As a child he suffered from asthma and bad eyesight and was educated by tutors until he entered Harvard College. When he became president he was the youngest elected up to that time (43). It was in 1884 that his first wife, Alice Lee Roosevelt, and his mother died on the same day. As a soldier in the Spanish-American War, he was a lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, and was made famous on a charge at the battle of San Juan. As governor he passed a bill to outlaw racial discrimination in public schools. Roosevelt was also instrumental in the plans for building the Panama Canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific. Also in the part he played in the Russo-Japanese War was awarded Nobel Peace Prize. Another of his accomplishment was the launching the Great White Fleet on a goodwill tour of the world.

His role as a conservationist is well known and parks were set aside for public use. He also increased regulation of business, and was in favor of labor unions. As a writer his 4 volume "The Winning of the West (1889-1896) was hailed as a triumph in his accomplishment. In the Hepburn Act of 1906 which was one of Roosevelt's second term achievements, gave the Interstate Commerce Commission authority to change a railroad rate to one it considered "just and reasonable," after a full hearing of a complaint. Another laws that went into effect at the same time was the Food and Drugs Act. Roosevelt also thought that racial discrimination was wrong and appointed highly qualified African-Americans to office. When he retired from office in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari. He soon returned to politics and during his campaign was shot in 1912, but recovered.