Theodore Roosevelt on Love, Ladies, and Conservation | The MeatEater Podcast Ep. 841

Steven Rinella talks with author of The Loves Of Theodore Roosevelt and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Ed O'Keefe. Joined by Randall Williams, Phil Taylor, and Corinne Schneider.

Topics discussed: The ladies in Teddy's life; being a sickly child and powering through pain; hunting to study; a tremendous taxidermy collection; a family that founded so many museums; sisters as advisors and confidants; a life-altering Valentine's Day tragedy; when a thick manuscript in your front jacket pocket stops a bullet and saves your life; being the first president to embrace women's suffrage and the right to own property; one of the most beloved in American history; and more. 

Get The Loves Of Theodore Roosevelt here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Loves-of-Theodore-Roosevelt/…

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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro: The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt
00:09:57 — From Anthony Bourdain to Theodore Roosevelt 00:17:42 — TR's Era Eerily Mirrors America Today
00:20:04 — He Was Shot Point Blank — and Kept Speaking 00:25:23 — TR's Sickly Childhood and His Mother's Influence 00:29:36 — His Mother: An Unreconstructed Confederate in a Union Home
00:33:39 — A House Divided: What It Taught TR About Bringing People Together
00:36:09 — TR as a Naturalist: Taxidermy, Formaldehyde, and No Friends
00:42:17 — He Was 18 When He Fell in Love — and His Dad Died
00:44:29 — The Two-Year Pursuit of Alice Hathaway Lee 00:47:15 — What Would Have Happened If Alice Had Lived? 00:50:26 — Valentine's Day: His Wife and Mother Both Die on the Same Day
00:53:22 — The Sisters Who Ran Roosevelt's Political Career Behind the Scenes
00:58:00 — Edith: The Better Judge of Character Who Ran the White House
01:03:19 — Why TR Made the Worst Political Decision of His Life
01:09:05 — He Invented the Primary Election After His Own Party Betrayed Him
01:14:35 — Shot on Stage — He Gave an Hour-Long Speech Bleeding Through His Shirt
01:16:46 — What Could TR Have Done If He'd Won in 1920? 01:21:50 — The Future of Conservation: What TR's Legacy Means Now
01:29:15 — The Equestrian Statue — and the Complexity of Historical Legacy
01:38:47 — Closing Thoughts: What TR Teaches Us Today 01:41:21 — Grand Opening: July 4th, 2026