United States
Presidents
Theodore Roosevelt
Anne Welsbacher
ABDO Publishing Company
1
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, Corbis-
Bettmann
Edited by Lori Kinstad Pupeza
Contributing editor: Brooke Henderson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Welsbacher, Anne, 1955-
Theodore 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.
4
Theodore Roosevelt campaigning for William McKinley
5
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
6
7
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
26th President
BORN: October 27, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH: New York, New York
ANCESTRY: English, Dutch, Scottish, Huguenot
FATHER: Theodore Roosevelt (1831-1878)
MOTHER: Martha Bulloch Roosevelt (1834-1884)
WIVES: First wife: Alice Hathaway Lee (1861-1884)
Second wife: Edith Kermit Carow (1861-1948)
CHILDREN: First wife, one girl (Alice Lee)
Second wife, five: 4 boys (Theodore Jr., Kermit,
Archibald, Quentin), 1 girl (Ethel)
EDUCATION: Private tutoring; 1876-1880 Harvard (B.A.);
studied law at Columbia
RELIGION: Dutch Reformed
OCCUPATION: Writer, historian, ranchman
MILITARY SERVICE: Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, 1st U.S. Volunteers
Cavalry Regiment (Rough Riders) 1898
POLITICAL PARTY: Republican
8
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
9
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.
10
Portrait of
Theodore
Roosevelt at
age 10
11
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.
12
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
13
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
14
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
15
The Making of the 26th United States President
1858 1871 1878
1876
Born Oct. Theodore Enters
Theodore s
27 in New gets his Harvard
father dies
York, NY first pair of University
glasses
1885 1895
1886 1889
Works as a Marries Works for
Takes over as
ranchman in Edith government in
police com-
North Dakota Carow civil service
missioner in
office
New York
1901 1904 1906 1908
Elected presi- Wins Nobel
President McKinley
Roosevelt
dent in his own Peace Prize
is assassinated.
retires his
right by a large
Theodore Roosevelt
presidency to
majority
is now president
William Taft
YEARS
PRESIDENTIAL
YEARS
PRESIDENTIAL
 It is well indeed for our land that we of this generation have learned to think nationally.
1880 1881 1884 Historical Highlights
during Roosevelt Administration
Graduates from Baby daugh-
Elected to
Harvard, ter is born,
New York
Coal strike (1902)
marries Alice Alice dies
assembly
Dept. of Commerce and Labor created
Hathaway Lee after giving
(1903)
birth, mother
Treaty with Panama for building
dies the
Panama Canal (1904)
same day
Louisiana Purchase exposition (1904)
1897 1898 1900
Moves family Elected vice
Elected
to Washington, president of
governor
D.C., and is U.S. under
of New
assistant William
York
secretary to the McKinley
navy
1909 1910 1912 1919
Travels to
Travels to Runs for presi-
Dies in his
Europe
Africa to dent again and
sleep on
hunt wild loses to
January 6
animals Woodrow
Wilson
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!
18
Theodore Roosevelt working in a civil service job
19
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 Spanish-
American 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
21
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
22
Theodore
Roosevelt
making a
speech
23
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
24
25
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.
26
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
27
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.
28
" 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
29
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.
31
Index
Progressive Party 26
A G
Pure Food and Drug Act 24
activities 12 government 6, 18
R
Africa 26, 28 governor 6, 9, 21
animal collection 10, 12, Grand Canyon 26 ranchman 14
29 retirement 6
H
assistant secretary to the Rough Riders 8, 20
Harvard University 4, 8,
navy 20 Russia 24
10, 12
asthma 10
S
health 10, 26, 27
B
hunting 6, 14, 26, 28 Sagamore Hill 15
birth 10 San Juan Hill 20
J
books 6, 10, 12, 14, 26, 29 secretary of the Navy 20
Japan 24
Brazil 6, 26 sister 14
Bull Moose Party 26, 28 Smithsonian Institution 26
M
Spain 6, 20
C
marriage 6, 12, 15
square deal 6, 22
mayor 14
campaign 18, 24
T
McKinley, President
cattle 14
William 18, 20, 21
children 6, 14, 15, 20, 26 Taft, President William 24
military service 8
civil service 9, 18 teddy bears 28
mother 10, 14
Columbia Law School 13
U
Cuba 6, 20
N
unions 22
D
national park 4, 6, 22
V
navy 9
death 6, 27
New York Assembly 14 vice president 6, 9, 21
doctors 10
New York Assembly 18
W
E
nickname 10
war hero 20
Elkhorn Ranch 14 Nobel Peace Prize 4, 24
Washington, D.C. 20, 26
Europe 6, 26
P
White House 24, 28
F
Panama Canal 22 White House Gang 28
father 10, 12 police 6, 9, Wilson, President Woodrow
politics 13, 14 26
president 21, 22, 24, 28 wives 4, 6, 12, 14, 15, 20
women s right 28
32