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Roosevelt

Robert Fulton in building a small marine en-
gine, and in 1809 he formed a partnership
with Fulton for constructing steamboats for
the Western rivers.

Roosevelt, Robert Barnwell (1820-
1906), American author, uncle of President
Theodore Roosevelt, born in New York. He
established the New York State Fishery
Commission, and was president of the Inter-
national Association for the Protection of
Game; also a member of the American Asso-
ciation for the Advancement of Science.
Among his published works are: The Game
Fish of North America (1860); The Game
Birds of the North (1866); Florida and the
Game Water Birds (1869).

Roosevelt, Theodore (1858-1919), twen-
ty-sixth President of the United States, was
born in New York City, Oct. 27, 1858. He
was the son of Theodore (1831-78), and
Martha (Bulloch) Roosevelt, and was de-
scended in a direct line from Claes Martens-
zoon and Jannetje (Thomas) Van Roosevelt,
who came to New Amsterdam from Holland
about 1651. He was graduated from Har-
vard in 1880, and married in the same year
Alice, daughter of George Cabot and Caroline
(Haskell) Lee of Boston, Mass. She died
in 1883, leaving one daughter, Alice Lee—
later Mrs. Nicholas Longworth.

After a short course in law Roosevelt be-
gan to take an active interest in politics,
becoming a Republican member of the New
York State Assembly in 1882,1883, and 1884.
He was a delegate to the Republican State
convention of 1884, and delegate-at-large
from New York and chairman of the New
York delegation to the Republican National
Convention at Chicago in June, 1884. He
also became a member of the New York mil-
itia, serving in the 8th regiment of the State
National Guard. He married for his second
wife, on December 2, 1886, Edith Kermit,
daughter of Charles and Gertrude Elizabeth
(Tyler) Carow of New York City. Presi-
dent Harrison appointed him, in May, 1889,
a member of the United States Civil Service
Commission, and President Cleveland con-
tinued him in office until, in the spring of
1895, he resigned to enter the administration
of Mayor Strong in New York as police com-
missioner. He was recalled to Washington
two years later to take the position of Assis-
tant Secretary of the Navy.

War with Spain having been declared in
April, 1898, Roosevelt recruited the First U.
S. V. Cavalry, better known as the Rough
Riders. In November* iSqS, he became the

Republican candidate for governor of New
York. His two years' administration wai
conspicuous for its vigorous reform of the
State canal management and the establish-
ment of an improved civil service system. Ir
June, 1900, he was forced, much against his
own preference, to accept a nomination for
Vice-President on the ticket with William
McKinley for President. He was sworn into
office in March, 1901. In the fall of the same
year occurred the assassination of President
McKinley, and on September 14 Mr. Roose-
velt succeeded to the Presidency. Events of
this period were the settlement in 1902 ot
the coal strike in the anthracite fields of
Pennsylvania, and of the Venezuela difficulties
of 1902-1903. In 1904 Roosevelt was elected
President in his own right. A notable achieve-
ment of that administration was the bringing
to a close of the Russo-Japanese War, a serv-
ice for which he was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1906. The secession of Panama
from the Colombian confederation in 1903
opened the way for the assumption by the
United States of the construction work which
had been carried on till that time under
French auspices. The recognition of the se-
ceding state as an independent republic, and
the negotiation of a treaty vesting the neces-
sary rights in the United States Government,
have been styled 'the Roosevelt coup d'etat.9
The enactment of a law conferring practi-
cally dictatorial powers in the Canal Zone
upon the President placed the matter on a
settled footing, and thereafter he supervised
every stage of the proceedings, even visiting
the Isthmus in person in 1906. (See PANAMA
CANAL.) Roosevelt also prosecuted a vigor-
ous warfare against the aggressions of in-
dustrial monopolies, and turned the enginery
of the Department of Justice upon several
of the so-called trusts.

On March 4, 1909, Roosevelt retired from
office. Before the expiration of his term he
had planned an expedition to Africa to hunt,
and incidentally to gather specimens of rare
fauna for the Smithsonian Institution, which
outfitted the expedition. His party which in-
cluded his son Kermit and a small group of
naturalists, had many interesting adventures;
and sent home trophies embracing 4,897 spec-
imens of mammals, more than 4,000 birds,
about 2,000 reptiles and batrachians, and
some 500 fishes. The return journey included
short stays in leading cities of Egypt, Italy,
Austria, France, Belgium, Holland, Norway,
Germany, and England, where Roosevelt was
highly honored.