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Learn About TR – Timelines

The Life of Theodore Roosevelt

President Roosevelt, riding his horse Bleistein, jumps a split rail fence, 1902.
  1. 1858

    October 27

    Born at 28 East Twentieth Street, Manhattan, New York City

  2. 1865

    April 25

    Views Abraham Lincoln’s funeral procession from his grandfather Cornelius’ house, with his brother Elliott and their friend Edith Kermit Carow.

  3. 1872

    Receives his first pair of eyeglasses, and not long after, his first firearm.

  4. 1876-1880

    Attends Harvard College; graduates magna cum laude.

  5. 1878

    February 9

    Father, Theodore “Thee” Roosevelt, Sr., dies of stomach cancer at age 46.

  6. 1880

    October 27

    Marries Alice Hathaway Lee in Brookline, Massachusetts on his 22nd birthday.

  7. 1880-1882

    Attends Columbia Law School (does not graduate)

  8. 1881

    November 8

    Elected to New York State Assembly

  9. 1882

    Publishes his first monograph, The Naval War of 1812

  10. 1883

    September

    Travels to Dakota Territory to hunt buffalo; purchases the Chimney Butte/Maltese Cross Ranch

  11. 1884

    February 12

    First child, daughter Alice, born in New York City

  12. 1884

    February 14

    Wife Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt and mother Martha Stewart “Mittie” Bulloch Roosevelt die within hours of one another in their New York home; Alice died of kidney disease at age 22; Mittie died of typhoid at age 48

  13. 1884

    June

    Serves as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago; first meets lifelong friend Dr. Henry Cabot Lodge, Republican Senator from Massachusetts

  14. 1885

    Publishes Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

  1. 1885

    March

    Sagamore Hill, a country estate on Long Island, New York, is completed

  2. 1886

    November 2

    Loses his bid for Mayor of New York City; comes in third place in a three way race, behind Democratic candidate Abram Hewitt and United Labor candidate Henry George

  3. 1886

    December 2

    Marries childhood sweetheart Edith Kermit Carow in London

  4. 1887

    September 13

    Son Theodore “Ted” Roosevelt, Jr. born in Oyster Bay, New York

  5. 1888

    Publishes three new books: a history, Life of Gouverneur Morris; a biographical work, Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail; and a political collection, Essays in Practical Politics

  6. 1889

    May 7

    Appointed to the U.S. Civil Service Commission by President Benjamin Harrison

  7. 1889

    October 10

    Son Kermit Roosevelt is born in Oyster Bay, New York

  8. 1889

    Publishes first two volumes of his magnum opus, The Winning of the West

  9. 1891

    August 13

    Daughter Ethel is born in Oyster Bay, New York

  10. 1891

    Publishes New York, an entry in the edited series Historic Towns

  11. 1893

    Publishes The Wilderness Hunter

  12. 1894

    April 10

    Son Archibald “Archie” Bulloch Roosevelt born in Oyster Bay, New York

  13. 1894

    August 14

    Brother Elliott (“Ellie” or “Nell”) Roosevelt dies age 34 by suicide; jumped from a window following long struggles with alcoholism and depression

  14. 1895

    Appointed President of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners by Mayor William Strong

  15. 1895

    Publishes Hero Tales of American History, co-authored with Henry Cabot Lodge

  16. 1897

    April 19

    Begins duties as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, appointed by President William McKinley, at the behest of Henry Cabot Lodge

  17. 1897

    November 19

    Son Quentin is born in Oyster Bay, New York

  1. 1898

    April 25

    United States declares war on Spain; TR appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, soon to be known as the “Rough Riders,” under the command of Colonel Leonard Wood

  2. 1898

    May 6

    Resigns as Assistant Secretary of the Navy

  3. 1898

    June 24

    Roosevelt and the Rough Riders fight in the Battle of Las Guasimas; the American advance is briefly halted

  4. 1898

    July 1

    Battle of San Juan Hill; Roosevelt leads the charge up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill; he later refers to this as the “crowded hour”; the Spanish are routed

  5. 1898

    November 8

    Elected Governor of New York

  6. 1899

    Publishes The Rough Riders, a biographical work

  7. 1900

    November 6

    Elected Vice President of the United States, placed there by political opponents in an effort to hamstring him

  8. 1900

    Publishes two new books: a historical work, Oliver Cromwell; and The Strenuous Life, an essay collection

  1. 1901

    September 6

    President William McKinley is shot by an anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York

  2. 1901

    September 14

    President McKinley dies of gangrenous wounds; Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the 26th President of the United States at the home of lawyer Ansley Wilcox in Buffalo, New York

  3. 1902

    February 19

    Using the Sherman Antitrust Act, orders a federal lawsuit against the Northern Securities Company, a railroad trust

  4. 1902

    June 17

    Signs the Newlands Reclamation Act, authorizing and funding a variety of irrigation projects in arid Western lands

  5. 1902

    October

    Mediates the Anthracite Coal Strike, marking the first time the federal government served as a neutral arbitrator in a labor dispute

  6. 1902

    November

    At the invitation of Governor Andrew Longino, joins a black bear hunt in Mississippi. His refusal to shoot a restrained cub leads to the creation of the Teddy Bear.

  7. 1903

    February 14

    Establishes the Department of Commerce and Labor, which would soon consolidate the functions of 13 other federal agencies.

    (On his last day in office in 1913, President William Howard Taft will split the two departments and reorganize the agencies under their control.)

  8. 1903

    March 14

    Proclaims Pelican Island, a small island rookery off the east coast of Florida, the first Federal Bird Refuge.

    This executive action leads to the establishment of the National Wildlife Refuge system.

  9. 1903

    November 18

    Secretary of State John Hay signs the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, better known as the Panama Canal Treaty. It grants the United States the United States a 10-mile-wide strip of land to build a canal through the Panamanian isthmus, in exchange for $10 million and an annuity of $250,000

  1. 1904

    November 8

    Elected President in his own right in a landslide victory; the first candidate to receive more than 300 electoral votes, and with the largest popular vote margin since James Monroe’s effectively unopposed run in 1820

  2. 1904

    December 6

    In his annual message to Congress, declares what will come to be known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine; pledges that the United States would be responsible for maintaining peace and prosperity in the Americas, intervening militarily if needed; European interventions were no longer welcome

  3. 1905

    February 1

    Establishes the United States Forest Service; within two years, protects tens of millions of acres of land in the public domain by executive order

  4. 1905

    March 17

    Attends the wedding of his niece Eleanor Roosevelt and his fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt in New York City; also attends the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

  5. 1905

    June 2

    Following an act of Congress, redesignates Wichita Forest Reserve in Oklahoma as a Game Preserve, the first in the country

  6. 1905

    August 25

    Becomes the first president to descend in a submarine; stays submerged in the USS Plunger for three hours, briefly takes the controls

  7. 1905

    September 5

    The Treaty of Portsmouth is signed, ending the Russo-Japanese War

  8. 1905

    September

    Publishes Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter

  9. 1906

    February 17

    Presides at White House over wedding of daughter Alice to Ohio congressman Nicholas Longworth

  10. 1906

    June 8

    Signs the Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities, better known as the Antiquities Act, allowing for the creation of national monuments by presidential proclamation

  11. 1906

    June 30

    Signs the Pure Food and Drug Act, which used the Interstate Commerce Clause to ban the transporation, manufacture, or sale of adulterated or mislabeled products.

  12. 1906

    November 8 – 26

    Visits the Panama Canal Zone with Edith to inspect the construction efforts and to boost morale and support; becomes the first sitting president to travel abroad

  13. 1906

    December 10

    Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in mediating the Russo-Japanese War; is the first American and first President to receive the honor

  14. 1907

    January 1

    At a New Year’s Day reception, shakes 8,513 hands, setting a world record that remains unbroken for seventy years

  15. 1907

    January

    Publishes Good Hunting

  16. 1907

    December 16

    Sends the Great White Fleet on its world tour; 16 battleships will depart from Hampton Roads, Virginia

  17. 1908

    May 13 – 15

    Convenes the Conference of Governors, to discuss shared efforts in the conservation of natural resources; this becomes the beginning of the National Governors Association

  18. 1908

    November 3

    In part through Roosevelt’s influence, William Howard Taft is elected President of the United States

  19. 1909

    january 13

    In support of his General Order No. 6, which instituted new physical fitness tests for military officers, Roosevelt and a small party of military aides undertake a 99-mile round-trip horseback ride between Washington, D.C. and Warrenton, Virginia in less than a day.

  20. 1909

    February 22

    The Great White Fleet makes a triumphant return to Hampton Roads, Virginia

  21. 1909

    March 4

    After serving just shy of seven-and-a-half years, Theodore Roosevelt leaves the presidency.

  1. 1909

    March 23

    Departs on the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition with his son Kermit; over the course of the safari, the hunting party will gather more than 11,000 animal specimens, more than 10,000 plant specimens, and an unknown number of ethnological belongings

  2. 1910

    March 30

    Departs Africa for Europe, engaging on a lecture and informal diplomatic tour

  3. 1910

    April 23

    Delivers the speech “Citizenship in a Republic” at the Sorbonne in Paris. Today, the speech is more popularly referred to as “The Man in the Arena” after its most revered passage

  4. 1910

    may 26

    Awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degree at Cambridge; delivers “The Conditions of Success” lecture at the Cambridge Union

  5. 1910

    June 7

    Awarded honorary Doctor of Civil Laws degree at Oxford; delivers “Biological Analogies in History” as a Romanes Lecture

  6. 1910

    June 18

    Returns to New York City, speaks briefly at The Battery following a celebration in his honor

  7. 1910

    August 31

    Delivers the famous “New Nationalism” speech at Osawatomie, Kansas, reflecting his ongoing shift toward more radical, progressive political views

  8. 1910

    October 11

    Rides in an airplane at Kinloch Field in St. Louis; the vehicle is piloted by Arch Hoxsey, a flying instructor at the Wright Brothers’ flight school in Montgomery, Alabama; Roosevelt is the first (former) president to fly in a plane

  9. 1910

    Publishes six new books over the course of the year: African and European Addresses, African Game Trails, and European Addresses written during his travels; American Problems and The New Nationalism, speech and article collections; and the edited collection of Presidential Addresses and State Papers.

  10. 1912

    February 21

    Formally announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President, defying his previously steadfast refusal to seek a third term

  11. 1912

    June 18 – 22

    Republican National Convention is held in Chicago; despite much success in the nation’s first ever presidential primaries, party machinations lead to Roosevelt’s defeat in favor of the incumbent President Taft

  12. 1912

    October 14

    As he prepares to deliver a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roosevelt is shot point-blank by a madman, saloon keeper John Schrank. His life is saved thanks to his folded-over speech and steel case for his eyeglasses in his breast pocket. Roosevelt speaks for almost 90 minutes, blood seeping from his chest, before seeking treatment

  13. 1912

    August 6

    Having formed the Progressive (or Bull Moose) Party, Roosevelt delivers his famous “Confession of Faith” speech at the Progressive Party Convention in Chicago; “We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord!”

  14. 1912

    October

    Publishes a single lengthy speech in book form, The Conservation of Womanhood and Childhood

  15. 1912

    November 5

    Takes a distant second place in the presidential race, losing to Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson; it is the most successful third-party run in U.S. history

  16. 1913

    May 26 – 31

    Prevails in libel suit against George A. Newett, editor of the Iron Ore newspaper of Ishpeming, Michigan, who accused Roosevelt of frequent drunkenness, as well as lying and cursing; Newett is forced to retract his statements; Roosevelt graciously withdraws his damage claims, receiving only six cents

  17. 1913

    October 4

    Departs on a speaking tour and scientific expedition in South America

  18. 1913

    Publishes three new books in 1913: his Autobiography: History as Literature and Other Essays; and Progressive Principles.

  19. 1914

    Roosevelt-Rondon expedition explores the uncharted River of Doubt in the Amazon basin; Roosevelt injures his leg, is stricken by illness, and barely returns alive

  20. 1914

    May 7

    Roosevelt returns to the United States, permanently weakened but proud of his accomplishments

  21. 1914

    Publishes the narrative of his journey, Through the Brazilian Wilderness

  22. 1915

    April – May

    Wins defense in a libel suit brought by William Barnes, Jr., a boss in the Republican Party; Roosevelt had referred to Barnes as “a political boss of the most obnoxious type,” and accused him of corruption and collusion; Roosevelt is victorious when the court agrees with his argument that his statements were true and accurate

  23. 1915

    Publishes America and the World War

  24. 1916

    Publishes two new books: Fear God and Take Your Own Part and A Book Lover’s Holidays in the Open

  25. 1917

    May 19

    President Wilson, under the guidance of his military advisors, refuses Roosevelt’s offer to lead a Rough Rider division on the western front in World War I

  26. 1917

    Publishes The Foes of Our Own Household and National Strength and International Duty

  27. 1918

    July 14

    Youngest son Quentin killed in aerial combat over Chamery, France; Roosevelt never recovers from the heartbreak

  28. 1918

    Publishes The Great Adventure

  29. 1919

    January 6

    Roosevelt dies in his sleep at 4:15 am at his home, Sagamore Hill; in poor health for some time, the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism; he was 60 years old

  30. 1919

    January 8

    Funeral service at Christ Church and burial at Youngs Memorial Cemetery, Oyster Bay