Theodore Rex

Theodore Roosevelt #2

by Edmund Morris

The most eagerly awaited presidential biography in years, Theodore Rex is a sequel to Edmund Morris’s classic bestseller The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It begins by following the new President (still the youngest in American history) as he comes down from Mount Marcy, New York, to take his emergency oath of office in Buffalo, one hundred years ago.

A detailed prologue describes TR’s assumption of power and journey to Washington, with the assassinated President McKinley riding behind him like a ghost of the nineteenth century. (Trains rumble throughout this irresistibly moving narrative, as TR crosses and recrosses the nation.) Traveling south through a succession of haunting landscapes, TR encounters harbingers of all the major issues of the new century-Imperialism, Industrialism, Conservation, Immigration, Labor, Race-plus the overall challenge that intimidated McKinley: how to harness America’s new power as the world’s richest nation.

Theodore Rex (the title is taken from a quip by Henry James) tells the story of the following seven and a half years-years in which TR entertains, infuriates, amuses, strong-arms, and seduces the body politic into a state of almost total subservience to his will. It is not always a pretty story: one of the revelations here is that TR was hated and feared by a substantial minority of his fellow citizens. Wall Street, the white South, Western lumber barons, even his own Republican leadership in Congress strive to harness his steadily increasing power.

Within weeks of arrival in Washington, TR causes a nationwide sensation by becoming the first President to invite a black man to dinner in the White House. Next, he launches his famous prosecution of the Northern Securities Company, and follows up with landmark antitrust legislation. He liberates Cuba, determines the route of the Panama Canal, mediates the great Anthracite Strike, and resolves the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903 with such masterful secrecy that the world at large is unaware how near the United States and Germany have come to war.

During an epic national tour in the spring of 1903, TR’s conservation philosophy (his single greatest gift to posterity) comes into full flower. He also bestows on countless Americans the richness of a personality without parallel-evangelical and passionate, yet lusty and funny; adroitly political, winningly natural, intellectually overwhelming. The most famous father of his time, he is adored by his six children (although beautiful, willful “Princess” Alice rebelled against him) and accepted as an honorary member of the White House Gang of seditious small boys.

Theodore Rex, full of cinematic detail, moves with the exhilarating pace of a novel, yet it rides on a granite base of scholarship. TR’s own voice is constantly heard, as the President was a gifted letter writer and raconteur. Also heard are the many witticisms, sometimes mocking, yet always affectionate, of such Roosevelt intimates as Henry Adams, John Hay, and Elihu Root. (“Theodore is never sober,” said Adams, “only he is drunk with himself and not with rum.”)

TR’s speed of thought and action, and his total command of all aspects of presidential leadership, from bureaucratic subterfuge to manipulation of the press, make him all but invincible in 1904, when he wins a second term by a historic landslide. Surprisingly, this victory transforms him from a patrician conservative to a progressive, responsible between 1905 and 1908 for a raft of enlightened legislation, including the Pure Food and Employer Liability acts. Even more surprising, to critics who have caricatured TR as a swinger of the Big Stick, is his emergence as a diplomat. He wins the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing about an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.

Interspersed with many stories of Rooseveltian triumphs are some bitter episodes-notably a devastating lynching-that remind us of America’s deep prejudices and fears. Theodore Rex does not attempt to justify TR’s notorious action following the Brownsville Incident of 1906-his worst mistake as President-but neither does this resolutely honest biography indulge in the easy wisdom of hindsight. It is written throughout in real time, reflecting the world as TR saw it. By the final chapter, as the great “Teddy” prepares to quit the White House in 1909, it will be a hard-hearted reader who does not share the sentiment of Henry Adams: “The old house will seem dull and sad when my Theodore has gone.”

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Presidents, American History, Politics, Biography Memoir

772 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2001

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name

Edmund Morris was 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 National Book Award in 1980. After spending 14 years as President Reagan's authorized biographer, he published the national bestseller Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan in 1999.

Morris's other books include Theodore Rex, the second in a projected three-volume chronicle of the life of Theodore Roosevelt, and Beethoven: The Universal Composer. Mr. Morris wrote extensively on travel and the arts for such publications as The New Yorker, the New York Times, and Harper's Magazine.

Edmund Morris lived in New York City and Kent, Connecticut with his wife and fellow biographer, Sylvia Jukes Morris.

Morris died on May 24, 2019 at a hospital in Kent, from a stroke at the age of 78.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Since puberty [Theodore Roosevelt] had taught himself to pluck the flower safety out of the nettle danger. Although his physical courage was by now legendary, it was not a natural endowment. He had been a timid child in New York City, cut off from schoolboy society by illness, wealth, and private tutors. Inspired by a leonine father, he had labored with weights to build up his strength. Simultaneously, he had built up his courage ‘by sheer dint of practicing fearlessness.’ With every ounce of new muscle, with every point scored over pugilistic, romantic, and political rivals, his personal impetus…had accelerated. Experiences had flashed by him in such number that he was obviously destined to travel a larger landscape of life than were his fellows. He had been a published author at eighteen, a husband at twenty-two, an acclaimed historian and New York assemblyman at twenty-three, a father and a widower at twenty-five, a ranchman at twenty-six, a candidate for Mayor of New York at twenty-seven, a husband again at twenty-eight, a Civil Service Commissioner of the Untied States at thirty…His career had gathered further speed: Police Commissioner of New York City at thirty-six, Assistant Secretary of the Navy at thirty-eight, Colonel of the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, the ‘Rough Riders,’ at thirty-nine. At last, in Cuba, had come the consummating ‘crowded hour.’ A rush, a roar, the sting of his own blood, a surge toward the sky, a smoking pistol in his hand, a soldier in light blue doubling up ‘neatly as a jackrabbit…’ When the smoke cleared, he had found himself atop Kettle Hill on the Heights of San Juan, with a vanquished empire at his feet…”
- Edmund Morris, Theodore Rex

Before the age of forty, Theodore Roosevelt had already lived the kind of life you most typically find in novels: the scrawny kid who turns himself into a boxer; the literate Harvard man who turns himself into a cowboy; the statesman who turns himself into a soldier; the soldier who becomes a great hero.

If Teddy had died on the San Juan Heights, and only a single (still rather large) volume was necessary to cover his life, he would have been well worth reading about.

Of course, Teddy did not die on that hill. Instead, he kept climbing, an impossibly restless and ambitious striver, the kind of guy who makes you feel bad about yourself, simply because you’re sitting on a couch reading about him, rather than writing a book, herding some cattle, or fighting a Spaniard to the death.

In The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Edmund Morris did a superb job covering the packed first act of Teddy’s remarkable life. That book ended with his subject lunching in the mountains, watching a messenger approach bearing the news that President William McKinley had died, making him the next President of the United States.

Theodore Rex, the second volume of Morris’s monumental trilogy, picks up right where the first one left off, with Teddy learning that he has just attained one of the rarest – and most important – jobs on earth. Thereafter, Morris covers both of Teddy’s presidential terms, ending with the handoff of power to the epically-sized, though otherwise rather average William Howard Taft.

Though it was not marked by a signature crisis, Roosevelt’s presidency was nevertheless quite full: he got the Panama Canal under way; he kept the Germans and British out of Central America; he brokered peace between Russia and Japan, earning himself the Nobel Peace Prize; he engaged in literal gunboat diplomacy; he dealt with a thorny labor dispute; he busted a few trusts; and he saved great swaths of America from rapacious private developers thinking only of their own profits. His time in office was not as consequential – for obvious reasons – as those of Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt. With that said, Teddy can hardly be faulted for the fact that he was not tested in quite the same fashion as other chief executives. He dealt with the situation that presented itself, and dealt with it rather well.

(The one thing that Teddy did that really stands out for me is the National Park system. There are few things that make me quite as queasy as some guy willing to decimate landforms and landscapes that were hundreds – even thousands – of years in the making, just to line the pockets of his tiny life. If there is a definition of shortsightedness, selfishness, vanity, and egoism, that’s pretty much it. When you go to a place like Yosemite, you will hit your knees and thank god and Theodore Roosevelt for the way Teddy transformed his ideals into policy).

As with the first entry, Theodore Rex is about as good as a biography can get. For the academic-minded, you can rest assured that Morris’s research is both broad and deep. Despite some occasional flourishes, Theodore Rex is impeccably sourced, and has wonderfully illuminating endnotes that add a lot to the text (if you aren’t averse to endlessly flipping back and forth). For the literary-minded, the writing is top notch. Morris knows how to tell his story clearly, but he is also able to slip into an evocative prose that brings you into events:

Indistinguishable as the whistle-stops soon became, even to him, each was supreme drama to a little audience that had been looking forward to it for weeks. Some buggy travelers had come one hundred miles to perch on the platform and peer endlessly at the horizon, waiting for a smudge of smoke to signal that “Teddy” was imminent. Then a speck growing in the smoke, a crescendo of wind and wheels, a great locomotive advancing – too fast, surely, to stop? Despair as it indeed keeps moving. Relief when it halts, after all, under the water tank one hundred yards down the track. A general stampede toward the Elysian, where Roosevelt stands grinning in frock coat and vest. He leans over the rail, pumping hands and tousling cowlicks. “Dee-lighted!” Rearing back, he begins to orate, punctuating every sentence with palm-smacks and dental percussion, while his listeners stand mesmerized. The engine bell rings; the train jerks forward. Another grin, and a farewell wave. The Cheshire-cat flash of those teeth float in the sky long after the train is a speck again.

At 555-pages of text (along with the aforementioned 166-pages of annotated endnotes), Theodore Rex is a good-sized chunk of literature, though quite a bit shorter than its precursor. Morris uses the space well. There were certain areas that I thought deserved a bit more coverage, especially with regard to Teddy’s family life. However, this volume certainly does a better job discussing Teddy’s flaws, especially his checkered handling of race relations. Morris shows how things actually started on a positive note, with Teddy inviting Booker T. Washington to dinner at the White House. By the end of his term, though, Roosevelt dealt both black Americans and his own reputation a heavy blow with his rather shameful handling of the so-called “Brownsville affair,” where black soldiers were dishonorably discharged for allegedly firing shots in the town of Brownsville, despite a complete lack of evidence, and despite their commanders testifying that the men had been in barracks. The amount of time Morris spends on race issues makes it clear that he is no simple apologist.

My only (tiny) criticism of Theodore Rex – indeed, of Morris’s entire project so far – is that it is an epic with too narrow a scope. It nails Teddy, but not the world in which he lived. To make this point, it’s fair to compare Morris’s excellent project to Robert Caro’s masterful biography of Lyndon Johnson, which is at four books and (hopefully) counting.

For Caro, the context of Johnson – the local, national, and international situation; his allies; his enemies – was as important as Johnson himself. He takes a lot of time fleshing out the stars in Johnson’s orbit, and then using that information to set up the conflicts of Johnson’s life. This makes for a riveting narrative and a broader sense of what’s going on.

Early in Theodore Rex, I thought that Morris might go in that direction. In a marvelous prologue – perhaps the best part of the entire book – Morris follows Teddy on his train ride from Mount Marcy (where he has learned of McKinley’s shooting) to Buffalo, New York (where McKinley is dying). During this journey, Morris had Teddy looking out a window, and every time he sees something – a coal worker, a black person – he uses it as a segue to describe the state of the union that Roosevelt was about to lead. It might not be strict history, but it is exceptional literature. It is, in a word, Caro-esque.

After this blazing beginning, though, the rest of Theodore Rex is structured in standard fashion (even if perfectly executed). Morris moves chronologically from one event to the next, keeping close to Teddy, and rarely expanding his view.

Obviously, a biographer cannot bend the sweep of history to make a more interesting story. It is not Morris’s fault that – for instance – one of Teddy’s primary antagonists, Senator Mark Hanna, dies early in the story, prematurely ending a potentially fascinating arc.

By the end of Theodore Rex, I got the sense that I was reading the final word on Teddy Roosevelt’s life. After a thousand-and-more pages with Teddy, I was just about as close to a long-dead historical figure as possible. It was thus with a bit of trepidation that I reached the final page knowing that soon I would have to leave him.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Morris’ second volume we are introduced to President Roosevelt. He is a far more seasoned and mature person than the TR described in the first volume. While still given to outbursts and instantaneous action, he displays political astuteness and an ability to balance his impulsiveness with pragmatism. No longer is TR the NY City Police Commissioner who walked the streets making sure cops were on their beats and who alienated so many New Yorkers by zealously enforcing the unpopular and widely disregarded Sunday alcohol laws. Nor is he the Civil Service Commissioner who personally investigated cases of the pervasive corruption of the patronage system without regard for the political consequences he would bear. His hardheaded sense of duty gives way to a nuanced rationality.

The changed TR is captured by newspaperman Henry Herzberg in 1903, “Mr. Roosevelt is bold and fearless yet timid and wary; he is ambitious and striving, but circumspect and cautious. He is imperious in mind, but thoughtful and considerate in action.” By 1906 TR is playing the political game with a style easily recognized today. As Morris points out, “Roosevelt’s by now compulsive habit of following every statement with a counterstatement (positives neutralizing negatives and on the other hand used as a kind if conjunction) muted the overall effect of his speech.”

In foreign policy TR demonstrates a new deftness, forestalling the German and British impending attack on Venezuela and skillfully avoiding conflict with patient diplomacy. This new TR is in stark contrast to the one who a few years earlier was a jingoist Assistant Secretary of the Navy salivating in anticipation of the Spanish American war. While he resorts to forceful intimidation of Columbia to support the Panamanian revolution and secure the Canal Zone in 1903, in stark contrast he grants Cuba its independence in 1902 and settles the Philippine war with amnesty for all combatants. His adroit handling of the Russo-Japanese peace negotiations in 1905 wins him a Noble Peace Prize. His restraint and mediation ability shine in 1906 when he avoids direct involvement in the Tangier crisis and convinces France to hold a peace conference with Germany at Algeciras to resolve a conflict which threatens war in Europe.

In domestic policy TR is similarly adept. He champions breaking up the giant trusts such as Standard Oil and the Northern Securities Company which controls major railroads. He initiates a role for the federal government in regulating railroad rates. He takes on Wall Street carefully never going so far as to permanently alienate this powerful Republican constituency, presenting the argument that if nothing is done, the common people will revolt and put Progressive Democrats in control. He applies the same mediation skill to labor disputes that was effective in foreign disputes, most notably the 1902 anthracite coal miner’s strike that threatens a nation facing a winter without fuel. His political polish is recognized. Writes the Washington Post in 1906, “…that he has more political acumen in one lobe of his brain than the whole militant tribe of American politicians have in their combined intelligence; that his political perception, so acute as to amount almost to divination, is superior to that of any American statesman of the present or immediate past era.”

As his presidency enters its last years more and more he embraces the growing Progressive movement. He wins passage of the Meat Inspection Act, Pure Food and Drug Act and Railroad Rate Regulation act in 1906. Perhaps his greatest legacy lies in his conservation efforts. His establishment of the many national parks, national monuments and national forest reserves is based on a reverence for nature unique among Washington politicians. His deep love of the wild means he values its salvation so much that he does not flinch in taking on the money interests dominating Washington bent on its destruction for quarterly profits.

His 1907 Message to Congress proposes graduated inheritance and income taxes. His 1908 Special Message to Congress directly attacks corporate greed, “The vast individual and corporate fortunes, the vast combinations of capital which have marked the development of our industrial system, create new conditions, and necessitate a change from the old attitude of the State and the Nation toward the rules regulating the acquisition and untrammeled business use of property.” Even famous muckraking author Upton Sinclair and Democratic Progressive leader William Jennings Bryan approve. In the Message he pushes for and eventually gets meaningful employer liability and workman’s compensation laws. He calls for extending the Interstate Commerce Commission’s authority to financial supervision of railroads. Later he invites Bryan, someone in the past he had ridiculed, to a dinner at the White House and after a long conversation calls him, “a wonderful man”. If TR had wanted a third term he could have easily had it with widespread support despite the strong reservations of Wall Street and the Old Guard.

The foregoing are just a few highlights. Morris covers much, much more. TR is constantly challenged as he crafts new policies to cope with the rapid social, economic and technological change that is quickly transitioning the United States from an insular rural society to an industrial age world power. TR meets the challenge, he not only grows into the job, he continues to grow with the job. While Morris is an excellent writer, all the details can get a bit dry at times. But if one is to truly understand the man and the period, they are all probably necessary. And to understand American history it is important to understand this gifted man and what his remarkable ability to lead meant to America and its future.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Restless Energy.

Second in Edmund Morris’ trilogy of that most iconic of presidents Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Theodore Rex’ is a solid follow up to ‘The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.’ This book captures the presidency of Roosevelt from 1901 to 1909 and focuses on Roosevelt’s dramatic rise to power to his years in the White House, detailing the challenges, triumphs, and controversies of his presidency.

Morris excels at portraying Roosevelt’s boundless energy, intellectual curiosity, and progressive vision. From the moment Roosevelt takes office after the assassination of William McKinley, the book highlights his drive to reshape the presidency and exert strong federal authority in an era of rapid industrialisation and social change. His ambitious domestic policies—including trust-busting, railroad regulation, labor rights advocacy, and an unprecedented conservation movement—demonstrate his belief in using government power to serve the public good. Roosevelt’s battles with corporate monopolies, particularly his confrontation with J.P. Morgan over the Northern Securities Company, underscore his determination to rein in the unchecked power of big business.

On the international stage, Roosevelt emerges as a bold and pragmatic leader. His foreign policy, encapsulated in the phrase ‘speak softly and carry a big stick,’ is explored in detail, particularly through his role in securing the construction of the Panama Canal and his deft handling of the Russo-Japanese War, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. Morris presents Roosevelt as a president who skillfully balanced diplomacy with military readiness, expanding America’s global influence while avoiding direct conflict.

However I found the biggest weakness of the book is Morris’ scatty narrative style. In attempting to bring the events to life he tries to weave in Roosevelt’s own words and the perspectives of those around him. For me this caused the book to the disjointed and distracting. Sometimes the book was all over the place, with sentences or phrases that made it feel like Morris was trying too hard. Furthermore, whilst ‘The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt’ had the advantage of a more dramatic personal transformation, ‘Theodore Rex’ is inherently more focused on governance, making it a slightly slower read.

Morris also does not shy away from Roosevelt’s complexities. While the book largely admires his leadership, it acknowledges his imperialist tendencies, racial views, and at times autocratic impulses. His expansionist policies, particularly regarding U.S. intervention in Latin America, are examined with a critical lens, illustrating both his strategic brilliance and his belief in American supremacy.

Overall, ‘Theodore Rex’ is a richly detailed portrait of one of America’s most dynamic presidents even if the style of writing was tough going in parts. However, Morris’ meticulous research alone may perk the interest of anyone interested in Roosevelt’s presidency, the Progressive Era, or the evolution of American power in the early 20th century. While it may not have the same dramatic arc as its predecessor, it still maintains a standard expected of the professional historian in the study of the past.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theodore Rex is a meticulously researched and beautifully written biography of Theodore Roosevelt and the second book of the trilogy by Pulitzer prize-winning author, Edmund Morris, of one of our more beloved presidents. The book opens with Vice-President Roosevelt being summoned to Buffalo, New York after the assassination attempt and imminent death of President McKinley in September 1901. The book is divided into two parts, each comprising the first and second presidential administrations of Theodore Roosevelt, respectively. The many facts that are contained within these pages are riveting as the President, the youngest man to hold office, brings his progressive values to the White House, promising fairness for all Americans, the breaking of long-held trusts and conglomerates, regulation of railroads and the conservation of America's natural resources being of primary importance as he established national parks, monuments and forests, whether by executive order or through the coaxing and persuasion of Congress. Roosevelt was also committed to the building of the Panama Canal as he dealt with tensions in Cuba and Central America. As his second term is nearing completion, he grooms William Howard Taft as his successor in order to ensure his policies will prevail. One of his signature achievements was the expansion of the United States Navy and sending the Great White Fleet around the world, to culminate their tour in February 1909 as the conclusion of his presidency.

"At Hampton Roads on 22 February, Roosevelt stood for the last time as Commander-in-Chief on the bridge of the 'Mayflower.' . . . 'Here they are,' he eventually shouted, feeling rather than seeing, as the sound of twenty-eight ships' bands playing the 'The Star-Spangled Banner' grew in volume, to the rhythmic crash of cannon. The music, the gunpowder, the echelons of saluting blue jackets: all were for him, and for history."

"'That is the answer to my critics,' he said, his top hat glistening in the wet air. 'Another chapter is complete, and I could not ask a finer concluding scene for my administrations.'"

"Seven years and a hundred and sixty-nine days before, on another lowering evening, he had come along this same track, eager to begin work as the President of the United States. . . . he had been happy then, as he was happy now; happy at the large things he had managed to achieve--a canal, a coal-strike settlement, a peace treaty, a national conservation conference--contented with myriad smaller triumphs. . . . "

"But for millions of contemporary Americans, he was already memorialized in the eighteen national monuments and five national parks he had created by executive order, or cajoled out of Congress. The 'inventory,' as Gifford Pinchot would say, included protected pinnacles, a crater lake, a rain forest and a petrified forest, a wind cave and a jewel cave, cliff dwellings, a cinder cone and skyscraper of hardened magma, sequoia stands, glacier meadows, and the grandest of all canyons."

[carl theaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bully ! Of a Goodread ! Theodore Roosevelt, a man of the 19th century, brings in the 20th, unexpectedly as President of the United States, with the vigor of new ways, new ideas, and a rambunctious personality, both physically and politically. This volume begins audaciously as he is beckoned from a retreat deep in the mountains on an appropriately dark and stormy night, undertaking a harrowing journey to assume the presidency as President McKinley fades with an assassin’s bullet in him.

I love to read history, but even I hesitate when faced with a 777 page book. That 200 pages are notes and biblio, make it a little less daunting but what really makes the book is the author, Edmund Morris’ fluid style. Whether he is covering the well known aspects of TR’s years, such as the Panama Canal, battling corporate trusts, the Rough Riders, speaking softly and carrying a big stick, or just the finagling it takes to get a mundane bill passed, he makes it all compelling reading. You get a feel of all the personalities of the era and machinations of what goes on to run a government.

TR’s presidency still had a senator in office from the Lincoln administration, yet saw the first airplane fly. He had the longest resume in the western world, by 40, he had written dozens of books, read thousands, which continued during his time in office, was Governor of New York, Secretary of the Navy, still continued physical activity, such as rock climbing, horse back riding, hunting, boxing, things young men do, well he was in his mid 40s.

He was the first to seek a Centrist position as the Chief Executive. Something he learned quickly, when you seek a central position, compromise, it really means both sides hate you as well as the media.

I had not realized this is book two on TR by the author, which covers his time in office 1901-1909, a previous book handles the Theodore Rising years., which I’’ll be looking for. As for this tale if you choose to dive in, You’ll be DELighted !

[Laura Noggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in Morris' trilogy—looking forward to the final chapter!

“To live, for him, has no meaning other than to drive oneself, to act with all one’s strength. An existence without stress, without struggle, without growth has always struck him as mindless. Those who remain on the sidelines he sees as cowards, and consequently his personal enemies.”

“Sooner or later, unless there is a readjustment, there will come a riotous, wicked, murderous day of atonement.”

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this book for months, not because it was bad but simply because I wanted to. Some books I like to pick up and reading every now and then and others I binge in a day. Theodore Rex is book 2 of a trilogy of books about Theodore Roosevelt. Book 1 is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, which obviously covers his early years, including becoming vice president to William McKinley. Book 3 is Colonel Roosevelt, which covers his post presidential years and his later run for president as a third-party candidate. I didn't read book 1, and I don't plan on reading book 3 anytime soon. I knew some things about Theodore Roosevelt, but I really wanted to just focus on his presidency, which is why I decided to read book 2.

Theodore Roosevelt became president when William McKinley was assassinated ( spoiler alert to those who didn't know), and he was and still is the youngest person to become president at 42. As someone who isn't in their 40s yet....42 seems real young to be president but at this point in history where Trump is the oldest person running for president( thankfully Biden did the right thing and bowed out) I'd much prefer a younger president. Despite his age, he actually had been preparing for power for many years.

Side note: I really need to read Upton Sinclair's The Jungle...that book literally changed the meat processing industry because the president (Theodore) read the book and wanted to know how true it was. Can you imagine a modern president reading a novel and changing a whole industry? See, kids reading really does matter.

Back to Teddy...

I've heard lots of talk about how Theodore Roosevelt was a friend of the Black community. He was "friends" with Booker T Washington and invited him to the White House, causing lots of controversy. He talked about civil rights. He also came out against lynching which was at that time a brave stance because times were not good if you were a Black person in those days( and it might be again the future if Project 2025 comes to pass). Teddy got the bulk of the Black vote when he ran for president. I knew these things were going in but what I didn't know was that he betrayed the Black community. I won't tell you everything, but basically, some Black service members were accused of very bad acts, including rape and assault. There was proof that these men were innocent, but a mob of white citizens and politicians wanted blood, so President Roosevelt threw them out of the military without benefits. Several of his fellow Republicans came put against his actions and wanted a full investigation to get to the truth, but Roosevelt blocked it. In the aftermath of this event, the Black community turned against Roosevelt, and Roosevelt basically never mentioned anything related to the Black community for the rest of his presidency. Politicians like Theodore Roosevelt are why we, as Black people, don't trust politicians even when they say all the right things because it takes nothing for them to turn on us. This chapter of his presidency really turned me against this man. Don't believe any of the pro Black propaganda you hear about Theodore Roosevelt, it's lies. He had the chance to actually do more than just talk about Black causes and he sided with white supremacy.

Overall Theodore Rex is very good read. It's interesting and entertaining. I never felt bored reading it and it made me want to pick up more books about other events that took place during his presidency. I highly recommend this book. I will say if you know nothing about Theodore Roosevelt I'd suggest you start with book 1 because you will probably be confused if you start with Theodore Rex.

As you should know by now, I'm trying to read about every single U.S. President. I don't know who will be my next presidential read will be but I'm leaning towards Nixon or Hoover. If you have any presidential recommendations send them to me or tell me in the comments.

[Arminius · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 at an Ivy Leagues school and he had been to many countries including the most remote regions in the world. He was a war hero, as well as 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 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 mediated the ending of the Russo-Japanese War with such satisfaction for both sides that he was given a Nobel Peace prize. In 1906 he commissioned 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 left the office in 1909 being fully confident that his preferred successor William Howard Taft would 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 retired to private life planning his next adventure - a great African safari hunt.

[Sonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theodore Rex is the second volume of Edmund Morris’ trilogy on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. While some might ask why a three-volume biography of Teddy is needed, it seems clear that this outsized life demanded it. Roosevelt has been remembered as one of the most colorful American personalities who ever lived. Of course, Roosevelt's biographers have stressed his personality; but there is so much more. Roosevelt had a lifelong interest in pursuing what he called "the strenuous life". He lived life to its full. The second volume covers the time of Roosevelt’s two terms as President (the first starting with McKinley’s assassination). While this may be the least exciting period of his life from the reader’s point of view, it should be pointed out that historians have credited Roosevelt with being the architect of the modern presidency, permanently placing the presidency at center stage and reshaping the office to meet the needs of the new century. As a world leader, he boldly redefined America's place in the world.

His accomplishments during his seven-plus years as President include trust busting and regulation, ending the anthracite coal strike, prosecuting corruption, establishment of the Interstate Commerce Commission, working toward safe food and drugs, conservation, building the Panama Canal, and resolving the Russo-Japanese War. He single-handedly put the environment on the national agenda. Historians typically rank Roosevelt among the top five presidents.

Edmund Morris was an exceptional historian. His first book, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Biography and the 1980 National Book Award for biography. While Theodore Rex is very detailed, the book is light on analysis. Morris argued that Roosevelt was so self-explanatory as to preclude any authorial intrusion into the narrative. In the end, Morris produced a brilliant book that captures Roosevelt’s many sides.

[Steven Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

New York City recently removed a statue of Thomas Jefferson from their city hall. Now a statue of Theodore Roosevelt will be removed from the Museum of Natural History and moved to North Dakota.

Erasing American history from public view.

[Colleen Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first volume of this trilogy several years ago and immediately bought the second volume. It sat on my shelf until very recently when I decided I needed to get it read. Morris is a great historian and biographer for several reason including the fact that he scrupulously researches his topic, writes very well, and is amazingly objective- a feat many biographers find hard to do.

Although I have read several books on TR and studied him in school, this book filled in a lot of the gaps that were unfilled. One of those things was his work on negotiating the peace treaty between Russia and Japan. I was a bit surprised how much of a hand he had in it and how he carefully goaded and convinced each side to reach an agreement. Diplomat is not a word that comes easily to mind when thinking of TR. His personality might seem a bit too impatient for it. But he did it and deserves credit for it.

Without going into his list of accomplishments, suffice it to say that he deserves a great deal of credit. That said, this book ends at the conclusion of his presidency and if one were to look into the future when Wilson was in office, he did not cover himself in glory- but that is for another day. I recommend this book for the reasons listed above.

[John Devlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.8) TR’s accomplishments are manifold:Panama canal, Nobel for the Russo-Japanese treaty, natl parks, trust busting….
TR was a Renaissance man trapped in a frontiersman’s body…his strength of will was memorable

Perhaps most impressively he could’ve been president for four more years but he declined on principle…and he left the White House without regrets…

TR embodied the burgeoning 20th century with its exorbitant industrialized technology…all galvanic and Pell-mell.

I admit to seeing his presidency in a different light as I’ve aged…TR summoned progressivism and the federal govt far too much into the lives of ordinary folk. Of course, from his perch as president in 1904 this new flexing of govt to aid Americans couldn’t foresee the income tax, his nephews new deal and SS, nor LBJs far more far reaching war on poverty…to a federal govt who wants to reach so far down into folks lives they’ll tell them who can use a bathroom…

That’s not bully! At all.

[Peter Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike other presidents, I decided to read a multi-volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt because he seemed like one of America's most interesting presidents. I can now say confidently that he is THE most interesting president America has ever had. Sui generis (unique). "Theodore Rex" is every bit as good as "The Rise of T.R." The chief difference is that "The Rise" covers a much more exciting period of Teddy's life. Morris rediscovers the Roosevelt family, who largely went missing in the last third of his first volume. After disappearing as a toddler in "The Rise," Alice reappears as a 17-year-old ready to become the most interesting first daughter America has ever had. Making an appearance for the first time are T.R.'s right-hand men, William Loeb (who we learn had already been serving Teddy for three years) and later Archibald Butt.

The 22 years between Morris's volumes did not lessen his penchant for using obscure words (my favorite- "macrocephalic"), Latin, (Morris's favorite- "de ipse") and foreign words (M's favorite- du roi). The one that bothered me the most was "Nipponese." I have read countless books on Japan, but I have never seen that word used to refer to Japanese. Nevertheless, dictionary dives are a small price to pay for such beautiful prose. Morris has few equals when it comes to painting a scene. The footnotes are just as copious, but less crucial than the previous volume. Sadly, they have been reformatted in such a way as to make it more difficult to link them to the text referred to.

I have not made plans to read Morris's final volume ("Colonel Roosevelt"). After finishing my basic survey of America's most important presidents, I plan to read "River of Doubt" and then "Alice."

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodore Roosevelt – what a guy!!! A whirlwind . A remarkable individual way, way, way ahead of his time. I recommend reading this book to those of you interested in all the details of his presidency AND to those of you who like reading about exceptional human beings. I cannot think of any other person at all similar. You must of course start with the first book of the trilogy: The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. This is the second, and I am off to read the third: Colonel Roosevelt. I know they are long, but they are worth it.

Should I list some of the remarkable things Theodore achieved during his presidency? Is that what you want to know? The Panama Canal, the Pennsylvanian coal strike settlement, negotiations to end the Russo-Japanese War and the Moroccan Crisis of 1906 for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize, the National Conservation Conference and anti-trust legislation, to name but a few. By reading the book you will understand the magnitude of each accomplishment. You will understand how he pulled off these accomplishments and why he chose to do what he did. Who is Theodore Roosevelt? How did his mind tick? Was he brave? Was he moral? Was he impetuous? Yes, yes, yes! Did he make mistakes? Of course! Perhaps Brownsville was one. Read and judge for yourself.

Please read this book. You will be astounded by the exuberance of this man, by his intelligence and his morals. More than just discovering what he did you will discover how this man was under the surface. He is complicated. How could he be both a hunter and a conservationist? How did he balance might versus right, wealth versus labor’s demands? I cannot adequately explain how he looks on African-Americans. I’d have to write a book to explain this accurately, but that is not necessary since you have this book. You end up understanding not only what he did but who he was. Now, in the final book Theodore is off on a safari to Eastern Africa. I will be accompanying him and his son Kermit. What a guy! I don’t want to leave him.

I think this book isn’t quite as good as the first. I wanted to know more about his familial relationships, about his wife and children. There is a bit, but not enough. Maybe that is not the author’s fault. There is little information. Edith was reserved. Letters were destroyed. Privacy was kept. Or maybe I will get this in the next volume? I know that the narration by Nathan Marosz really made it difficult at times to pay attention to the words being read. His voice has a terrible sing-song lilt. He drew out in length the final words of a sentence. Then he pauses; it sounds terribly condescending! In any case the narration is completely inappropriate for Theodore who is known to have bitten off his words, spitting them out in a sharp staccato manner. Marosz mispronounces not only French, but German and even English words too. As you follow the amusing lines of the author, you can hardly appreciate the humor, the narration is so distracting. OK, Marosz did have me laughing, not at the author’s lines, but at the bizarre mispronunciations. Wait till you hear how he says the words liqueur, and Steiff (the stuffed teddy bears) and Slav. There was one French name that I was totally incapable of deciphering. Thankfully, both the first and the third books of the trilogy use the narrator Mark Deakins, and he does a magnificent job. Many times lines were read twice, but this, of course, is not the narrator’s fault. I kind of think it was the narration that made it so impossible for me to really enjoy this book as I should have, but at times I did feel just a little bit bored. My advice? If you cannot get the second volume narrated by Mark Deakins, read the paper book instead! You simply cannot hop over any of the books. They should be read together.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in Edmund Morris' three-book series on Roosevelt, and while the first one won the Pulitzer Prize and gets all the accolades, I found this one to be more enjoyable and considerably more fascinating.

You get to charge through the first decade of the 20th century right next to the most exciting president we've ever had. Morris illuminates big events (Panamanian independence, war between Russia and Japan) while painting you a picture of what American life and government then was like (his explanation of how State of the Union addresses worked was incredible).

Looking forward to book three.

[Jessica]

Man I wish TR would suddenly lurch back to life and stride manfully into this GOP clusterfuck that's melting poor America's brain.

So far this book is awesome! And since I'm utterly ignorant and don't know what happened in this country between about 1890 and 1929 it's especially fun, since I have no clue what will happen next... I hope they get that Nicaragua Canal built without too much trouble.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ol' Teddy Roosevelt. One of two Republicans that it is okay for liberals to like (the other is Abraham Lincoln of course. Who did you think I was talking about? Rutherford B. Hayes?)

I've always liked this guy because of the snippets of history you hear about him: "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Big game hunter. Conservationist. Great public speaker. Teddy Bear.

I feel like I've grown up listening to his "Greatest Hits" and this is the first time I've actually sat down to listen to all of his albums, in context. (Yeah, I don't know where I'm going with this metaphor either.)

An interesting read. To be sure, his foreign achievements seem quite impressive. He personally negotiated several volatile situations in Central America and Japan that no modern day President would ever DREAM of attempting. He rolled the dice big several times and won big, most notably in securing the Panama Canal. However, I believe it was these successes during his presidency that led to his overconfidence (hubris?) that ultimately tarnished his legacy later in life, but that'll be covered in the next book.

His biggest domestic policy contribution was is environmental conservation. It is so funny that he was the first President to ever promote conservation and that if he did that in the modern day Republican party he would be crucified as a commie-liberal-pinko. He shoved several pieces of conservation legislation and executive orders that had long ranging effects on our country. Clearly he had a big impact with this, I mean, his face is carved into a mountain for crying out loud.

The Teddy Roosevelt in this book is the one we remember but he had many miles to go before he slept. This is all covered in the next volume, "Colonel Roosevelt" which I plan on reading ASAP.

A decent read but too short and not enough detail for my taste. In that regard, it reminded me of "Truman" by David McCullough. After this book you'll know all of the facts but not necessarily know the man.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, the middle book of a three book trilogy, is focused solely on Theodore Roosevelt's presidency. The book is exellent. Richly detailed in all that happened during his presidency. The book captures more than a presidency but also the man himself, his energy, his faults and his strengths. Paired with the first book, this makes a wonderful duology. However, if you are just looking to read about his presidency, this is book can just be read on its own.

[Darwin8u · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant biography. IT is hard to separate my love of Morris' second Roosevelt biography from my love of TR. The book captures the dynamo-President's force, eccentricities, and political skill while also accurately capturing the politics of the time and the rise of America's global power. Occasionally, a person enters the global stage with such energy, power, competence and audacity that it seems the earth moves for them and water separates. I can only think of a couple other leaders that capture the Nietzsche' Übermensch ideal (Napoleon, Fredrick the Great, Alexander, Caesar, etc) as well. Even when Teddy wasn't super, he was still super lucky.

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second installment of Edmund Morris's biographical trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt. Densely written, well researched and with excellent research notes Theodore Rex is a serious piece of political biography. I'm not a slow reader, but I took my time goingg through this one.

Political biographies can be challenging for me. All the in-fighting and maneuvering can be tedious at times, but also fascinating. It just isn't fast reading for me. In some respects the book is rather old-fashioned in it's writing style and layout, but I found it refreshing for this very reason. This is a book meant to be read a few chapters at a time. Not something you blow through while waiting at the doctor's office or on the family Christmas visit. Morris didn't write a book for the smartphone and twitter crowd (I'm very aware that I'm using social media/technology to post this review).

There is nothing brief or vapid in this book. There are detailed accounts of politics, Roosevelt's 1904 presidential campaign, foreign affairs and ,of course, the Roosevelt clan. Of the three books "Theodore Rex" covers the shortest span of time - a mere eight years. This is Roosevelt at his peak both professionally and physically. There are hints (actually more than just hints) of what the future holds in store for Theodore's health, but those troubles are still in the future. The Roosevelt children are just that and the many issues that would bedevil them are not an issue in this installment. It's the Roosevelt Golden Age.

If you're interested in Theodore Roosevelt and the Ragtime era I recommend this book. Actually the entire trilogy which I'm reading backwards from the end to the beginning. Why? Just because. I recommend the trilogy as companion piece for Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets off a Struggle for the Soul of America, Ragtime,An American Tragedyand The Jungle. The works are fiction and non-fiction and were written during different decades over the past 110 years (approximately), but together they can give you a very interesting look at America when the nineteenth century became the twentieth.

[Nick Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as good as the first book in the trilogy (The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt), but then it's hard to imagine how that would be possible. less punch-out narrative here, likely because even so ursine a character as the Knickerbocker can't get away as President with all the roughhousing of a free citizen, l'outrance qui est dans sa nature notwithstanding. there's also a wider cast of characters here, despite fewer pages; they tend to enter, drive disparate drama for a score of pages, and leave. i was forced to turn to the index several times, which never happened in volume 1. still, well worth reading by any measure, though more on the level of Caro's LBJ books (though at least here you're assured conclusion of the work, whereas we're all wondering whether Caro will last through the fifth volume of The Years of Lyndon Johnson).

i'd summarize by saying that The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is required reading for all people, whereas Theodore Rex is optional, though i doubt anyone who reads the first volume will skip this one. i'm a bit worried about the third volume, though it's definitely in the on-deck circle.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. One has to have almost as much energy as Teddy himself to get through this massive history of Roosevelt's presidency. I did not enjoy it anywhere near as much as Morris's earlier book, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Rex was too often a rather dry chronology with little context or analysis of Roosevelt's place in history. Still....Bully for Teddy! He was a giant.

[Jonathan Mckay · Rating 4 out of 5]

44th, 47th, 51st books of 2020: Roosevelt Trilogy: The most interesting American

Theodore Roosevelt wasn’t supposed to be president. Coming from a wealthy family, he was nearly on track to become a naturalist. Living in a world of books, he devoured literature, “reading some twenty thousand books and writing fifteen of his own”. But since he suffered from asthma while growing up, doctors advised ‘avoiding strenuous exercise.’

“Doctor,” came the reply, “I’m going to do all the things you tell me not to do. If I’ve got to live the sort of life you have described, I don’t care how short it is.”

He proceeded to lose a fortune as a cowboy in North Dakota, and after a stint as a muckraking police commissioner from New York, inserted himself into the Spanish American war to become a war hero. This catapulted him to Governor of New York, but he made enemies fast enough that they forced him out of New York politics causing him to fail upwards to the vice presidency. It’s not that he was an unqualified success in whatever he did, and certainly there was no clear arc of his life, but in every area he embarked he made progress rapidly, and made waves on the way.

As President, Roosevelt attempted problems that could easily have become quagmires, such as mediating the strike with coal miners, mediating between the Russians and Japanese after the disastrous encounter at Tsushima, and finding just enough shortcuts and justifications to turn the Panama Canal into a reality. He engaged in and won a game of naval brinksmanship with Germany in the Venezuelan crisis, and secured the place of America as an emerging great power at the turn of the century. For an accidental president, Roosevelt’s personality aligned almost perfectly with a young and newly confident America, bumbling its way onto the world stage with bravado that turned more into justified confidence with each new ship put in the ocean.

After serving two terms and losing faith in Taft, his anointed successor, he then split the republican party by creating the progressive party, but luck could only follow his chutzpah so far. This created a landslide for Woodrow Wilson, and when he tried to explore a new river in Brazil, it nearly killed him. In the end, only death could slow him down: "Roosevelt must of been asleep when he died. Or there would have been a fight."

Throughout the trilogy, Roosevelt’s frenetic life shows how a healthy dose of confidence and enthusiasm, when mixed with some media savvy are a timeless combination for making it into history. Unlike figures such as Napoleon, Churchill, or Julius Caesar, Roosevelt is not defined by any one expertise, and instead has a legacy that lasts through both the paths that he succeeded and failed in. In this Morris does Roosevelt’s story justice by the trilogy.


Rise of Theodore Roosevelt: ★★★☆☆
Theodore Rex: ★★★★☆
Colonel Roosevelt: ★★★☆☆

[Joe B · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 as moving to Wyoming and tackling and killing a mountain tiger with a knife. Love him or hate him, this is a great look into TR. I only gave this four stars because the book does not cover his post presidency: His huge trip to Africa which is the only reason for most of our artifacts in our museums and his hatred for his successor Taft. He actually ran against Taft and came in second to Woodrow Wilson. Therefore, Taft is the only current incumbent of the presidency to come in third in a presidential election.

[Susan O · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 - An excellent follow-up to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Morris is a wonderful writer who can make what could be dry periods, or topics, interesting. Although, admittedly, with TR as a subject much of it is exciting. I would like to have had more personal information about the family, but this time is already so filled that it might not have been possible to include it. Sylvia Jukes Morris has written an excellent book about Edith that you might be interested in if this applies to you as well, Edith Kermit Roosevelt: Portrait of a First Lady.

Overall, I enjoyed The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt a little more, but I plan to go ahead and read the next in the trilogy soon. Highly recommended.

[Sebastian Mittelman · Rating 1 out of 5]

I watched the film version of the book when I was 6 or 7. It’s a film that is close to my heart, although a good movie by no ones standards - it often turns up in people’s worst films ever made lists. But I was mad when I read the book that there was no sassy black cop, no anthropomorphic dinosaurs with attitude or cookie loving, shrunken t-Rex. There is a subplot to do with skateboarding raptors in the book but there are no skateboarding raptors in the movie, so why bother comparing.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

As with Thomas Jefferson, it seems that Teddy has been glorified in 20th Century memory for little real reason other than his personality. His accomplishments as president can be counted on one hand. For all his ambition, next to none of it transferred into benefits for his country in any lasting way.

Like Jefferson, TR worked to change the physical United States. (Had he been president during the time of Polk, we likely would have seen Mexico and Canada as part of the American homeland—or at least suffered the war to accomplish such.) Teddy's accomplishments with the Panama Canal and his efforts to preserve natural parks are commendable, but by 2017 standards, they are little more than larger scale lobbying efforts. (One could educatedly project presidents like Lyndon Johnson accomplishing the entirety of TR's two terms in a matter of a few weeks.)

Teddy is most remembered for his trust reform. More accurately, the extent was that he put pressure on his attorney general to enforce reform that had already existed as legislation. He pushed back against the House of Morgan as it was attempting to monopolize. While some historians see this as a major use of presidential power, I don't see historical evidence that Teddy's "trust busting" had much historical importance past his own presidential terms. By the that his successor in name, FDR, took office, business monopolies existed in every field. Standard Oil, AT&T, and Morgan became more monopolistic entities in the early 20th century after Teddy's presidency, not less so. His “trust busting” didn’t accomplish any visible change in America’s business structure.

As Franklin Roosevelt overreached with New Deal policy to alienate capital, Teddy Roosevelt did the opposite and didn't pass any significant laws to regulate capital. He used the office of the presidency to put pressure on capital, threatened legal actions, but never used the extent of law. The historical reality is that "Teddy the trust buster" never busted a single trust; he just talked about it a lot, and used it as political leverage to ensure his reelection. This is most obvious when viewed in the light that Morgan—who Teddy is always thought as rival of—actually contributed to his reelection campaign.

TR's management of labor/capital is equally as weak. The conference between Teddy and the labor/business leaders at the end of the coal minors strike is reprinted here in its entirety. In short, it's nearly laughable when taken in a presidential context. Teddy doesn't defend labor—he weakly asserts that the crisis needed to end for the benefit of the public. He plays the middle ground to an alarming extent, and never asserts himself in any way. Theodore here lacks basic understanding of American law, has no strong view on labor or economic policy, bends when pushed by his opposition, and seems immature, childish. As surprising as it is to say, the entire episode is so intellectually lacking and legally weak that could be a scene from the modern Trump White House. (Teddy's use of short choppy statements also doesn't help to divert the comparison.)

Edmund Morris as a biographer also needs to be discussed here. I understand that some readers need vivid details and rhetorical flourishes to stay interested in a book about a political figure from 100+ years ago, but a lot of this book is... a little much. Something like 40% of this book reads like an amateur fantasy novel that includes scenes of Teddy Roosevelt riding through the Pacific Northwest rubbing on trees and shooting strange animals and rolling around in the snow naked. Maybe theses things actually happened in one form or another, but the writing is so surreal and lucid that I (and hopefully others with a strong sense of fact) have a hard time calling this objective history. Morris's obsession with sexualizing Teddy's daughter and her pet snake also crosses the line over history into interpretation (and poor writing). One gets a strong impression that Morris started this trilogy on Teddy strong: his early life displayed a strong personality and intellect. By the time Morris got around to writing about Teddy’s presidency, however, the reality set in: Teddy accomplished little, and was one of the least successful presidents of his century. In order to sustain his literary endeavors, Morris adds literary flourish to counter that a 700+ page book on exclusively the presidency of TR was a bit unnecessary and uninteresting. Teddy’s eccentricities (learning martial arts and sumo wrestling in the White House come to mind) are fun to read about, but his failed business reforms need quite a bit of spice to keep a reader’s attention. The natural result is to write a “Gosh! Wow! Shocking!” account of Teddy’s personality mixed with the less interesting facts of his public life.

I would also like to address the constant comparisons between Teddy and Lincoln. TR himself started this comparison, and historians have sleepwalked into it over and over again for the next hundred years. Teddy was obsessed with Lincoln; he read everything available on Lincoln, put Lincoln likenesses in multiple White House rooms, and publicly wore a ring with Lincoln's hair welded into it (in a strange Tolkien power-inheritance fantasy novel type way). But I have to point it out, as it seems few have: Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln have virtually nothing in common.

In yet another review, let’s do this: Lincoln argued against conquest of Mexico while he was in Congress; Teddy seems to have not only supported a Mexico conquest, but likely would have undertaken one if it was politically favorable. Lincoln stretched the American Constitution to its limits to create his America; TR was afraid to use presidential power, even when it was his only option. Lincoln invented an economic system that supported the ability for individuals to support their interests within their lifetimes; Teddy only weakly supported labor (much less individuals) when he absolutely had to, and did it in such a weak way that it didn't benefit said labor past his presidency. Lincoln sent America into war to ratify his economic ideas; Teddy self admitted he didn't understand economics or have any interest in them. Lincoln retained his political office against the most extreme opposition in American history; Teddy inherited his office through being Vice President, and then only secured his party nomination because his opponent succumbed to heart disease. While Lincoln was lukewarm to black rights early in his career, by the end of his life, he was assassinated for fully endorsing the rights of blacks; Teddy appointed black federal judges in the south, but only when it was politically favorable, and removed support when it wasn’t. Lincoln wrote the most eloquent American political literature in history; Teddy wrote hundreds of books, none of them memorable or important to literary history whatsoever.
So if Teddy wasn't Lincoln, what was he? You can read all the glorified hagiography you wish to, but the bare fact is:

He was an American eccentric that obtained the presidency through force of personality and opportunism. Once obtaining the presidency, he had little idea what he should (or could) do with it. As educated as he was on historic empire creation, he seems to have been equally uneducated on economics and governance. He symbolized a type of personality that was upwardly mobil and eccentric, and it is important to understand that he symbolized a new “movement” ideal for the American president. This ideal, however, doesn’t equate to policy or progression—the biggest irony of TR is that he created the Progressivist Party, but never passed any long lasting progressivist policy. By 2017 standards, he used the presidency as a lobbying tool rather than a platform of power. His diplomatic efforts with foreign countries is commendable, as it seems he dissuaded a war with both Japan and Germany for a time, but—as with his presidency—his diplomatic skills didn’t forge anything lasting, and World War I and II both fell into play soon after.

Teddy Roosevelt was a man with a distinct vision of himself and his own creation of himself, but little vision for the American state or governance of its population.

Postscript, a challenge:

All three of America’s prominent Roosevelts—Teddy, Franklin, and Elinor—handled the American state in the same way. They all came from a wealthy past, and publicly supported the poor masses, while also ensuring the poor failure in the near future. It is impossible to say if they saw this failing (TR stated that he had a suspicion of it late in his life), but the trend is notable to anyone with a knowledge of their lives. When viewed in this way, an intellectual progression from Teddy to Franklin and then from Franklin to Eleanor clearly exists, and I urge the followers of their biographies to look for it.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

WALK SOFTLY AND CARRY A BIG STICK

Morris places this African proverb at Roosevelt's feet in this second volume of the biography, and aptly so. President Roosevelt, who began using the phrase just before entering the White House, turned it into his mantra and he shifted the view of the United States, both within the borders of its territory and amongst the international community.

The ongoing expansion of my knowledge of historical figures has me tackling the presidential period of Roosevelt's life, two terms so full of information and international saga that it is hard to have compacted them into a single book. Morris again uses extensive research to lay out strong narratives and to examine some of the key themes throughout, drawing threads related to many happenings in Roosevelt's presidency. Leading the narrative through these themes--American race relations, forging the American superpower persona, and carving out strong national sustaining policies--Morris depicts Roosevelt as both a man eager to make a name for his country and to push it into the 20th century, prepared to face any challenge.

The second volume, reviewed here, encompasses the presidential life of Theodore Roosevelt from 1901 through to 1909. Morris begins the narrative with a wonderful bridging of Roosevelt's vice-presidential period, a mere six months, and the announcement of McKinley's assassination, thrusting him into the role of POTUS. Early in his presidency, Roosevelt began to tackle the issue of race relations within the United States. At times subtly, Morris ensures the reader is aware that many of the politicians who surround themselves with Roosevelt (party leaders, senators, stalwarts) might have fought in the Civil War or remembered its passionate division. Roosevelt was, therefore, enveloped by opinion on the matter, whether he liked it or not. Early meetings with the likes of Booker Washington led to scandalous press reports and strongly worded criticisms of the president. While lynchings were not yet unheard of, Roosevelt moved forward to forge strong race relations, primarily between the African American population [please excuse any misuse of proper race titles] and their white counterparts. Roosevelt sought to push ahead and nominate many African Americans to positions of authority in their respective states, in hopes of diminishing the animosity. This did, for lack of a better word, add kindling to the fire and saw the states lash out and segments of the Republican Party to threaten his re-election should he not stop. I could not help but think of Robert Caro's third (?) volume of his LBJ biography, when the Senate Majority Leader sought to forge ahead with racial integration laws, fighting a powerful Democratic south in the Senate, where LBJ would not let up and kept pushing for race relations into his time as president. The parallel that came to mind was that, when push came to shove, Roosevelt would not push. He chose to go only as far as he could to help, but not far enough to sacrifice his own success. Morris's illustration of early race relations moved on to tackle the Cuban population (as he was front and centre in the Spanish-American War), Japanese workers either detained or forced to leave the country, and even a small mention of the aboriginal population of the western states, some of whom wandered into the Union. Morris does not paint Roosevelt as the saviour of the races, stitching together the quilt of equality, but he did lay some groundwork to begin these discussions, a foundation on which LBJ surely forged his groundbreaking strategies sixty years later.

Morris also explores the birth of the United States as a superpower, a newly coined phrase at the time. While European powers had dominated for centuries and the Ottoman Empire was still holding on, America came out of its Civil War battered and bruised, unsure of how and where it wanted to go. Pushing the Spanish back to 'free' Cuba and the Philippines, Roosevelt and the United States (he was still not in the White House at this point) began to show the American desire to cut the shackles of the 'oppressed' and to free them into the land of democratic freedom (call it the Dubya way of thinking, where 'democracy is the only thing a state wants on the menu, no matter its insistence that they are fine). As Roosevelt and his numerous congresses moved ahead to create a canal for use in the Western Hemisphere, the debate between one in Nicaragua or Panama (part of Columbia at the time) became prevalent. Here, Roosevelt let his congressional leaders choose the locale and focus on which made the most sense. After choosing Panama, it became a drawn-out negotiated affair to not only enter into treaty negotiations with the Columbians, but also to ensure the space could be paid for without issue. After negotiations entered rocky terms and with Panamanians wishing to toss off the shackles of their oppressors (Panama being a state of Columbia for a while), Roosevelt stood by and prayed that America would be able to forge a deal with the eventual victors in this quasi-civil war. Doing so, he created the Panama Canal, with its 99 year lease, and placed America on the map. His largest claim to fame on the superpower front would have to be engineering the final peace armistice between Russia and Japan in their war over what I am led to believe was the Korean Peninsula (pardon me if I am confused, as audio books can sometimes drone on in sections and flipping back requires overly dextrous fingers of which I do not possess). Earning the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, Roosevelt and America showed that they were ready to enter the international theatre as the newly minted leaders they eventually came to be. This lasted for upwards of a century, until the George W Bush gaffes led many to realise superpowers turn despotic with age (a la Britain and the Ottomans).

Morris's third theme is highly intriguing to readers who've made the effort to read both volumes of the biography. While a young Roosevelt was always interested in understanding all that grew or developed around him, Morris comes full circle in accentuating the passion Roosevelt felt towards conservation and natural resource development. Known by some as the Father of American Conservation policy, Roosevelt forged into the policy wilderness to create National Park policy and legislation that stands even today. Taking his love for flora and fauna, Roosevelt ensured it could be enjoyed by all for decades to come, and did so in a way that accentuated the various parts of the United States. Inter-state commerce surely rose because of this, as did the allure of the United States to the outside world. While not on the same plane, Roosevelt's involvement in the coal mine disputes in Pennsylvania sought to formulate strong policy on union and natural resource policy by the White House. Labour disputes had not regularly been the business of the president, but Roosevelt made it his business, with a desire to strengthen America in a time when political tensions helped pull strong states apart. Morris's keen means by which he draws this parallel is quite useful and poignant to the perceptive reader.

It is worth noting that the volume is not equally divided between the two administrations. One who reads the volume with a passing glance would see the time and effort put into the first administration and how, even for the listener, the second administration passes as swiftly as a ride on a roller-coaster. While brevity may be an unfortunate occurrence in the second part of the book, its content is no less interesting, as Roosevelt wrestles with his coming major decision about seeking a third term or not. While this is surely a thought shared by his fifth cousin, eventually, Theodore chooses not to seek his party's nomination and his last six months in office leave him introspective and wondering about life after the White House. A man not yet a half century old, Morris paints Roosevelt as a man full of vigour and ready for another fight. The perfect segue into the final volume of the Theodore Roosevelt biography.

As the Roosevelt journey continues, kudos continue for Mr. Morris. An excellent depiction of the White House years of a very quirky and intuitive man.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2015/...

“Theodore Rex” is the second volume in Edmund Morris’s highly acclaimed three-volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt. The series’ inaugural volume debuted in 1979 but more than two decades elapsed before this second volume was published in 2001. Morris spent much of that time working on his now-infamous memoir of Ronald Reagan.

“Theodore Rex” conveniently picks up where “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt” left off – with Vice President Roosevelt receiving word of President McKinley’s imminent death and his inheritance of the presidency.

The first forty pages cover his breathless dash from a remote cabin in the Adirondack Mountains to take the oath of office in Buffalo. The remainder of this biography covers his almost eight-year presidency in extensive and attentive – if not uniformly fascinating – depth.

Similar to its predecessor volume, “Theodore Rex” is unpretentious but erudite. It feels like a biography written by a keen observer of people, and events, rather than one authored by an ivory-tower academic. But readers who appreciate Morris’s reputation for careful research will not be disappointed. Countless letters, newspaper articles, diary entries and other sources are parsed in search of unique insights and critical observations.

At times, its 555 pages are dense and detailed – and yet this volume lacks the heavy-handed scholastic impression that often accompanies a book with more than 160 pages of endnotes. And the author often allows Roosevelt’s own words to speak on his behalf, providing a sense the biography has tapped directly into the mind of this whirling dervish.

Focused exclusively on Roosevelt’s presidency, “Theodore Rex” lacks much of the excitement and adventure of the first volume. But this is hardly surprising; the tedious grind of managing the nation’s affairs can hardly compete with the rambunctious exploits of Roosevelt’s intrepid youth and his early career.

But Morris makes up for this lack of similarly-spirited raw material by refining his writing style. Where the first volume was often clunky and cumbersome, this installment is more elegant and sophisticated. Interminable sentences no longer punctuate each page and the author’s masterful talent for scene-setting has been perfected. Morris’s ability to capture a person’s essence in one or two paragraphs is breathtaking.

Unfortunately, though, Morris falls short in fully covering Roosevelt’s family and other contemporaries. His wife and children make infrequent appearances and there is a relative lack of focus on important advisers (and adversaries) whose political or personal orbits intersected with his own. It almost seems as though TR proves such a commanding presence that no one else can be afforded much time on the stage.

And although Morris provides a brief (and useful) glance at Roosevelt’s political legacy in the book’s final pages, a deeper and more satisfying discussion of his impact on the presidency is lacking. Or perhaps Theodore Roosevelt’s lasting impression on history is so self-evident it does not require elaboration?

Overall, “Theodore Rex” is an admirable and satisfying successor to “The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.” There is little doubt it lacks the drama and intensity of the first volume and is far more prone to dry, serious moments. But this second volume of Morris’s series performs a valuable service, providing an interesting and thoughtful historical narrative if not so much an interpretation of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.

Overall rating: 4¼ stars

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theodore Roosevelt was a larger-than-life president and Theodore Rex is a Teddy-sized biography to match his presidency. The text contains 554 pages and the bibliography adds another 150 or so. And that's just to cover the (slightly less than) 8 years of Teddy's governing terms. If you're looking for a real-life story with breadth and detail, you won't go wrong here. I admit that on multiple occasions I put the book down for months at a time even though I enjoyed every chapter; all that information can be intimidating as well as enlightening.

What struck me the most was how smoothly Roosevelt's presidency went. The closest thing to a war he faced came during the Panamanian Revolution (which America didn't technically participate in), which involved a single fatality. Most of the better-known American presidents gained acclaim for their leadership during war (heck, Washington is far more famous for his exploits as a general) so it's nice to see one that isn't, even if his rough-rider days form a sizable part of his image.

By contrast, Roosevelt's peacetime accomplishments are numerous; the Panama Canal, workers rights, trust-busting, environmental protections and a brokered peace between Japan and Russia. And all the while he oversaw a burgeoning economy and enhanced American prestige around the globe. He won re-election easily for himself and just as easily for his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. His progressive policies made him many enemies among the wealthy elite, but he was so popular they couldn't hurt him. 'Nobody likes him now but the people,' one ambassador quipped near the end of Roosevelt's reign.

To put things in perspective, one of the most frustrating moments for Roosevelt came when his administration won a trust-busting Supreme Court case. For the decision was razor-thin and a good friend of his on the court dissented. May all of our worst moments come in victory.

Even Roosevelt's biggest failure as president illustrates how forward-thinking he was. When he hosted Booker T. Washington for dinner, the press reaction was so vile (barely concealed racism from the Northern papers and hideous slurs from the Southern ones) that no other African-American would be invited to the White House for another 30 years.

You'd struggle to write a movie-script about TR's presidency despite his engaging personality and wilderness adventures. Things went too well; there's too little tension, too little loss to serve as counterpoint to the accomplishments. There would be troubles down the road; a falling out with Taft and a failed 'Bull Moose' political party. But when his presidency was newly ended, it must have felt like a casual stroll into a glorious sunset.

Edited 10-9-2017