Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-06

iAxcSCS1eAy W eOUCA Jul DTf6Ily UPON
some OF the more striking phrases
Of his varied, interesting and
strenuous" life to recall to the pub
lie mind full details of his many
exploits and experiences.
Called to the white house in 1901
after President Mckinley had been
assassinated, Col Roosevelt, AZ
years of age became the youngest
president the United States has
ever had Three years later he was
elected as president by the largest
popular vote a president has re-
ceived-
Thus Roosevelt, sometimes cal
led man of destiny, served for
seven years as the nations chief
magistrate. In a subsequent dec
ade the fortunes of politics did not
favor him, for, again a candidate for
president-this time leading the
Progressive party which he himself
had organized when he differed
radically with some of the policies
of the Republican party in 1912
he went down to defeat, together
with the Republican candidate,
William Howard Taft Woodrow
Wilson, Democrat, was elected.
Col. Roosevelt's enemies agreed
with his friends that his life, his
character and his writings repre-
scented high type of Americanism.
Born IN New York.
OF Dutch ancestry, born in New
York City on October 27, 1858, in a
house in East Twentieth street, the
baby Theodore was a weakling. He
was one of four children who came
to Theodore and Martha BuIloch
Roosevelt The mother was of
southern stock and the father of
northern, situation which during
the early years of Theodore jun
ior's boyheod was not allowed to
interfere with the family life OF
these children during the Civil war
days.
So frail that he was not prfviI-
eyed to associate with the other
boys in his neighborhood, Roose-
welt was tutored privately in New
Y ork and during travels on which
his parents took the children
abroad. A porch gymnasium at his
home provided him with physical
exercises with which he combated
a troublesome asthma His father,
a glass importer and a man of
means, was his constant compan-
ion; he kept a diary; he read so
much history and fictional books of
adventure that he was known as a
bookworm; he took boxing lessons;
he was an amateur naturalist, and
at the age of II he entered Har-
ward university. There, he was not
&C al 81,
athletic way, as it is not recorded
that he made" the baseball and
football teams, but his puny body
had undergone a metamorphosis
and before graduation he became
one of the champion boxers of the
college. This remarkable physical
development was emphasized by
something which took place short
ly after he left Harvard in 1880. !
He went to Europe, climbed the
Matterhorn, and as a result was
elected a member of the Alpine
club Of London-an organization of
men who had performed notable
feats of adventure
A few months after his gradua-
ton, Roosevelt married Miss Alice
Lee of Boston. She died in 1884, !
leaving one child, Alice, now the
wife of Representative Nicholas |
Longworth of Ohio. In 1885 Roose- |
welt married Miss Edith Kermit
Carow, of New York, and to them !
five children were born-Ethel, now
the wife of DR.. Richard Derby, and
four sons, Theodore, Jr., Kermit, |
Archibald and Quentin. ,
Begins Public Career.
The public career OF the man who |
was to become president began not |
long after he left college. His pro-
fession was law but the activities |
that were to come left him no time |
in which to practice. In 1882, 1888 |
and 1884 he was elected tc the New |
York State assembly, where his eff
forts on behalf of good government |
and civil service reform attracted |
attention. When the Republican |
national convention of 1884 was
held in Chicago, he was chairman |
OF the New York state delegation
After this experience he dropped |
out of politics for two years. Go
ing west, he purchased ranches
along the Little Missouri river, in
North Dakota, and divided his time
between outdoor sports, particular
ly hunting, and literary work Here
he laid the foundation for his ser
les of books, ''The Winning of the
West" which was published from
1889 to 1896, and of other volumes
of kindred character.
Returning to New York he be-
came the Republican candidate for
mayor, in 1885. He was defeated.
President Harrison in 1889 appoint
ed him a member of the United
States Civil Service commission
and President Cleveland continued
him in this office, which he re-
signed in 1895 to become New York
City's police commissioner.
"A thing that attracted me to this
Office Roosevelt said at the time
be accepted this appointment, was
that it was to be done in the hurly-
burIy, for l don't like cloister life"
was the watchword of this
and the two years
Of his occupancy became memoir
able through the reforms he inaug-
nrated, attracting the nations at
tention while holding a position
which was obscure in comparison
with the events to come Illicit IL
Iuor traffic, gambling, vice in gen
sral-of these evils he purged the
city in the face of corrupt political
opposition, and the reputation he
as a reformer won him
he personal selection by President