The Republican journal., 1901-09-19
TIE new PRESIDENT.

A Short, but Noble and Clean
! Life and Public Career.
President Roosevelt was the trusted friend
OF the late President. He has invited the
members OF the cabinet to serve in their re-
spective places for the present at least,
Theodore Roosevelt Of New York, soldier,
legislator, historian, ranchman, civil service
reformer, politician, Police Commissioner,
OF the Empire State, Vice President of the
United States, is one of the most remarka-
ble personalities in the history of the United
States of the last quarter of century.
Scarcely yet OF middle age, he has won a
place in the literary world as well as in that
of politics. He has been prime mover in
noted reforms, has distinguished himself as
a soldier by gallantry and generalship, as a
statesman by a consistent and constant bat
tie for purity in public office, and as an ex-
ecutlye in the able conduct of the Assistant
Secretaryship of the Navy and the manage
ment of the affairs of the State of New
York.
Personally, Mr.. Roosevelt is most charm
ing. No one denies the attractiveness of
his frankness, his wealth of human interest
and sympathy. His friends, who are legion,
are sturdy and steadfast.
Though weakling as a child, he has de-
velOped himself into strong and active
man, and his passion for hunting game and
his love of adventure have added not the
least picturesque part to his history. Mr..
Roosevelt is stockily built, and some three
inches short of six feet in height. He is
very near-sighted, and always wears thick
eyeglasses. His expression is genial, and
he smiles frequently.
Theodore Roosevelt was born Oct, 27
1858, and is therefore not quite 43 years old
He was born in his fathers house at %
East Twentieth Street. His people origi-
nally lived on the Battery, but as the town
changed gradually moved away from the
business centre. In blood Mr. Roosevelt is
a quarter Hollandish and three-quarters
Scotch-Irish, French Huguenot His mother
was Miss Martha Bullock and had relatives
of the name of Lukin and Craig. The La
montague family is in his ancestry, and the
uncle, James d. Bullock, built the noted
privateer Alabama, and another of the Bull
locks fired the last gun aboard her. But
after all this is said of the ancestry chroni-
clers agree that Mr. Roosevelt owes great
deal to his father. The elder Roosevelt was
one Of the leading men of his day in the
metropolis in the days of Civil War. He
was a merchant, philanthropist and a lover
of outdoor life. He, more than anyone
else, founded the present news-boys' lodg
ried out the plan of the war time allot-
ment commission. He could drive four
in-hand team better than any other
New Yorker of his day. He died in 1878,
idolized by the son who was to take up the
lines of the ambitious part of his life and
carry them on.
AS a child the Roosevelt who was to rise
to such high place in the nation was puny
and backward. He could not keep up with
his fellows either in study or play, and on
this account was taught by a private tutor
at home. The country residence of the
Roosevelts was at Oyster Bay, Long Island,
and here the children were brought up.
They were compelled by their father to take
plenty of outdoor exercise, and young Theo-
dore, realizing that he must have strength
of body if he was to do anything in life,
entered into the scheme for the improve
ment of his physical condition with the
same enthusiasm and determination which
has characterized every act OF his life. He
grew up an athlete, strong, and active, and
when he entered Harvard in 1876 he soon
became promin tnt in field sports. He be-
came noted as boxer and wrestler, and
was for a time captain of the college polo
team. He did not neglect his studies, and
when he was graduated, in 1880, he took
high honors. During his stay in the univer-
sity he had been editor of the Advocate,
college paper, and gave particular attention
to the study Of history and natural history.
He became a member of the Phi Beta
Kappa Greek letter fraternity.
At the conclusion of his college course he
went abroad for year, spending part of
the time in study, in Dresden. His love for
athletics led him to successfully attempt
the ascent of the Jung-Frau and the Mat
terhorn, and won for him membership in
the Alpine Club of London. He returned
to New York in 1881, and in the same year
married Miss Alice Lee of Boston. Two
years later he had the misfortune to lose
his wife and his mother within a week.
He attended el his first primary in 1881, in
York. 1t was gathering of the class
attendant on such occasions, with little to
charm the ordinary young man of arlStO-
cratic lineage and wealth, but Theodore
Roosevelt had studied history with a pur-
pose. He knew that through the primary
led the way to political preferment, and he
at once entered into the battle of politics, in
which he was to prove a gladiator of
astonishing powess, routing and terrifying
, his enemies, but often startling his allies by
the originality and recklessness of his
methods.
The natural enthusiasm of young Roose-
welt, his undeniabe personal charm, and
the swirl of interest with which he descend
ed into the arena of local politics made him
friends on every side in community where
leaders are at high premium, and within
a few months the young college man was
elected to the Assembly of the State from
his home district.
He became SO popular that not only was
he returned to three sessions of the
Assembly, but his party in the State soon
realized that he was one of it's strongest
men, and he was sent to the Republican
, National Convention of 1884 as Chairman of
the New York delegation. After the con-
vention, to which he went uninstructed, but
J in favor of the nomination of Mr.. Edmunds
AGAINST James G. Blaine, his health failed.
The death of his wife and mother had been
: a severe shock, for Mr.. Roosevelt is a man
of the strongest personal attachments. He
turned aside from public life for time and
went West, where he passed a year or two
hunting, trapping and caring for his herds.
This period of writing and hunting was
broken by two important events. He was
, defeated as candidate for Mayor of New
: York and he married again. The second
3 wife of the Vice President was Miss Edith
Kermit Carrow, daughter Of an old New
York family. They have five children
three sons and two daughters.
In 1890 he was annOintad civil service