ways. Join historian Keith Pruitt in this introductory look at Theodore Roosevelt.