Teddy Roosevelt's name evokes many memories. He was the 26th president of the United States, a naturalist, and a soldier. Among his exploits were heading the Rough Riders, winning a Nobel Peace Prize, and beginning construction of the Panama Canal. Even the teddy bear owes its name to this American great: a toy maker named a stuffed bear in his honor after hearing of Roosevelt's refusal to shoot a bear cub while hunting in 1902.

Born October 27, 1858, Roosevelt was the second of four children born into a socially prominent New York family. As a child, he suffered from asthma and poor eyesight. It was this frailty that drove Roosevelt toward “the strenuous life”, also the title of his 1901 book. Roosevelt attended and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard in 1880 before studying law at Columbia.

He had one daughter, Alice, by his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. Roosevelt had the severe misfortune of losing both his wife and his mother on the same day. In dealing with his grief, he moved out West to tend a cattle ranch. Here he hunted and regained health and strength before moving back to New York in 1886. Roosevelt married Edith Kermit Carow the same year and they took home in Sagamore Hill on Long Island, New York. Together they had five children.

Elected to the New York State Assembly at just 23, Roosevelt quickly gained recognition as a political reformer, before moving west. He lost the 1886 New York mayoral election, but remained active. He was appointed to the U.S. Civil Service Commission by President Harrison in 1889 and later became president of the commission. He then served two years as president of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners, before taking appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during President McKinley’s term.

During this time, Roosevelt organized hunters and cowboys of the West into a regiment of voluntary cavalry known as the Rough Riders. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt took his troops to Cuba when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. Based upon the exploits of his men particularly during the Battle of San Juan, he emerged as the country’s biggest national hero.

Upon his return, Roosevelt was elected to a two-year term as governor of the state of New York the same year. Once again, he championed political reform. In 1900, he entered 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as Vice President under President McKinley. He would only hold this office for less than a year, as McKinley was assassinated on September 14, 1901.

At 42 years of age, Roosevelt suddenly became the youngest president America had ever seen. Perhaps it was his youth that inspired his desire for change; he even donned his residence the White House. He gave speeches aimed at raising public consciousness from what he dubbed the bully pulpit.

Roosevelt used the nearly defunct Sherman Antitrust Act for bringing trust-busting lawsuits against 44 major corporations, including the Northern Securities Company. He also took an interest in labor – the first president to side, at least partially, with the Unions. He fought for what he termed a “Square Deal” between capital and labor. He also used the phrase as his 1904 campaign slogan. During his second term, he set aside 194 million acres of land as national forests to shelter them from commercial exploitation.

Roosevelt used his time in office to widen the scope of America’s involvement in international affairs. His foreign policy could be summed up by the proverb he often quoted: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” One big stick he wielded was a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine that made the United States the sole steward of Latin American countries. The U.S. was to ensure these countries met their international obligations, while other countries were barred from intervention. It was at this time, that he had construction begin on the Panama Canal. His visit to the region marked the first time a president left the Union while in office.

True to his word, Roosevelt often did speak softly to foreign countries outside the Western Hemisphere. His diplomacy in the Portsmouth Peace Conference led to the end of the Russo-Japanese War and a future Nobel Peace Prize.

Roosevelt tried to leave politics after his terms ended, but he could not stay away for long. He became involved in the rift dividing the Republican party and eventually backed the more progressive party members, not those backing Taft, his hand-picked successor. Roosevelt formed the Progressive, or Bull Moose, Party to provide a ticket for him to run on in 1912. During the run, Roosevelt was shot in the chest. His health quickly recovered, but his campaign did not. Woodrow Wilson won the election handily and won re-election in 1916.

Although favored to win the Republican nomination in the 1920 presidential race, Roosevelt’s health finally gave out. He died in his sleep in January 1919 at the age of 60.