Theodore Roosevelt
Naturalist. Rancher. Reformer. President. One Life, Told in Full.
Chapter One · 1858–1880
A frail, asthmatic boy in a Manhattan townhouse collected specimens, built his body, and left Harvard determined to live a life of action.
Chapter Two · 1878–1886
Elected to the State Assembly at twenty-three, he made his name fighting corruption — until a double tragedy at home changed everything.
Chapter Three · 1883–1887
He came to Dakota to hunt a bison and sank $14,000 into a cattle ranch he had seen exactly once. The Badlands gave him back a new life.
TR at a Glance
| Born | October 27, 1858, New York City |
|---|---|
| Died | January 6, 1919, at Sagamore Hill |
| President | 26th President, 1901–1909 |
| Youngest president | Took office at forty-two |
| Nobel Peace Prize | 1906 — the first American laureate |
| Land protected | Roughly 230 million acres |
| Badlands rancher | 1883–1887 |
| Married | Alice Hathaway Lee (1880); Edith Kermit Carow (1886) |
| Children | Six — Alice, Ted Jr., Kermit, Ethel, Archie, Quentin |
| Author | Some 35 books and thousands of articles |
Chapter Four · 1886–1901
Civil service reformer, police commissioner, Rough Rider, governor, vice president — a fifteen-year climb that ended suddenly in Buffalo.
Chapter Five · 1901–1909
The youngest president in American history delivered the Square Deal, the Panama Canal, a Nobel Peace Prize, and roughly 230 million acres of protected land.
Chapter Six · 1909–1919
An African safari, the Bull Moose crusade, an unmapped river in the Amazon — he crowded a lifetime into his final decade.
Explore by Theme
Parks, Forests & Monuments
Roughly 230 million acres protected — parks, forests, monuments, and bird reserves. The legacy that outlasts them all.
Family, Friends & Rivals
Edith and the children, John Muir and Booker T. Washington — the family, friends, and rivals who shaped his life.
In His Own Words
What he actually said, with sources — from the man in the arena to the strenuous life.
From the Bully Pulpit
From the inaugural address to the man in the arena — full texts and the stories behind the words.
Where History Happened
From a Manhattan townhouse to the White House to a cabin in the Badlands — the places that made and kept him.
Vigor as a Way of Life
Doctors called him frail. He made himself a boxer, hunter, and explorer — and preached the doctrine of the active life.
The Author President
Some 35 books and thousands of articles. He lived the adventures first, then wrote them down.
Life at Sagamore Hill
Six children, a formidable First Lady, and a family tree that reaches to Eleanor and Franklin.
The Measure of the Man
Mount Rushmore, presidential rankings, and the words that still echo — how America remembers TR.
Fact vs. Fiction
He never liked being called Teddy — and that is just the first surprise. Famous stories, checked against the record.
An Honest Accounting
Roosevelt’s record includes beliefs and decisions that caused lasting harm — on race, Native nations, and empire. Presented plainly, without excuse.
Teaching Roosevelt
Classroom resources for elementary, middle, and high school — core concepts, activities, and bigger questions.
Medora, North Dakota
The story doesn’t end on the page. Stand in the Badlands that shaped a president, walk the boardwalk, and meet Roosevelt where his story turned — at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.