Theodore (or "Teddy") Roosevelt was and still is the youngest president to ever take office in the United States. He got the position after his running mate, President McKinely, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901. He is often known for setting aside huge chunks of land for protection during his presidency, including Yosemite National Park here in California.What often isn't known about President Roosevelt is that he was big on breaking up trusts. He became President at a time when labor and the management were locked in a bitter debate about fair wages and working hours, and Roosevelt didn't shy away from this conflict. He used the Sherman Antitrust Act, a law prohibiting all trusts that restrained trade, to help break down these trusts. One major trust he broke up was J.P Morgan's northern railroad trust. Morgan controlled almost all of the railroad shipping in the Northern United States and Roosevelt filed a suit against the company. The case ended up in court and the Supreme court voted 5-4 to break up the northern securities company. This helped make him even more popular. During his 7 years of presidency, he brought up 43 suites against major trusts. His aim as a president was to support the public interest instead of big companies. He established the Bureau of Corporations to investigate businesses in 1903
Roosevelt was also the president who brought attention to the nation's role in world politics. He was also a nationalist who believed in a strong executive government and he used his power as president. He facilitated the building of the Panama canal by helping Panama secede from Colombia. He also used the Monroe Doctrine to police the collection of debts by European countries in the Western Hemisphere. He built the US Navy into a major force over his presidency and loved how the US had ented foreign affairs by taking over the Philipines. He also negotiated to end the Russo-Japanese war and won a Nobel Peace Prize for doing so.
Roosevelt did leave office as promised after his second term and supported Taft for the 1908 election. After being disappointed that Taft didn't continue with the progressive ideals of Roosevelt, he unsuccessfully campaigned against Taft for the Republican nomination in the 1912 election. After losing, he and his supporters formed the Progressive party, also known as the bull moose party. Roosevelt ran for president again as a third party and lost, but still, beat Taft in electoral votes.
Roosevelt supported entering World War 1 and all of his sons went to fight. He would end up dying peacefully in his sleep in 1919.
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/theodore-roosevelt
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodore-Roosevelt/The-Square-Deal
http://www.ushistory.org/us/43b.asp
I like Roosevelt because he was willing to do what was best for the majority of his people such as standing up to the corporate tycoons. On top of that, he wasn't like many of the politicians at the time in the sense that he was willing to fight for what he believed in. He willingly fought in the Spanish-American War and displayed his skills during that war. When he returned not only did he get the Republican nomination but he defied them and the corporations. Roosevelt built a navy and mediated a conflict between the Russians and Japanese. All together, Roosevelt was an excellent president(in my opinion) and an honorable man.
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