Existing comment:
Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919
In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt won the presidency in a landslide. Out of respect to the two-term tradition, he immediately announced that he would not run again, although, as he became president after William McKinley's assassination in 1901, he would not have violated that tradition is he had run in 1908. Roosevelt was determined to break new paths after his presidency, even reverting to his title of "colonel." While president, the time he could devote to his interests in natural history, camping, and hunting in the wilderness had been severely curtailed; Roosevelt often complained about mobs of reporters following him around and his inability to get sufficient gunnery practice. He dreamed of a "great adventure" to Africa and began planning for the trip -- perhaps using the globe in the background -- in earnest during the last years of his presidency.
Unidentified artist, c 1907 |