Biography:

Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States.
Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City and was the second child of Martha Bulloch Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.  At a young age, Roosevelt developed bronchial asthma, a condition that was so severe, he almost died.  He had poor vision and at the age of fourteen began wearing glasses.  Despite his medical conditions, Roosevelt was a curious and energetic young boy.  He was interested in natural history, collected insects, and performed taxidermy on birds and other small creatures. When he was only nine years old he wrote a natural history paper entitled “The Natural History of Insects.”  Roosevelt’s poor health began to improve at the age of twelve when his father built him a gymnasium in the family home.  He lifted weights and learned how to box.  Roosevelt’s parents sought to expand their children’s world view and hired tutors to teach the children French, German, and Latin.  The family spent a year in Europe and the Middle East.  Roosevelt was mostly home schooled as a child, and in 1876 enrolled at Harvard College.  On October 27, 1880 Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway Lee.  Alice died on February 14, 1884, two days after giving birth to their daughter Alice.  His mother passed away from typhoid fever the same day.  Roosevelt was distraught and sent his daughter away to live with one of his sisters. 
In 1886, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor of New York.  On December 2, 1886 he married his second wife, Edith Kermit Carow.  From 1895-1897, he served as the head of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners.  In 1897, he was appointed assistant secretary of the navy.  In 1898, he became a military hero when he led the Rough Riders Regiment to victory at the battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. He served as the governor of New York from 1899 to 1901.  He became vice president in 1901 and President on September 14, 1901 after President McKinley’s assassination.  At the age of 42, he became the youngest president in American history.  He served from 1901-1909.
Roosevelt’s administration began what would be later known as the progressive era.  As president, he enacted numerous reforms, expanded the powers of the executive office, and became known as the great “trust buster” who broke up Standard Oil and filed forty anti-trust lawsuits.  During the anthracite coal strike, he became the first president to use his powers to negotiate and settle a labor dispute.  He expanded trade, built the Panama Canal, increased US military power and presence in the Western hemisphere, and was an imperialist who supported American expansionism.  He established the Forest Service, created five national parks, and signed legislation to preserve millions of acres of land. 
In 1908, he decided not to run for re-election to a third term.  Instead, he supported and helped William Howard Taft win the presidency.  However, Roosevelt soon began to disagree with the policies of the Taft administration and decided to run against Taft in 1912.  Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose party.  Roosevelt and Taft lost to Woodrow Wilson.
Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919.