He is generally ranked in polls of historians and political scientists as one of the five best presidents.Roosevelt was a sickly child with debilitating asthma, but he overcame his health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle, as well as growing out of his asthma naturally in his young adult years. After Vice President Garret Hobart died in 1899, the New York state party leadership convinced McKinley to accept Roosevelt as his running mate in the 1900 election. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously, and the McKinley–Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of peace, prosperity, and conservation. Roosevelt was mostly homeschooled by tutors and his parents. Biographer H. W. Brands argued that 'The most obvious drawback to his home schooling was uneven coverage of the various areas of human knowledge'. It was said that Roosevelt 'allowed no engagement to keep him from going to church,' and he remained a fervent advocate of the Bible throughout his adult life.