Theodore Roosevelt

"I am going to try to help the cause of better government...I don't exactly know how..." Teddy Roosevelt spoke these words when he graduated from college. William Roscoe Thayer's sharply-penned and sensible biography of Roosevelt describes the pathways the politician travelled in search of truth and justice. He was born a frail, asthmatic boy who strengthened his fragile body into a solid well-built frame with a tendency for great endurance. His previous scholarly pursuits honed his mind to a keen edge, allowing a stunning partnership of intelligence and physical stamina that is a combination unmatched for political durability. Thayer knew Roosevelt for 40 years. During the final 10 years of the president's life, Thayer spent more time with him than in the earlier years. Because of this intense companionship, Thayer was able to observe how Roosevelt's career and motives worked toward an achievement of "better government." He witnessed his motives, the exercise of his character during major crises, and how his thoughts became a chief element in the dynamic growth of the United States. Roosevelt brought forth the idea of "a square deal"; the American people consider the fight against injustice his most representative quality. He targeted the suspension of financial abuses so that only the monetarily privileged would not have the benefit of gathering and distributin wealth. Yet even though a member of his Cabinet distinguished Roosevelt's predominant trait as combativeness, the president was not threatening but rather persuasive and reasonable. His remarkable personal vitality gives every reader of this volume an awareness of great fortune to claim Theodore Roosevelt as America's leader.