Full of energy and excitement, hard-driving and childlike—that’s how people described Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States.
When Roosevelt took office in 1901, some people were glad. Others were sad. He always spoke his mind, and he always did what he thought was right. It was hard to know just what he would say or do.
Roosevelt was a man of opposites. He was a city boy who loved the wild country. He was a man of action who could read two or three books a day. He found glory in war. But he was the first U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He thought nature should be protected, but he was also a big-game hunter. He believed in democracy. But he also believed that the U.S. had the right to step in when countries were not acting as he thought they should. Above all, “T.R.” was a serious man who loved to have fun.
