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Theodore Rex (Theodore Roosevelt #2)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 10,794 ratings · 481 reviews

Theodore Rex is the story—never fully told before—of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, “TR” succeeded to power in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Youngest of all our chief executives, he rallied a stricken nation with his superhuman energy, charm, and politica...more

Paperback, 792 pages

Published October 1st 2002 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published November 1st 2001)

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Jul 19, 2010 Arminius rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: presidents

The book is an excellent account of the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Based on this book I can see why he is often rated a top rate president. The book starts at the assassination of President McKinley where Theodore, as McKinley’s vice president, was unexpectedly thrust into the country’s most important job. Theodore justifiably became concerned about being an assassin’s automatic target as the nation’s leader. His father’s hero Abraham Lincoln as well as President James Garfield (who was a...more The book is an excellent account of the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. Based on this book I can see why he is often rated a top rate president. The book starts at the assassination of President McKinley where Theodore, as McKinley’s vice president, was unexpectedly thrust into the country’s most important job. Theodore justifiably became concerned about being an assassin’s automatic target as the nation’s leader. His father’s hero Abraham Lincoln as well as President James Garfield (who was assassinated in Theodore’s lifetime) and now his immediate boss were slain by an assassin’s bullet. So he increased the president’s security team.

I must say that if there was ever a person who was more qualified to be president, besides Washington, I could not name him. He was classically educated by his wealthy father and an Ivy Leagues school; he had been to many countries including the most remote regions in the world. He was a war hero; he was an avid reader and successful author. He had been a police commissioner and under secretary of the U.S. Navy. He was unable to be intimidated and he could empathize with the less fortunate.

These skills would come to be tested almost immediately upon his accession into the presidency. In 1902 Anthracite coal miners of North eastern Pennsylvania decided to go on strike due to poor pay and working conditions. The strike threatened to freeze the thousands of people, when winter struck, who depended on coal for heat. Theodore met with Coal mine owner George Baer to find a solution and became infuriated with Baer’s pompous attitude. So he handpicked a commission with equal representation of labor and management to determine an agreement. What the miners wanted was a 20% pay raise and an eight hour workday. What they received was a 10% pay raise and a nine hour work day. It was viewed, however, by the public as a significant win for the working class and helped increase the new president’s popularity.

Also, in 1902 an attempt was made to control the country’s railroad system. Some of the country’s wealthiest business men included James Hill, John Rockefeller and JP Morgan consolidated rail road companies under the name of The Northern Securities Company. Amidst a great public outcry Roosevelt sued the large company under the Sherman Anti Trust Act. In 1904, in a close decision, the Supreme Court ruled against Northern Securities and in support of President Roosevelt. The Northern Securities Company was therefore dissolved. And Roosevelt’s popularity amongst the general public swelled.

In 1903 he became frustrated with Columbia’s delaying tactics regarding the building of the Panama Canal. At the time Panama was an isthmus owned by Columbia. So he supported a Panamanian separatist movement by sending warships to block the only Columbian military entrance route into Panama ensuring the separatists success. The U.S. quickly recognized the independent Panama and construction of the canal began shortly afterwards.

In 1905 Roosevelt mediates the ending of the Russo-Japanese War with such satisfaction for both sides that he was given a Nobel Peace prize. In 1906 he commissions an investigation of the meat packing industry somewhat in response to Upton Sinclair’s book “The Jungle.” He sent two men that he trusted to do surprise inspections of the Chicago meat packing industry. They reported back to him that the conditions of the plants were as bad as Sinclair’s book had stated. Out of this report came two important consumer acts - The Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food Act.

He authorized the building of 11 Navy battleships. When he left office America had gone from a small Navy to the second largest in the world just behind England.

He signed into the law the establishment of more than twenty national parks and monuments. He also appointed three Supreme Court justices and welcomed Oklahoma as the 46th state of the Union in 1907. He also negotiated with the Japanese government to control Japanese immigration into the Golden State. At the same time, he protected the Japanese American community by banning Japanese-American segregation in California schools.

In addition to his accomplishments he was an excellent campaigner and a manipulator of the press garnering much positive press. He was quoted as saying that he loved being the president. And by all accounts he seemed to really enjoy every aspect that goes with being a politician.
He gracefully leaves the office in 1909 being fully confident that his preferred successor William Howard Taft will continue his progressive policies. He left office as one of the most popular presidents to ever serve. But with tons of energy and ambition he retires to private life planning his next adventure - a great African safari hunt.

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Jan 31, 2008 Atchisson rated it 4 of 5 stars

My second favorite President. Reading this, you may be struck at how he would be skewered by the Left today. Like Reagan, he seemed to have a natural understanding of his age and the important issues that needed to be addressed. He did it with strength, courage, resolve, and charisma. This book does a great job of following him from the earliest hours of assuming office and then staring down some of his most important battles.

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Jul 30, 2007 Erica rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: US history buffs

All biographers should be this passionate about their subjects. Morris paints a detailed portrait of a tumultuous presidency with compassion and verve. At times, however, the book falls into melodrama (not that TR wasn't a character worthy of it) and amounts to a biographical blow job. While I admire the depth of research that is so evident, some glossing over faults and aggrandizing go down in Theodore Rex that made me scowl. I mean, the title sort of says it all. Well-written, but over the top...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris from Modern Library is the second in a three volume biography of the 26th President of the United States. The first volume The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1980, setting high expectations for the rest of the series. In my opinion, this book easily meets those expectations. This is a fantastic biography, in which Mr. Morris does an excellent job of bringing Theodore Roosevelt's presidency to life.
This prologue of...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Paul Anderson rated it 5 of 5 stars

THEODORE REX is the perfect introduction to TR, bottom line. I first read this book while in college, after hearing of Roosevelt's efforts in accomplishments in my history courses. For those who are interested in presidencies, THEODORE REX presents what the first modern president looked like, how TR shaped the office of the presidency, and wielded over influence not just over Congress and the media (kindly, you could've called TR shrewd; unkindly, you could've called him a manipulator), but busi...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Brent Sherman rated it 5 of 5 stars

What Edmund Morris has done to the Presidential life of Theodore Roosevelt is simply amazing. From the beginning, the reader is taken to the fateful day where President McKinley succumbs to his wounds and keeps the reader engaged until the inauguration of President Taft. Roosevelt's amazing journey through the executive office takes him from the highs of trust busting and peacekeeping to his difficulty with race relations and factions within the Republican Party.

The entire book reads like an old...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Kane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mr. Morris displays a very impressive grasp of both scholarship and writing. He does a wonderful job of putting us in the moment, and indeed, at times, thinking from the perspective of the great Teddy Roosevelt. Along these lines, the author inserts at the start of each chapter quotes by Mr. Dooley, a cultural commentator, that do a good job of showing us the mindset of Teddy from outside his immediate acquaintances. These brief commentaries function as a kind of window on his world, a useful to...more Mr. Morris displays a very impressive grasp of both scholarship and writing. He does a wonderful job of putting us in the moment, and indeed, at times, thinking from the perspective of the great Teddy Roosevelt. Along these lines, the author inserts at the start of each chapter quotes by Mr. Dooley, a cultural commentator, that do a good job of showing us the mindset of Teddy from outside his immediate acquaintances. These brief commentaries function as a kind of window on his world, a useful tool in helping us gauge our perceptions.

The impulse for any great historical figure is to treat them as a lightning-rod of sorts. When looking at the past, we need to be critical, for that is how we can grow. And one way to do this is to be critical of those few men of destiny who seem to shape the world to their will during their lifetimes. As a left-leaning person I try to be as critical of Teddy as I can, but this is always tempered by the knowledge that he was truly a great man, and truly something that we should aspire to be. Should we be critical of his imperialist impulses? Absolutely. Should we feel a touch of shame at his occasionally cowardly way of handling race relations? It's only natural. The challenge which Mr. Morris so brilliantly puts forward to us is to not only evaluate Teddy from today's standards, but also those of yesteryear. And I found from either perspective, there is no shortage of things to find remarkable about him.

There's also the fact that Mr. Morris just renders him so likeable, so above the fray, a man transcendent of his times. It's startling, the way Mr. Roosevelt could live such a prolific life, and it does indeed feel at times that he was larger than life. It makes one proud to be American that we could produce a man such as Teddy. I look forward to reading the prequel, as there's only so much we can learn about a man such as him when we limit his life to an eight year period.

Read this book to learn of one of the most remarkable characters our country has ever produced. Read of his life, and question your own. Read this book to see just how far we've come as a country. Read this book, and wonder at all that stands as a monument to Teddy. Most of all, read this book because it's a damn good read. (less)

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Jun 10, 2012 Bill Sohonage rated it 5 of 5 stars

As the second book in the Edmund Morris "magnus trilogy", this volume examines the Roosevelt presidential years. Weighing in at 772 pages it is surprising how swift and delightful the reading.

Despite Teddy still being embraced by Republican historical revisionists as one of their own...it is important to remember that post presidency (and this volume), Theodore actually split with the Republican party creating the Bull Moose party, and was truly the precursory author of what eventually became "...more As the second book in the Edmund Morris "magnus trilogy", this volume examines the Roosevelt presidential years. Weighing in at 772 pages it is surprising how swift and delightful the reading.

Despite Teddy still being embraced by Republican historical revisionists as one of their own...it is important to remember that post presidency (and this volume), Theodore actually split with the Republican party creating the Bull Moose party, and was truly the precursory author of what eventually became "The New Deal".

It is timely and politically relevant to remember, that Roosevelt was a true Progressive (some consider him a father of the Progressive movement), who while creating our National Park System also established rules of conservation that have saved and kept so many of our natural resources in their somewhat pristine state. Considering the immense powers and (till then) unchecked greed of the nations newest millionaires-the wealthy industrialists of his era, this in and of itself was one amazing feat.

Despite his priveleged upbringing Roosevelt picked a fight with these nouveau riche industrialists. Roosevelt himself was born a brownstone Knickerbocker, whose caste marks included Groton, Harvard and the Porcellian club. He turned against his class, Morris suggests, in part because he found rich men boring. ''You expect a man of millions,'' Roosevelt said, ''to be a man worth hearing; but as a rule they don't know anything outside their own businesses.'' But his chief motive in taking on the great début de siècle industrial combinations was a growing conviction that they were taking unfair advantage of their competitors and customers. ''I am not deeply interested in'' economic issues, he admitted as his administration wound down; ''my problems are moral problems, and my teaching has been plain morality.'' Roosevelt's friend Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. warned that ''no part of the conduct of life'' would be safe from government interference on such vague principles. But Roosevelt and his fellow Progressives were off to the races.

So one of our wealthiest President -on moral principles alone, took on his own class to fight the greedy monopolists ...what is not to like about this man!

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Jan 26, 2012 Terry rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second of Edmund Morris' biographical trilogy on Theodore Roosevelt. This book is well written and seems to capture the living, breathing "Teddy". I wasn't as taken by this book as the first (The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt), mostly because they are both about the same length (~550 p), but the 1st covered 42 years while the second covered less than 8 years, therefore there is a lot more minutia in the 2nd book. Nevertheless, I came away with an enormous appreciation of everything that...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

This Theodore Roosevelt biography covers the period of his Presidency and is the second in a three part series. It does an excellent job of giving the spirit of Roosevelt without glossing too lightly over his flaws. As a President he truly straddled a time when the United States began to change from an isolated country to a world player.

The novel illustrates his masterful ability to understand the electorate and his ability to get things done both as a progressive and as a conservative. His role...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Theodore Roosevelt was placed on the Republican ticket as the vice-presidential candidate in 1900 to get him out of New York state politics. After McKinley's assassination, he became the nation's youngest president. Theodore Rex traces Roosevelt's years in power, his reelection in 1904, and his guidance of the transfer of power to his successor, William Howard Taft. Leading the executive branch during the Progressive period was a challenging task. Roosevelt, initially, had to try to maintain cor...more

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May 09, 2010 Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in a trilogy biography of Teddy Roosevelt. The first in the series, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", was more enjoyable for me than "Theodore Rex", but I still enjoyed this one. Although this is the fourth book I've read about Teddy Roosevelt, it is the first one I've read that covers his time as president. Ironically, I found this part of his life less interesting than his pre- or post-presidency period. Still, I would definitely say that Roosevelt is the most interesti...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Joe B rated it 4 of 5 stars

I simply learned that TR was a bad ass, plain and simple. I am sorry, Obama, Clinton, and Bush, this guy makes you look like the janitor of America. I think he may be the only president who could help us open the greatest canal in the world's history, help thwart a recession (very similar to ours today) by telling the rich people, "Hey you like making money? Then you save Wall Street, not the government!", create the greatest group of fighters, The rough riders, and have many life stories such a...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Dan Walker added it

After reading 3 books about Theodore Roosevelt I'm still unclear how he went from being the quintissential rugged individualist to a progressive who is hailed even today by members of that movement. His speech, "the Strenuous Life," (which I read elsewhere), doesn't seem to point to government as the resource to help us lead such a life. What is clear, however, especially in this book, is that Theodore was ready to use his fiery energy, titanic intellect, and masterful political skills to bring...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Frank Stein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Though not quite as good as the first volume of his biography, Edmund Morris's searching look at Roosevelt's presidential years gives the reader a real sense for what it was like being the President of the United States in the early 20th century. At times it goes to an almost day-by-day schedule, and this can certainly be tedious, but it gives one a real glimpse at the daily life of an a shockingly successful President.

First impressions: the President at the turn of the century had a whole lot m...more

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Jan 21, 2011 Amy Johanning rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I read this book primarily to get a different perspective of Theodore Roosevelt than that provided by James Bradley in his work, The Imperial Cruise: A True Story of Empire and War. In the latter, the author left a stinging picture of TR, describing him as an egomaniac, racist and staunch xenophobe. Morris's portrait is less striking - and portrays a strong, fair and popular leader who vacillated between conservative and progressive political opinions.

The dichotomy between the two accounts must...more I read this book primarily to get a different perspective of Theodore Roosevelt than that provided by James Bradley in his work, The Imperial Cruise: A True Story of Empire and War. In the latter, the author left a stinging picture of TR, describing him as an egomaniac, racist and staunch xenophobe. Morris's portrait is less striking - and portrays a strong, fair and popular leader who vacillated between conservative and progressive political opinions.

The dichotomy between the two accounts must be that Morris focuses primarily on domestic affairs (although America's involvement in the Sino - Japanese War negotiations, the Kaiser's obsession with Moroccan affairs and Latin and South American politics - specific as they related to the Panama Canal Treaty) while Bradley stayed intent on the Pacific Theater and U.S. relations with Japan in the early 20th century. It was in the Pacific Theater that Roosevelt's imperialistic and overt racism and belief in Western supremacy was obvious - resulting in a true negative perception of TR and his bully pulpit Administration. Morris focused on domestic policy and where necessary, spoke to foreign activities (Panama Canal Treaty, European divisions and Japanese militaristic behavior) through American eyes, thus providing a more positive interpretation of the President and his Administration.

Upon completion, I was left with two thoughts. First, one cannot assess persons or events based on a single telling - but rather, opinions should result from a synthesis of information. Succinctly stated: There is always a second side to the same story. Second (and lastly), the American political culture has not changed in two hundred and fifty years. The same intra and inter - party squabbles that exist today, were evident in earlier times. Vitriolic and abusive political diatribes are found throughout history, to the extent that one cannot, in good conscience, consider the current political dialogue unique or unprecedented. It's actually a calming realization - to accept that the vitriol and bile that emanates from inside the Beltway today existing long before the construction of the massive thoroughfare. It can be found in any era - and especially during the TR years - regardless of one's character assessment of the man. (less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Brian Schwartz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: presidential-biography, favorites

Theodore Rex won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and deservedly so. Seldom is any historical figure and his conduct so closely scrutinized as Roosevelt was by Morris. No detail of Roosevelt’s presidency is left unexamined and thoroughly discussed.

But the second installment in Morris’ three part biography of Roosevelt is not as well written as the first. While sound on a scholarly level, it lacks that narrative energy of the first. Morris relies heavily on Latin for adjectives. As someone not we...more Theodore Rex won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and deservedly so. Seldom is any historical figure and his conduct so closely scrutinized as Roosevelt was by Morris. No detail of Roosevelt’s presidency is left unexamined and thoroughly discussed.

But the second installment in Morris’ three part biography of Roosevelt is not as well written as the first. While sound on a scholarly level, it lacks that narrative energy of the first. Morris relies heavily on Latin for adjectives. As someone not well schooled in Latin, the words meant nothing to me and mean little to those outside the legal and medical professions. While similes are seldom deployed well in scholarly writing, certainly Morris could have found English alternatives for his adjectives.

The one element of the Roosevelt presidency that was not closely examined was Roosevelt’s deployment of his “press secretary” George Cortelyou. This is remarkable since Morris was extensive in his analysis of Roosevelt’s manipulation of the media while serving as New York police commissioner in the first volume. While historian Margaret Leach correctly points out in her biography of McKinley, In the Days of McKinley, that it was McKinley who first employed the use of presidential aides to respond directly to the press, it is clear that Roosevelt was much more deft in his use of Cortelyou.

Also missing from Morris’ study of Roosevelt is the role Edith Roosevelt played. Morris provides ample narrative of Roosevelt’s interaction with his children and his children’s friends who tarried about the Executive Mansion on a daily basis. He also chronicles the restless life and ribald exploits of daughter Alice. But Edith is all but absent from Morris’ book.

It is true that women did not have the influence they have today, but certainly Edith must have had some affect on Roosevelt’s conduct of the office. Edith was no mouse and certainly asserted herself. We get nothing on that subject from Morris.

These are minor criticisms of an otherwise stellar biography of a larger than life historical figure.

Morris will take us through the tumultuous, unhappy final years of Teddy’s life in the third installment entitled, Colonel Roosevelt. (less)

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May 06, 2010 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, biography-and-memoir

Details Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt's legacy has long been overshadowed by the presidency of his distant cousin Franklin Roosevelt, but this excellent book shows how this perception might be a bit unfair.

Most of Franklin Roosevelt's domestic agenda were built on policy foundations established by Theodore Roosevelt; if anything, the first Roosevelt was better at balancing the interests of labor and capital. Also, in many ways, particularly in matters of race, Theodore was more pro...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars

Edmund Morris's second installment of the proposed Theodore Roosevelt trilogy is a worthy follow-up to "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt." This book covers his Presidency years, from 1901 to 1909. It is a portrait of a good-natured, scrupulous patrician with progressive instincts who became the dominant politician of his age. His personal beliefs were founded on the gilded age of the late-nineteenth century, with its excesses and growing sense of America's dominant position in the world. Yet, he r...more Edmund Morris's second installment of the proposed Theodore Roosevelt trilogy is a worthy follow-up to "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt." This book covers his Presidency years, from 1901 to 1909. It is a portrait of a good-natured, scrupulous patrician with progressive instincts who became the dominant politician of his age. His personal beliefs were founded on the gilded age of the late-nineteenth century, with its excesses and growing sense of America's dominant position in the world. Yet, he ran his presidency with a belief in relieving the working class of the burdens of unbridled labor abuses, breaking up business trusts which controlled America's economy, and preserving nature's most beautiful places from exploitation.

There was an awful lot going on, both domestically and internationally, at this time. Morris does a great job of explaining the history of the times in the Roosevelt era without leaving the reader feeling overwhelmed by all this turn-of-the-century history. A highlight of the first term was the Administration's successful antitrust suit to dissolve the Northern Securities Company. Roosevelt ordered the Sherman Act, formerly used to regulate labor, to be used against business monopolies. In this first case, the government won against the huge railroad trust run by E.H. Harriman and James W. Hill. It became the first of 45 antitrust suits against trusts by this president, who wasn't afraid of the political costs involved.

During this time, the United States recognized the Republic of Panama's secession from Columbia, and Roosevelt led the effort to sign a treaty to build the canal. This would be one of the greatest triumphs of his presidency; the canal was completed in 1914.

Five national parks were created in this first administration, including Crater Lake.

The fuel which heated most homes in the northern part of the country, including those in all of the major cities, was Anthracite coal, primarily mined in Northeast Pennsylvania. The owners of the mines were an oligarchy which got very rich off the backs of the miners, who were mostly Eastern European immigrants working under extremely dangerous, unhealthy conditions underground for low wages. John Lewis led the effort to unionize the workers. In 1902, the labor unrest of the miners came to a head in Pennsylvania, leading to a coal strike which threatened to make the next winter very difficult for many Americans. Roosevelt established a labor dispute precedent by getting the U.S. government involved as a neutral arbitrator. He established a conference consisting of representatives of government, labor and management, and arbitrated a settlement. For the first time, labor was elevated to a status equal with management in bargaining, and John Lewis became a revered figure whose photograph would hang in many coal miners' homes for generations.

Roosevelt was reelected in November, 1904. He continued using the law to provide means to preserve threatened natural treasures through the establishment of four Federal Game Preserves, including the Grand Canyon. The National Monuments Act upgraded Grand Canyon and created seventeen other Monuments, including Muir Woods, Devils Tower and Mount Olympus.

Roosevelt's most significant foreign policy accomplishment during his second term involved his efforts to mediate for the cessation of hostilities in the Russo-Japanese War. He was instrumental in establishing the Portsmouth Treaty of 1905 which ended the war. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for this accomplishment.

The President never failed to become involved in family activities despite his busy schedule of peacemaking and trust busting. A fascinating picture emerges as the patriarch who in many ways was just a big kid when he could relax with family. Theodore's children to his second marriage ranged from school-age to college students at this time; oldest child, Alice, was married in 1906 to Ohio Congressman Nicholas Longworth in an extravagant White House wedding. Morris describes how Roosevelt would take breaks from the Oval Office to romp with his children upstairs. He was an honorary member of the mischievous "Gang", a club which used the White House attic as its base. Headed by his son Quentin, it was composed of what Morris calls "an elite cadre of Washington's most subversive small boys."

Roosevelt's progressive, competent administration of his duties continued to pay off with benefits that future generations would enjoy. Morris documents many such triumphs, but also, no doubt, the most regressively mean-spirited presidential travesty of race relations mismanagement in the twentieth century. It resulted after the Army transferred several companies of black soldiers from Nebraska to Brownsville, Texas. The outrage of the white citizens of Brownsville to having blacks placed into their community by the government was heard all the way to the White House. The situation came to a head when the public friction caused by the local citizens' racial taunting of the soldiers boiled over into a riot. Some black soldiers were involved in the hostilities, and the majority of the non-participating soldiers apparently refused to turn over the names of their friends for prosecution. Roosevelt's decision was to issue a Special Order discharging all 160 black soldiers. No trials were held on the evidence of the flimsy case against the soldiers, all of whom had served their country honorably (three of them were Medal of Honor recipients). It is not known if Roosevelt thought better of his actions at a later date. Someone who displayed extreme every-day self-confidence to the extent of Roosevelt was not the type to admit error.

What made this deplorable action an anomaly for Roosevelt was his previous attempts to act in an even-handed manner on several occasions, regardless of public feelings toward race. As early as 1901, he made history by inviting a black man to dinner at the White House. This was a presidential first. The guest was Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute. It's not that Roosevelt was especially enlightened; Morris makes the point that his racial attitudes were influenced by "the Georgian blood of his unreconstructed mother.." (p. 52), but he also had a firm sense of fair play that said an individual, even, or especially, a black man who advanced in society beyond his racial peers was entitled to be respected with democracy's privileges. In the view of Roosevelt and most of his fellow white Americans, the great majority of blacks were not deserving of enfranchisement; the difference with Roosevelt, according to Morris, was that he believed this perceived "inferiority" was something that could be overcome, and not inherent in the race.

This offer of hospitality created a great deal of good faith with the nation's black population, at least until the 1906 Brownsville incident. Elsewhere, especially in the Southern newspapers, the president's "race mingling" was condemned in the most scurilous terms. He would later stir up the passions of Southern and Northern race baiters by naming Dr. William D. Crum, as Collector of Customs in Charleston, S.C., and, for the first time in memory, naming a black to a Northern federal appointment, as the Assistant District Attorney of Boston.

Roosevelt could thus make decisions that ran contrary to what his supporters expected from him. His most momentous was the decision to not run for reelection in 1908, thus leaving the Republican Presidential slot to be filled by his vice-president, William Howard Taft. How he would come to rue the day he allowed Taft to take over the party he worked so hard to lead, and then try to wrest power back into his hands, is the story of another book. Judging by the quality of Morris's first two installments of Roosevelt's life, the final book should be worth the wait. (less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Mark Sinnott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Theodore Rex is the second book of a trilogy by Edmund Morris detailing TR's life. This episode chronicles the time between Roosevelt's ascendency to the presidency after William McKinley's assassination in 1901 until the inauguration of William Taft in 1909.

TR showed a great flair for getting things done during his stay in the White House, even if it meant going against his own party. Domestically, he was progressive in busting up collective trusts, supporting laborer's rights and expanding con...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Cameron rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think I prefer this book to Edmund Morris's first Roosevelt bio "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", if only for the excellent account of Roosevelt's various subtle, sometimes magnanimous, political moves as President. Morris does well in conveying the delicacy with which Roosevelt negotiated peace between Russia and Japan, labor unions and captains of industry - not something one might associate with the boisterous, rough rider President. But then again, "speak softly, but carry a big stick".

I'm...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Ian rated it 5 of 5 stars

More boldly conceived but also more fragmented than it's 1979 predecessor (last-week predecessor, for me), Theodore Rex quite infuriatingly manages to succeed in its task of making that most odious of American presidents a little bit more likable. Absent still is a thorough (or "thoro" as I 'spose TR the spelling reform advocate would write) accounting of Roosevelt's relationship with his wife: Morris devotes all of three pages to the subject; his extensive coverage of the Henry Adams "relations...more

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Jul 16, 2009 Richard Needham rated it 5 of 5 stars

Although it took me nearly a year to finish this book, it is no fault of the author: from the moment of TR's assumption of the Presidency following McKinley's assasination (the account of which really drew me in) until the end of the second term, Edmund Morris not only gives a detailed account of Roosevelt's presidency (oh, now I see why he joins Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln on Mt. Rushmore), but of his personal life and the times in which he lived. He was a fitness fanatic, constantly inj...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Roger DeBlanck rated it 5 of 5 stars

Edmund Morris’ Theodore Rex is every bit as brilliant and compelling a biography as his precursor The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Picking up where volume one ended with Roosevelt assuming executive leadership after McKinely’s assassination, this second volume covers with great depth and panache the entirety of the Roosevelt presidency. The book is both a splendid narrative that chronicles the major events and achievements of Roosevelt’s two terms in office and also a reverential character study...more Edmund Morris’ Theodore Rex is every bit as brilliant and compelling a biography as his precursor The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Picking up where volume one ended with Roosevelt assuming executive leadership after McKinely’s assassination, this second volume covers with great depth and panache the entirety of the Roosevelt presidency. The book is both a splendid narrative that chronicles the major events and achievements of Roosevelt’s two terms in office and also a reverential character study of one our nation’s most intelligent and resolute presidents. For me, the most memorable aspects of this biography are the scintillating passages in which Morris expounds on the character that made Roosevelt the amazing man, husband, father, and president that he was. Roosevelt is described as a man who never relinquished his child-like playfulness or his ebullience and wit, yet his inexhaustible energy was a vital reason why he never wavered in his commitment to see things through to ensure that they were carried out right. He may have possessed a bully-like grit, which often seemed inflated with narcissism, verbosity, and expressiveness, yet he loved to understand and interact with others. He was voracious in his reading and committed to his research and writing. He displayed diligent command, facilitation, and focus in addressing notes, letters, and correspondence. In addition, Roosevelt is also depicted as having a personality that was as forceful as a waterfall. He was willful and desirous in his aim to appease others. He was simultaneously headstrong and wary, determined and open-minded, and thriving while also remaining aware of everything around him. He was intuitive, calm, and measured in his approach to handling diplomacy, negotiations, and compromises. His toughness, though genuine, was never brash, but rather a reflection of his indomitable energy. If he epitomized one quality above all else, he was a man of sound moral integrity. He showed tolerance, conscientiousness, and a perpetual intent to pursue unity and peace. He was courageous, optimistic, affectionate, and unconstrained in his drive to succeed. In short, Roosevelt got high on life and was impassioned with all of life’s vitality, challenges, and obstacles. He was a dutiful and hardworking president who sought to make the world a better place for future generations. In providing a detailed panorama of Roosevelt's remarkable presidency, Morris does more than chart events. He brings the tremendous spirit and force of Roosevelt’s character to light.(less)

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Jan 09, 2008 David marked it as to-read

By Edmund Morris, about TR's life (mostly his own and political, doesn't speak much to his family.

The man was shot before giving a speech when he was running for president on the progressive platform. He spoke for ninety minutes. Perhaps we can raise him from the dead to save the nation.

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Oct 13, 2011 Howard Cincotta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

Nothing can match exhileration of Morris's first volume in this series, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," if only because the material here is politics and domestic life instead of the almost unbelievable adventure story of Roosevelt's youth and early adulthood.

Morris opts for an intense close-up of Roosevelt as president here, and he captures the texture of the time in a way few writers have achieved. But at a price: Morris rately steps back to provide any extended discussion about the broader s...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Nicholas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: presidential-biography

This second volume of Edmund Morris's biography of Theodore Roosevelt covers his presidential years and is marked by the same level of dogged and rigorous research as the first. Morris, once again, blends the fastidiousness of serious academic research with a compelling journalistic narrative uncommon in professional historical works. I've found that a lot of the most readable histories out there have in fact been written by journalists, with most works by serious historians being rather dry by...more This second volume of Edmund Morris's biography of Theodore Roosevelt covers his presidential years and is marked by the same level of dogged and rigorous research as the first. Morris, once again, blends the fastidiousness of serious academic research with a compelling journalistic narrative uncommon in professional historical works. I've found that a lot of the most readable histories out there have in fact been written by journalists, with most works by serious historians being rather dry by comparison. Not so, in Morris's case. Certainly he has the benefit of an extraordinarily fascinating individual whose every utterance seems larger than life and epic in the Homeric sense. Even the way Roosevelt ate breakfast seems legendary. Every undertaking of the man is done with enthusiasm, verve and a whole-hearted attention that makes it seem like his sole preoccupation - the goal to which his entire life has directed him. Henry Adams once said of Roosevelt that he was "pure act." I find no better way to describe him, and certainly Morris's narrative portrays him as such.

In the first volume, Morris's strength lay in his interpretation of Roosevelt's personal characteristics and how the course of his life seemed the inevitable consequence thereof. In this volume, that theme is continued, although Roosevelt's academic-side is stressed less and his political genius is made manifest through the complicated and overlapping nature of his policy initiatives, his international and domestic legislative wrangling and his management of his public image. I can see that this volume might be less interesting than the first for those without an interest in the workings of politics. There is a lot of legalism and arcane political workings covered in intricate detail in the text; the finer points of order in the Republican national convention's nominating process, committee mumbo jumbo and procedural dicta. Overriding a lot of this discussion however is a continuing discussion of Roosevelt's boldness. He literally smashes through red tape, makes unaffected and unselfconscious decisions and comments, gets his hands dirty and sticks by his principles in ways that would make most modern politicians scoff. I recall in an interview Morris once said that a man like Roosevelt wouldn't have a hope of winning the presidency. Indeed the modern presidency seems to go to the person with the least air of uniqueness, the most bland Americanism, and the least obtrusive personal and professional characteristics. Boldness of the type we see in Roosevelt the assemblyman, Roosevelt the governor, Roosevelt the scholar, Roosevelt the president is often looked at as a liability in the age of personal image consultants and media directors.

Anyhow, Morris paints a picture of Roosevelt undaunted, in fact thriving, by the great weight of responsibilities thrust upon him by the death of William McKinley. In fact, the narrative suggests that the more pressure he was under, the greater and loftier the accomplishments he managed to achieve. This Roosevelt is tempered. Haughty, moralistic, and disdainful of those with weaker constitution and principle, you can forgive him because of the fastidiousness with which he sticks to his own ethical code. In short, it is the image of a saint, irreproachable even in his more questionable decisions because of the fervor with which he made them. Rightly accused of having a lust for power by his critics, he nevertheless was an ardent believer in the majoritarian process. In correspondence dug up by Morris and in his annual addresses to Congress he professes that the concentration of power in the hands of the few is the best means to hold people accountable for their actions. An interesting philosophy, and one that seems pertinent in the current age of large government and sprawling bureaucracy where politicians find it all to easy to blame this or that committee or this or that agency for governmental failure or shortcomings. Rising above everything else is a sense of political mastery unheard of in his age, and probably unheard of since his age. I dare say after reading Morris's account that a more able politician, with a more developed sense of timing, prescience, crowd control, maneuvering, coalition building and frankly, at times, cold, calculating ruthlessness has not existed in American politics before or since. And he was adored during his time whilst being reviled by his enemies probably more so than any other president. He won his own election with the greatest majorities ever seen in American presidential politics to that time and there were unprecedented calls for a third Rooseveltian term. And in spite of that lust for power and the joy he had in the exercise of it, like Cincinnatus and Washington before him, he walked away from it.

Morris's complete life of Roosevelt is inspiring, engaging and thought-provoking. It has certainly done much to elevate TR from the vagaries of American mythology in my mind to the forefront of the most able-bodied, effective and interesting human beings in world history in my mind. (less)

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Apr 04, 2008 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got this book from my dad. It's a fascintating look at the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, which is a period in history that I knew very little about. US History courses in high school tend to jump from Reconstruction and the Gilded Age straight to World War I.

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May 08, 2011 Susan Odetta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I amazed myself by actually getting through this tome. And I enjoyed most of it and learned ALOT more than I can remember ever learning in school about the times and TR. If anyone could accurately be described as being larger than life, TR fits the description. The timing and circumstances of his presidency shaped the USA in world events, from the Panama Canal to Japan's accession as a world power. He believed in an coined the the phrase "fair deal"....for the rights of business, labor unions, a...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Pat rated it 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this on Audible and it was fascinating....such a window on this period of American History...the Panama Canal, Sherman Antitrust Act, Teddy Bears, Booker T Washington, "Speak softly and carry a big stick", Yellowstone Park, "a square deal", Chinese Japanese War, Edward Arlington Robinson, The Jungle, William Randolph Hurst, spelling reform(!), Cuba, the Supreme Court, the "yellow peril", National Parks, child labor, William Jennings Bryant, Conservation,...I love "reading" these bi...more

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About Edmund Morris

Edmund Morris is a writer best known for his biographies of United States presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Morris received his early education in Kenya after which he attended Rhodes University in South Africa. He worked as an advertising copywriter in London before emigrating to the United States in 1968.
His biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize and Natio...more

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“Yet there was no doubt that Theodore Roosevelt was peculiarly qualified to be President of all the people. Few, if any Americans could match the breadth of his intellect and the strength of his character. A random survey of his achievements might show him mastering German, French, and the contrasted dialects of Harvard and Dakota Territory; assembling fossil skeletons with paleontological skill; fighting for an amateur boxing championship; transcribing birdsong into a private system of phonetics; chasing boat thieves with a star on his breast and Tolstoy in his pocket; founding a finance club, a stockmen's association, and a hunting-conservation society; reading some twenty thousand books and writing fifteen of his own; climbing the Matterhorn; promulgating a flying machine; and becoming a world authority on North American game mammals. If the sum of all these facets of experience added up to more than a geometric whole - implying excess construction somewhere, planes piling upon planes - then only he, presumably, could view the polygon entire.” — 5 people liked it

“Implicit in the stare of those eyes, the power of those knobbly hands, was labor's historic threat of violence against capital.” — 2 people liked it

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Theodore Rex (Theodore Roosevelt #2)

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