Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-07

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.
The public career of the man who
was to become president began
not long after he left college. His
profession was law but the activi-
ties that were to come left him no
time in which to practice it. In
1882, 1883 and 1884 he was elected
to the New York state assembly,
where his efforts on behalf of good
government and civil service reform
attracted attention. When the re-
publican 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. Co.
ing west he purchased ranches
along the Little Missouri river, in
North Dakota, and divided his time
between outdoor sports, particularly
hunting, and literary work. Here
he laid the foundation for his series
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 1886. 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 resigned in
1895 to become New York City's
police commissioner.
"A thing that attracted me to this
Office" Roosevelt said at the time
he accepted this appointment. twas
that it was to be done in the hurly-
burly, for l don't like cloister life"
Honesty was the watchWord of this
administration, and the two years
of his occupancy became memorable
through the reforms he inaugural
ed, attracting the nations attention
while holding a position which was
obscure in comparison with the
events to come. Illicit liquor traf-
fc, gambling, vice in general-of
these evils he purged the city in
the face of corrupt political opposi-
ton, and the reputation he estab-
lished as reformer won him the
personal selection by President
Mckinley, as assistant secretary of
the navy, in 1897. A year later the
Spanish-American war broke out.
The Roosevelt temperament did
not allow the man to retain deputy
cabinet position with war offering
something more exciting. Leonard
Wood, now a major general. was
then President McKinley's physi-
clan and one of Roosevelt's staunch-
est friends.
Organizes Rough Riders.
The famous Rough Riders were
organized by Wood and Roosevelt
a band of fighting men, the mention
of whose name today suggests I'm
mediately the word Roosevelt"
They came out OF the west
plainsmen, miners, rough and ready
fighters who were natural marks
men, and Wood became their COL
onel, and Teddy" as he has be-
come Familiarity called by the public,
their lieutenant colonel. In CON-
pany with the regulars of the army
they took transports to Cuba. land
ed at Santiago and were soon en-
gagged in the thick of battle. Among
the promotions which this hardy
rec iment's gallantry brought about
wer those of Wood to brigadier-
general, and Roosevelt to colonel
and this title Theodore Roosevelt
cherished until the end. Some of
the Rough Riders formed the mil