He was a Rough Rider. In 1898, he resigned from the Department of the Navy and organized the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, known as the Rough Riders. Among other battles, he led the charge up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War.
Roosevelt called his governing philosophy "Square Deal," meaning fair dealings between businesses, consumers, and workers. He opened 40 antitrust cases against corporations. He promoted safe handling regulations for food and drugs, fought against misleading advertising, and encouraged arbitration between businesses and unions.
Roosevelt knew an opportunity when he saw it. The French had abandoned construction of the Panama Canal largely because of malaria and yellow fever. In 1904, Roosevelt contracted the U.S. to build the canal in return for control over the area.
He dispatched surgeons and sanitation engineers to tackle the mosquito problem, then teams and heavy equipment to complete the canal, which opened in 1914.
Roosevelt's Wikipedia entry has a list of presidential firsts, including
the first president to refer to the presidential mansion as the White House, host a black man at a White House dinner, appoint a Jewish person as a cabinet member, travel outside the United States while in office, and fly in an airplane. He was also the first American to ever win a Nobel Prize, for Peace in 1906.
As a bonus postscript, the president's son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. distinguished himself at the Normandy Invasion on D-Day and earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 2001, President Roosevelt himself was awarded the
Medal of Honor posthumously for his service at the Battle of San Juan Hill, the only president to ever be so honored.
Children: Alice Ted Jr. Kermit Ethel Archie Quentin
Honorary Degrees: LL.D. D.C.L. L.H.D. Ph.D. J.D. Sc.D.
Judo Black Belt (Don't know why they threw that in there.
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