Theodore Roosevelt
Only a small number of Presidents who got the job without being elected went on to establish themselves as true American political greats. One of those was Theodore Roosevelt. Indeed, while it was a stroke of fortune that got him into the big job in the first place, he made the absolute most of his ascension, and these days is widely regarded as one of America’s greatest leaders of all time.
When he was born in New York City in 1901, few would have imagined that Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was destined for great things. He was, by all accounts, a sickly child. However, he was determined to overcome this, embracing a tough, outdoor lifestyle despite his asthma. These early struggles made him adopt a tough, macho persona, one he would carry with him into adult life. What’s more, he was largely self-taught, with his homeschooling helping him earn a place at Harvard College and propelling him into a career as a historian and acclaimed popular writer.
By the 1890s, Roosevelt was politically active. His burgeoning career was interrupted by the Spanish-American War – in which he, of course, took part – but by 1898, he had won the election as Governor of New York. Just two years later, William McKinley invited Roosevelt to be his running mate in the 1900 election. The two men promised peace and prosperity for the United States – and they won by a landslide. Vice President Roosevelt was sworn in March 1901.
On September 6, 1901, President McKinley was shot twice by an anarchist and died. Roosevelt’s time had come. He became President at the age of just 42 – the youngest man to ever hold the office. He immediately set about implementing his vision for America: under his ‘Square Deal’, regulation would be eased, jobs created and National Parks opened. On the global stage, he also got busy promoting American naval power and brokering numerous deals, most of them advantageous to the US.
So popular were his domestic reforms with the American public that Roosevelt felt confident enough to run for office on his own terms in 1904. Again, he won by a landslide. His protégé William Howard Taft then won in 1904. Roosevelt toyed with the idea of a comeback in 1912 and even in 1919, though his fellow Republicans declined to back him. Even away from the White House, he pushed himself to the limit, exploring the Amazon and intervening in international diplomacy. He eventually died in 1919 at the age of just 61. Despite the circumstances in which he first gained the Presidency, he continues to be widely seen as one of the greatest men to have held the office.