DemocratVice President · New York
Theodore Roosevelt"Teddy"
1901 first electedLeft office 1901Born 1858 in New York City, NYDied 1919
Biography
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was the 26th President of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. He became president at age 42 — the youngest in history at the time — after the assassination of William McKinley, having previously served as Vice President, Governor of New York, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He gained national fame leading the "Rough Riders" cavalry unit during the Spanish-American War. As president, he was a progressive reformer known for trust-busting large monopolies, championing conservation (establishing national parks, forests, and monuments), and pursuing an assertive foreign policy summarized by his motto "speak softly and carry a big stick" — including overseeing construction of the Panama Canal. After leaving office, he ran for a third term in 1912 under the Progressive "Bull Moose" Party, splitting the Republican vote.
Additional Info
Spouse
Alice Lee (m. 1880; died 1884), Edith Carow (m. 1886)
Prior Offices
33rd Governor of New York, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, President of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners, Member of the New York State Assembly from the 21st district
Fun Fact
The teddy bear is named after him — following a 1902 hunting trip in Mississippi where he refused to shoot a captured, tethered bear, deeming it unsportsmanlike. A political cartoon of the incident inspired a toymaker to create "Teddy's bear," which became the iconic teddy bear. Separately, in 1912, he was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin before giving a scheduled speech — and delivered the roughly 90-minute speech anyway with the bullet still lodged in him, opening with "I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose."
Election History
No election records found in the database yet.