Edison’s X-ray After President William McKinley was shot inventor Thomas Edison sent doctors a newly developed medical device an X-ray machine Edison thought it might help find a stray bullet doctors could not locate within McKinley’s body Doctors however refused to use it They were concerned it would be dangerous to move the president While they believed he was recovering McKinley developed a deadly infection Finding the bullet would not have saved him he had to switch to another train for the rest of the journey More than twelve hours after the start of his trip Roosevelt finally reached his destination After an exhausting journey there was little time for rest In Buffalo Roosevelt ate a quick lunch and borrowed formal clothing from Ansley Wilcox a friend in the city First Roosevelt paid his respects to McKinley whose body was lying in state Then back at Wilcox’s mansion home Roosevelt was sworn into office as president of the United States on September 14 Only forty-three people watched Roosevelt take the presidential oath of office These witnesses included news reporters cabinet members and local dignitaries The Twenty-Sixth President By the time Roosevelt became president he had a reputation for being many things a hunter a naturalist an author a reformer a cowboy a family man and a military hero He was an influential leader who could take the country where he wanted it to go 8
On his path to the presidency Roosevelt took many detours in both his personal and professional life Those detours strengthened his spirit built his character and informed his future decisions Tragic circumstances had landed him in the nation’s highest office But as the twenty-sixth US president Roosevelt was both prepared and determined to serve his country well Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as president at the Wilcox home in Buffalo New York on September 14 1901 9
CHAPTER ONE ROOSEVELT’S EARLY YEARS When Theodore called Teedie by some was a child few people would have predicted he’d ever become president of the United States Born in New York City New York on October 27 1858 Theodore was sickly as a youngster He suffered from asthma allergies and digestive ailments He wasn’t expected to live long As he grew older he also showed a timid side to his personality and suffered from recurring nightmares Theodore wasn’t strong as a child but he was born with advantages in life His family was close supportive socially prominent and wealthy His father Theodore Roosevelt Sr was his son’s hero who helped Theodore breathe during life-threatening asthma attacks I could breathe I could sleep when he held me in his arms My father he got me breath he got me lungs strength life Roosevelt later said Theodore’s father set a compelling example for his children as a vigorous healthy man with solid moral principles and strong leadership skills His father was a philanthropist who believed in using his wealth and position to help others His contributions to society included working to establish New York City’s Children’s Aid Society the New York Orthopedic Hospital the American 1010
Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Art He helped others in personal ways too The elder Roosevelt once organized a dinner for his wealthy friends and surprised them by including disabled children as guests He then asked his friends to contribute money to benefit the children Theodore’s mother Theodore Roosevelt Sr was a successful businessman in New York City Martha Mittie Bulloch was a romantic eccentric and charming southern belle who greatly influenced her son’s development and personality His mother had an allegiance to the South before during and after the American Civil War 1861 1865 Because of his wife’s loyalties to the South the elder Roosevelt had not enlisted in the US military to fight for the North during the war He stayed out of the North-South battle at Mittie’s request She didn’t want to see her husband at war against her family still living in the South As wealthy men often did at the time her husband chose the legal option to pay a substitute to fight for him This disappointed Theodore who otherwise adored his father He believed in his father’s strength and thought that avoiding war seemed cowardly Later in life Roosevelt echoed his thoughts on cowardly behavior and the will to fight stating Cowardice in a race as in an individual is the unpardonable sin No triumph of peace is quite so great as the supreme triumphs of war 1111
