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
Growing Up Roosevelt As a boy Theodore whose asthma prevented him from much physical activity was a voracious reader He was especially drawn to books about great adventures and read many books from his family’s library One of the first books he loved was David Livingstone’s Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa which contained beautiful illustrations of exotic animals and birds Theodore was also a born naturalist The young Roosevelt collected frogs birds mice and snakes He stuffed and sketched many of his findings He kept detailed records too including information about each animal’s sex location size and stomach contents In 1867 when he was nine years old Theodore even started a home museum naming it the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History From his collection of specimens he later donated several items to the American Museum of Natural History that his father had cofounded Throughout his childhood Theodore continued to suffer from asthma and nightmares At the time medical treatments for asthma were very primitive and did not help They included using coffee tobacco and ipecac a drug to induce vomiting Watching their son suffer from the constant attacks terrified the Roosevelts As a child Theodore was often in poor health 12
who feared for Theodore’s life Theodore’s father urged the boy to try to improve his health through exercise stating You have the mind but not the body and without the help of the body the mind cannot go as far as it should You must make your body The family built a gym in their New York City home for all four Roosevelt children to use Theodore fought to become the strong man he wanted to be While building his mind through reading and other creative pursuits he also worked hard to overcome his physical challenges Theodore spent almost all of his spare time in the gym exercising proving to himself and his family that he could overcome his physical frailties For years Theodore worked with steady determination to strengthen his body through exercise He took boxing lessons and went hiking with his father Family Life Theodore grew up with three siblings older sister Anna called Bamie younger brother Elliott and younger sister Corinne They were educated by private tutors They also all used their home gym as each had health problems to overcome Roosevelt remained close to his sisters and brother throughout his life Two of Roosevelt’s relatives watched his presidency closely Franklin Delano Roosevelt was Theodore’s younger cousin by twenty-four years Eleanor Roosevelt was Theodore’s niece daughter of his brother Elliott Franklin and Eleanor married in 1905 and Franklin was elected president in 1933 13
