Rancher Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States
New York-born Theodore Roosevelt attended Harvard University and personified Eastern power and grandeur. Two days after his daughter was born, on February 14, 1884, his mother and his loving wife passed away in the same home. Roosevelt was devastated by the terrible occurrence. He headed west, as many Americans had done before him, to ease his sorrow. Roosevelt adopted the Western way of life after relocating to the North Dakota ranch he named Elkhorn.
Roosevelt praised ranching, camping, exploring, and hunting for the rest of his life. He contributed his energetic energy to the ranching life, described it in books and magazine pieces, and committed himself to its preservation. Among others, he made acquaintances with Pat Garrett and Bat Masterson. Teddy hunted bison, Bighorn sheep, grizzlies, elk, and other large animals while posing for pictures and being dressed up in Western attire.
Roosevelt eventually overcame his sorrow and went back to New York. After a lengthy political career, he was chosen to serve as William McKinley's vice president before taking over as president after McKinley was killed. He continued to extol the advantages of the American West and its inhabitants when he was in the White House. Roosevelt's assimilation of Western culture is still a significant part of his legacy more than a century after his passing in 1919.
- 26th President of the United States
Born: Theodore Roosevelt Jr., October 27, 1858 New York City, U.S.
Died: January 6, 1919 (aged 60) Oyster Bay, New York, U.S.
