President Theodore Roosevelt
Twenty-Sixth President 1901-1909
Surely our people do not understand even yet the rich heritage that is theirs. There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred. - Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter, 1905
When President McKinley was assassinated in September 1901, his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, succeeded him. At 43, Roosevelt became the youngest President in the nation's history.
Theodore Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family in 1858. His family described him as "sickly, delicate, precocious, and constantly fighting asthma attacks." Yet, he lived a full life and accomplished much. His ambition took him from a cowboy and rancher all the way to the White House.
Did you know...? Teddy Roosevelt signed into law the first 51 federal bird sanctuaries and the first 18 national monuments.
This information was provided by the US National Park Service. For more information about Teddy Roosevelt and his Presidency, please visit the National Park Service's Theodore Roosevelt History website.
And did you know...?
The Real Teddy Bear Story
Image courtesy of the Smithsonian "Archives of American Art" - 1944 photograph of the original cartoon "Drawing the line in Mississippi" by Clifford Berryman, 1902.
It all started with a hunting trip President Roosevelt took in 1902 in Mississippi at the invitation of Mississippi Governor, Andrew H. Longino. After three days of hunting, other members of the party had spotted bears, but not Roosevelt.
Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that had been captured and tie to a tree. But Roosevelt took one look at the old bear and refused to shoot it. He felt doing so would be unsportsmanlike.
For more information on TR's hunting expedition and where the first teddy bears came from, you may be interested in "The Real Teddy Bear Story" at the Theodore Roosevelt Association website.