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Theodore Roosevelt resided in a number of houses in Dupont Circle. Two still standing are 1215 19th St. and 1820 Jefferson St. In 1898, he lived at 1810 N St. (below, since razed). That year he led a volunteer cavalry called the Rough Riders into battle in Cuba as part of the Spanish-American War. He came home a hero, and was elected governor of New York State. Roosevelt only served briefly as governor before accepting the Republican Party's nomination as William McKinley's running mate in the 1900 Presidential election. After President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Roosevelt became the youngest man (age 42) to serve as U.S. President. During his term (1901-1909), the combative and crusading Roosevelt promoted conservation by giving government protection to open lands across the nation. He battled to limit the power of large corporations and to strengthen the United States as a power in foreign affairs.
By the turn of the century, Connecticut Ave. was changing from residential to commercial. A profusion of specialty shops drew upper-class patrons, and the promoters touted the exclusive shopping street as equal to New York's Fifth Ave. or Paris's Rue de la Paix. America's first licensed television station, W3XK, was established at 1519 Connecticut Ave. in 1928. |