10.His Son-in-Law Opposed His Run for The White House In 1912
When TR left the White House after two terms, he believed he had left it in the good hands of his former vice president, Howard H. Taft. Roosevelt quickly became disenchanted with his protégé, who was not the man TR thought him to be. Taft was particularly ineffective as president, unlike TR, because he avoided conflict and gave in to big business. This, along with the Democratic Party nomination of college professor Woodrow Wilson, precipitated TR’s candidacy for a third term in 1912. While many in the Republican Party supported TR’s candidacy – he outpointed Taft in the presidential election. – Others opposed her bid for a third term, including her eldest daughter Alice’s husband, Congressman Nicolas Longworth of Ohio. Although TR understood the political reasons for Longworth’s opposition, his daughter Alice, always fiercely independent, supported her father. This caused a problem in the marriage, which was already in trouble due to Nicholas’ womanizing acts.
9.His Sister Was A “Hunchback”
TR’s older sister Anna, named Bamie, was the cornerstone of the family. She was what is called an “old soul”, who seemed to have grown from the moment she could speak. In fact, TR always referred to her as one of the adults in the family, even when she was still a child. Some thought that she was the brightest in the family and that if she had been born male she would have become president. Sadly, Bamie was born with various physical problems and she was thought to be very straightforward. She suffered from Pott’s disease, a type of tuberculosis that causes the “hunchback”. Forced to wear a painful brace and undergo agonizing therapy, her father adored her. TR adored her and left her first daughter in her care for two years. She dedicated much of her life to TR and her family, she married late in life and had a son.
8.He Was Sickly and Nearsighted as A Boy
TR’s reputation for toughness and fearlessness is the very essence of what Americans think of today whenever its name is mentioned. But she did not get this reputation easily. During his youth it was doubtful that young Teddy lived a long life, much less such a robust one. At a time when asthma was not well understood, TR suffered from frequent and severe attacks. So much so that the family had to plan events around his health (he suffered frequent colds, headaches, stomachaches, and nightmares too). To deal with his weakness, his father converted part of his Oyster Bay mansion into an exercise room. . TR turned his prodigious will towards health and grew stronger as he aged. When doctors told him after graduating from Harvard that he had a weak heart and that he should live a quiet life, he responded in typical TR style by climbing the Matterhorn.
7.His Father Paid a Substitute for Civil War Service
TR adored and admired his father, Theodore Sr., calling him “The best man I have ever known.” But his father bought a “substitute” to take place in the civil war. Theodore Sr. was kept out of service at the insistence of his southern born and raised wife who had many relatives fighting for the confederation. Buying a surrogate was common practice among the wealthy, but TR knew people would question the value of his father even though Theodore Sr. did the union a great service. In particular, he created a program for union soldiers to send part of his salary home to the family instead of wasting it on gambling, alcohol or other vices. Many think that TR believed that he had something to prove for the honor of the family and that is why he volunteered so late in life to organize a cavalry unit to serve in the Spanish American War. His heroic actions during the battle for Cerro San Juan certainly absolved him personally. He was recommended a Medal of Honor at the time, but army policy blocked him. He was awarded the honor posthumously in 2001.
6.He Survived an Assassination Attempt
TR’s reputation for toughness was greatly enhanced by his reaction to an assassination attempt. Preparing to give a speech at the Milwaukee Auditorium as part of his third re-election game, TR was shot from 5 feet away by a mentally deranged man. Fortunately, TR had written a 90-minute speech, which was significant, because the manuscript, tucked inside his coat, slowed the bullet, as did his heavy coat and his metal glasses case. The bullet entered his chest without causing a major wound. TR’s toughness was evident when he refused to go to the hospital before delivering the speech. He simply asked the crowd to be quiet for a moment, saying, “I don’t know if they fully understand that I just got shot.” With blood streaming through his shirt, he spoke for at least an hour. He then agreed to go to the hospital where it was decided that removing the bullet would be more dangerous than leaving it inside. TR carried the bullet for the rest of his life and suffered no significant ill effects from it.
5.His Son Kermit Committed Suicide
TR’s second son, Kermit, like his brothers, served with distinction during World War I. After the war, he founded the Roosevelt Steamship Company; however, Kermit suffered from chronic depression and was an alcoholic. The Great Depression hurt him financially and he added to his problems by having extramarital affairs. Kermit fell so low that his brother Archie briefly confined him to a mental institution. When World War II hit, Kermit, though unfit for combat, applied for a commission and was granted one by President Franklin Roosevelt (his distant cousin). He served in the Aleutians helping to build a local militia to fight the Japanese. Unable to overcome his depression and alcohol dependence, he committed suicide by shooting himself in June 1943.
4.His Son’s Death in World War I Crushed His Spirit
TR advocated entry into WWI from very early on. He even went so far as to call President Woodrow Wilson a coward for not having entered the war on the side of Britain and France. He agitated for war, and when he finally arrived, he offered his services to raise two divisions of volunteers, but Wilson turned him down. TR was very proud when all of his sons volunteered to serve in the military during the great conflict. However, when his son Quentin was shot down and killed in France, he was dejected. He felt guilty that the war he had launched had resulted in the death of his own son and his health began to deteriorate. He would go to the stables where he would look at the horses Quentin loved to ride and say over and over again, “Oh Quenty-quee, oh Quenty-quee. . . “TR was never the same again and died six months later.
3.He Never Told His Daughter Anything About Her Mother
Two days after giving birth to their daughter, Alice Lee, TR’s wife Alice died of kidney failure caused by Bright’s disease, as the pregnancy had hidden the presence of the disease. That same day, her mother died of typhoid fever. Roosevelt was deeply in love with Alice and was crushed by her death. He marked a big X in his journal for that day and wrote: “The light is gone from my life forever.” Alice Lee was placed in the custody of TR’s sister, Bamie, until she was three years old, when she went to her father’s home. and his new wife. Sadly, TR never told Alice Lee anything about her mother, as he couldn’t bear to talk about her. He tore the pages from her diary that spoke of her and burned her letters. This surely got to her, as Alice Lee grew up to be a defiant daughter and flamboyant figure on the Washington political scene.
2.He Would have Committed Suicide
In December 1913 TR, together with his son Kermit, embarked on a voyage of exploration in the jungles of the Amazon. He and his group would not be seen by the outside world again until mid-April 1914. In a feat so spectacular that it was initially not believed by American geographers and the press, TR’s expedition began at the head of the “Rio of the Doubt “. and he followed the river for 470 miles where it emptied into a tributary of the Amazon River. During the arduous journey, TR became seriously ill, so much so that it became a drag on his group. The spirit of TR as a hunter and soldier was that a man should never endanger the lives of others during a war or an expedition. When he told his son that he should stay in the jungle, Kermit refused to allow it. Seeing the determination of his son, and knowing that he would insist on removing his father’s body if he committed suicide, TR struggled and reached the end of the expedition. TR’s achievement was confirmed in 1927 and today the river is called the “Roosevelt River.” Unfortunately, the difficulties in his body were severe and he never became physically robust again.
1.He Left a Man to Die in the Amazon Jungle
During the River of Doubt expedition, one of the crew, Julio, murdered another. TR told the Brazilian expedition leader that the killer must be tracked down and killed for the crime. They told him that in Brazil they were going to judge the man. TR allegedly replied: “He who kills must be killed. That’s how it is in my country. “Without finding the murderer, the expedition went ahead, Julio had fled into the jungle after committing the act and dropped his rifle in the thick vegetation. Members of the expedition worried that he might try to enter in their camp at night to steal or kill. Three days later, while canoeing downstream, they saw Julio standing on the shore asking to be brought on board. The Brazilian leader told him that it was not possible to stop the canoe and that he had to wait for TR. The next three canoes, including the one carrying TR and his son Kermit, passed the man without saying a word. TR later wrote: “Surely that killer was in a living hell.”
