Theodore Roosevelt inaugural souvenir booklet

Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was born October 27, 1858 in New York City. He suffered from asthma as a child, but grew into an active adult with a large personality. Roosevelt's first wife and his mother both passed away on February 14, 1884, two days after the birth of his daughter Alice. He focused on his work as a New York State Assembly member then briefly moved to North Dakota where he published three books about hunting. In 1886, he married Edith Carow and lost the Mayor of New York election. From 1888 through 1898, Roosevelt served as New York City Police Commissioner, a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He resigned from his Assistant Secretary position in April 1898 to lead the Rough Rider Regiment in the Battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York in November 1898 and Vice President of the United States in November 1900. He stated his famous quote, "Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far" at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 1901. The president, William McKinley, suffered a gunshot wound in Buffalo, New York four days later. Roosevelt visited McKinley then returned to his vacation in the Adirondacks as he was expected to survive. McKinley died on September 14th while Roosevelt was enroute to Buffalo. Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president upon his arrival at Ainsley Wilcox House that evening. He was a popular president who earned a second term in November 1904. His inauguration took place on March 4, 1905 in Washington, D.C.

Roosevelt chose not to run for a third term in 1908. He went on an African safari and traveled through Europe after leaving the White House, but maintained a relationship with the new president William Taft. When Taft began to break from Roosevelt's influence, Roosevelt accepted a Republican party nomination to run for president in 1912. He was defeated at the Republican National Convention and chose to create the "Bull Moose" Party. Roosevelt lost the election and spent the next two years traveling through South America. He returned to the United States in May 1914 and expressed his thoughts about Woodrow Wilson's administration until his death on January 5, 1919.

Historical information adapted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt (accessed January 2019)