TheodoreRoosevelt(October27,1858January6,1919)wasborninNewYorkintooneof theoldDutchfamilieswhichhadsettledinAmericaintheseventeenthcentury.Ateighteenhe enteredHarvardCollegeandspentfouryearsthere,dividinghistimebetweenbooksandsport andexcellingatboth.AfterleavingHarvardhestudiedinGermanyforalmostayearandthen immediatelyenteredpolitics.HewaselectedtotheAssemblyofNewYorkState,holdingoffice forthreeyearsanddistinguishinghimselfasanardentreformer. In1884,becauseofillhealthandthedeathofhiswife,Rooseveltabandonedhispoliticalworkfor sometime.Heinvestedpartofthefortunehehadinheritedfromhisfatherinacattleranchinthe BadlandsofDakotaTerritory,expectingtoremainintheWestformanyyears.Hebecamea passionatehunter,especiallyofbiggame,andanardentbelieverinthewildoutdoorlifewhich broughthimhealthandstrength.In1886RooseveltreturnedtoNewYork,marriedagain,and oncemoreplungedintopolitics. PresidentHarrison,afterhiselectionin1889,appointedRooseveltasamemberoftheCivil ServiceCommissionofwhichhelaterbecamepresident.Thisofficeheretaineduntil1895when heundertookthedirectionofthePoliceDepartmentofNewYorkCity.

In1897hejoined PresidentMcKinley'sadministrationasassistantsecretaryoftheNavy.Whileinthisofficehe activelypreparedfortheCubanWar,whichhesawwascoming,andwhenitbrokeoutin1898, wenttoCubaaslieutenantcolonelofaregimentofvolunteercavalry,whichhehimselfhad raisedamongthehuntersandcowboysoftheWest.Hewongreatfameasleaderofthese RoughRiders,whosestoryhetoldinoneofhismostpopularbooks. ElectedgovernorofthestateofNewYorkin1898,heinvestedhistwoyearadministrationwith thevigorousandbusinesslikecharacteristicswhichwerehishallmark.Hewouldhavesought reelectionin1900,sincemuchofhisworkwasonlyhalfdone,hadtheRepublicansnotchosen himastheircandidateforthesecondofficeoftheUnion.Heheldthevicepresidencyforless thanayear,succeedingtothepresidencyaftertheassassinationofPresidentMcKinleyon September14,1901.In1904Rooseveltwaselectedtoafulltermaspresident. In1902PresidentRoosevelttooktheinitiativeinopeningtheinternationalCourtofArbitrationat TheHague,which,thoughfoundedin1899,hadnotbeencalleduponbyanypowerinitsfirst threeyearsofexistence.TheUnitedStatesandMexicoagreedtolayanolddifferenceoftheirs, concerningthePiousFoundationsofCalifornia,beforetheHagueTribunal.Whenthisexample wasfollowedbyotherpowers,thearbitrationmachinerycreatedin1899wasfinallycalledinto operation.Rooseveltalsoplayedaprominentpartinextendingtheuseofarbitrationto internationalproblemsintheWesternHemisphere,concludingseveralarbitrationtreatieswith Europeanpowerstoo,althoughtheSenaterefusedtoratifythem. In1904theInterparliamentaryUnion,meetinginSt.Louis,Missouri,requestedRoosevelttocall anotherinternationalconferencetocontinuetheworkbegunatTheHaguein1899.Roosevelt respondedimmediately,andintheautumnof1904SecretaryofStateJohnHayinvitedthe powerstomeetatTheHague.Russia,however,refusedtoparticipateinaconferencewhile

engagedinhostilitieswithJapan.Afterthepeaceof1905,thematterwasplacedinthehandsof theRussiangovernment,whichhadtakentheinitiativeinconveningthefirstHagueConference. InJune,1905,PresidentRooseveltofferedhisgoodofficesasmediatorbetweenRussiaand Japan,askingthebelligerentstonominateplenipotentiariestonegotiateontheconditionsof peace.InAugusttheymetatPortsmouth,NewHampshire,andaftersomeweeksofdifficult negotiationsconcludedapeacetreatyinSeptember,1905. Roosevelt'scandidateforpresident,WilliamHowardTaft,tookofficein1909.Dissatisfiedwith Taft'sperformance,RooseveltboltedtheregularRepublicanPartyin1912andacceptedthe presidentialnominationbytheProgressiveParty.HeoutpolledTaft,butWoodrowWilson outpolledeachofthem.In1917Wilsonrefusedhisoffertoraiseandcommandadivisiontofight inWorldWarI. Rooseveltwasanhistorian,abiographer,astatesman,ahunter,anaturalist,anorator.His prodigiousliteraryoutputincludestwentysixbooks,overathousandmagazinearticles, thousandsofspeechesandletters. In1919,attheageofsixty,hediedinhissleep