133 Interesting Facts About Teddy Roosevelt You Should Know

Theodore Roosevelt, also known as Teddy Roosevelt, was the 26th president of the United States who took over the office accidentally after the assassination of William McKinley.

Theodore Roosevelt, born on October 27, 1858 held office as the president of the United States for two tenures from September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909. Before he became the president in 1901, he was the vice president to William McKinley from March 4, 1901 to September 14, 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt was a well-learned man as he was an adept politician, a conservationist, naturalist, statesman, historian, and a writer as well. Prior to becoming the vice president in 1901, he was the governor of New York from 1899-1900.

It was his heroic deeds during the Spanish-American war in leading 'the Rough Riders' which gave him the title of a war hero and led him to become the governor of New York.

During his childhood days, young Roosevelt was a frail, sick child who lacked physical fitness and was prone to a number of illnesses. However, this did not come in the way of his love for the outdoors and wildlife.

Owing to his sickness and asthma, he was home-schooled but when he entered his teenage years, he adopted a much more strenuous lifestyle to improve his physical health. He trained himself in weightlifting and gymnastics and later went on to judo and boxing as well.

Theodore Roosevelt then graduated from Harvard College in the 1880s and went on to marry Alice Hathaway Lee, with whom he had one daughter.

Sadly, in 1884 Roosevelt lost both his mother and his wife on the same day. It broke him and he went back to a ranch which he owned in Dakota territory, and he spent two years of his life there hunting, driving cattle, and also working as a frontier sheriff.

It was after this return of his from the ranch that his political career resumed and he went on to become the youngest president in American history at the age of 42 years.

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How did Roosevelt get the name, Teddy?

When Roosevelt was a young boy, he was nicknamed 'Teedie' which later changed to 'Teddy' due to an incident that took place in 1902 in Mississippi. A large section of the population knew President Roosevelt as Teddy Roosevelt but many might be unaware even today that President Roosevelt did not like being called by that name.

Although he used the teddy bear as his mascot during the presidential elections, the name 'Teddy' apparently reminded him of his late wife Alice who used to call him by that name.

It was a bear hunting trip in 1902 Mississippi in which President Roosevelt took part as well. What happened was, Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill a bear that was captured by the other hunters.

It took no time for the journalists and the media houses to get creative on this matter. In no time, there were political cartoons in every newspaper which starred 'teddy' and 'the bear'.

On top of that, a soft toy shop in Brooklyn, New York, made stuffed bears and with the due permission of Theodore Roosevelt, named them 'teddy bears'.

It was an instant hit, women and children loved the integration between the soft toy and its name. The phrase 'teddy's bear' was quite catchy too and it helped Theodore Roosevelt stay in the limelight.

Even today stuffed bear toys are identified and sold by the name of teddy bears, most of the world now perhaps doesn't know the origin of the name but it was Theodore Roosevelt who should be thanked for it.

Moreover, many people in the world now think that his original name was Teddy Roosevelt, some think that it was Theodore Roosevelt, however both are incorrect.

The real name of the former president of America was Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

What did he do as a president?

Theodore Roosevelt took over the presidency of the United States under unusual circumstances. He was sworn in as the president on September 14 following the assassination of William McKinley.

The Republican Party wasn't completely convinced with Roosevelt taking charge of the White House but he assured them that he would adhere to the policies of McKinley and also retained his cabinet.

In the years that followed, Roosevelt did a commendable job which also led to him coming to the White House in his second tenure. Moreover, we can get an idea about his presidency from the fact that his memorial is present at Mount Rushmore along with the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson.

During the early parts of his presidency, Roosevelt was most notably known for his trust-busting policies which deregulated the monopolistic situation in several sectors.

Despite the fact that he was the youngest president ever, he was smart enough to realize that big companies were important for the country's economy, but at the same time, he prosecuted the 'bad trusts' which charged unjust prices owing to their monopolistic control over the market.

Standard Oil and Northern Securities Company were amongst the biggest names which faced severe impact from the antitrust suits introduced by Roosevelt.

Additionally, after a victory in the 1902 elections, Roosevelt also proposed the introduction of the Department of Commerce and Labor.

In May 1902, Roosevelt also became the first president to solve a labor dispute when he intervened in settling the anthracite coal miners dispute. It led to the miners getting more pay for fewer number of hours but without the recognition of any union.

Roosevelt's office also took tough stances on upcoming issues of corruption, high rates charged by railroads, passing acts to ban misleading labels, and abandoning the use of preservatives that contained chemicals in food packets.

Theodore's love for nature and his conservationist behavior was not unknown during his tenure as the president.

He established the United States Forest Service and also set up 150 National Forests, 51 bird reserves, and four game reserves.

Moreover, Roosevelt is also remembered as the president who started the construction of the Panama Canal and also got himself involved in ending the war between Russia and Japan by leading the negotiations, winning a Nobel Peace Prize for his deed.

Theodore Roosevelt is only one of the four American presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize and he was the first one to do so.

What is Theodore Roosevelt most famous for?

Roosevelt held a number of posts out of which most of them were of public service and politically connected but his post as the leader of the Rough Riders was very important in him becoming the Governor of New York.

After the Spanish-American War, he was known by the name of Colonel Roosevelt owing to his leadership qualities and his contribution to the war.

Even though he was a prolific writer and also had a potential legal career, it was his tenure as the president of the United States which has left behind an unparalleled legacy.

In his entire political career, Roosevelt is famous for a number of policies he introduced regarding trust-busting and laying the foundation of a sustainable world, and setting an example of being an ideal world leader.

Roosevelt was greatly admired for his conservationism where he put forward environmental issues and exhibited selflessness in all his decisions regarding the environment. He set up more than 100 National Forests and more than 50 bird reserves to protect the wildlife for future generations to come.

At the same time, he established the United States Forest Service as well.

He also took political and diplomatic decisions which played a key role in the construction of the Panama Canal, ending the war between Russia and Japan.

Direct federal taxation, direct democracy, and labor reforms leading to laborers getting better pay, and end of monopolist rule of some companies via antitrust suits are some of the other decisions which made Roosevelt extensively famous and respected in the entire world.

He reshaped the functioning of world politics and has ever since been marked as a key figure in the history of American development and also particularly of New York for his tenure as its governor.

Theodore Roosevelt's Childhood

Turning back the pages of history, one might find it hard to believe but Theodore Roosevelt's childhood was quite contrary to his teen and adult life. He was a frail child especially prone to illnesses and particularly asthma.

Roosevelt completed his early schooling at home due to his health condition. However, there was a drastic change once he went to Harvard College.

Roosevelt worked on his physique focusing on gymnastics, boxing, weightlifting, and also judo. After completing his graduation, he married Alice Hathaway Lee and enrolled at Columbia University Law School.

After one year, he dropped out of and decided to go to New York City. In New York City, he was then elected to the New York State Assembly.

He served two terms there but then moved to a ranch in Dakota following the demise of both his mother and wife on the same day in 1884. After this phase of his life, he remarried, went on to become a war hero, a governor, a vice president, and ultimately the president of his country.

Some say that the presidency is present in the bloodline of the Roosevelt family as a couple of decades later, Theodore's fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt also served as the president of the United States.

Some people confuse Franklin Roosevelt for Theodore Roosevelt and mistake the latter for running as the president of the US for three terms, whereas, it was Franklin Roosevelt who held the office as the president for four terms owing to foreign policy concerns.

Ultimately, Theodore Roosevelt passed away at the age of 60 on January 6, 1919, following the death of his youngest son in the First World War.

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