On October 27, 1858, Teddy Roosevelt was born. On October 27, 1880, he married the love of his life, Alice Hathaway Lee. The two settled down into a pleasant routine of married life, where Roosevelt worked as a New York State Assemblyman and saved money by combining birthday and anniversary celebrations.
A Life Of Loss
In 1884, two days after the birth of Roosevelt's daughter, tragedy struck. Twice. First, his mother died of typhoid fever. Then Alice died of kidney failure. The devastated Roosevelt left his newborn daughter with his sister for a few years while he dealt with his grief. Roosevelt proceeded to head out west and become a cattle rancher. He learned how to hunt and worked on developing "the stern, manly qualities that are invaluable to a nation," as he later put it. During this time, he got heavily involved in nature conservation efforts.
Unfortunately, his new life was not without hardship, either. The Big Die-Up (the popular name for the freakishly severe winter of 1886-1887) wiped out his entire herd of cattle. Devastated once again, he reversed his earlier migration, headed back east, and got involved in politics once more.
Roosevelt in Politics
Roosevelt worked in various political jobs for the next several years and volunteered to fight when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. After proving himself a distinguished leader in the war, he became governor of New York, then vice president of the United States. Then, when President McKinley was assassinated, president. This is what he is remembered for today.
Major Accomplishments
As the first president of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt distinguished himself by getting the Panama Canal built, busting up monopolies, promoting environmental conservation, and winning a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace between Russia and Japan. He is also notable for being the first president to have cameras following him everywhere, motion pictures having become a thing while he was in office. His autobiography certainly makes for an interesting read. It does not, though, so much as mention Alice. He found her to be a subject too painful to discuss for the rest of his life.
Happy Birthday Teddy!
On this day in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was born to Martha Stewart Bulloch and Theodore Roosevelt Sr. As the first president of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt distinguished himself by getting the Panama Canal built, busting up monopolies, promoting environmental conservation, and winning a Nobel Peace Prize for brokering peace between Russia and Japan.
But what was life like for the man who carried a big stick? Continue reading to find out.