Full of energy and excitement, hard-driving, and childlike—these are words people used to describe Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States.
When Roosevelt took office in 1901, some people were delighted. Others were disappointed. He always spoke his mind, and he always did what he thought was right. It was hard to predict just what he would say or do.
Roosevelt was a man of contradictions. He was a city boy who loved the wilderness. He was a man of action who could read two or three books a day. He found glory in war, yet he was the first U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He was both a conservationist and a big-game hunter. He was a firm believer in democracy, yet he also believed that the United States had the right to interfere in the affairs of countries that were not acting as he thought they should. Above all, “T.R.” was a serious man who loved to have fun.
