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Theodore Roosevelt is born
Theodore Roosevelt is born in New York City to a wealthy family. Roosevelt was home-schooled and then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1880. He served in the New York state legislature from 1881 to 1884. -
Yosemite under Federal Control
an act of Congress creates Yosemite National Park, home of such natural wonders as Half Dome and the giant sequoia trees. John Muir and his colleagues campaigned for the congressional action, which was signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison and paved the way for generations of hikers, campers and nature lovers, along with countless Don’t Feed the Bears” signs.Native Americans were the main residents of the Yosemite Valley, the gold rush attracted thousands of white miners and settlers. -
Returns from the Spanish-American War as a hero
In 1897 Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and worked hard to modernize the Navy and prepare it for war, long before war was imminent. When at last war was declared, Roosevelt tried repeatedly to obtain command of a fighting force, resigning his position with the Navy to assist Colonel Leonard Wood in raising and training the Rough Riders., Returning home as perhaps the most famous hero of the war, Roosevelt was easily elected Governor of New York in 1898, -
Named President when McKinley is assassinated
President William McKinley is shaking hands at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, when a 28-year-old anarchist named Leon Czolgosz approaches him and fires two shots into his chest and dies. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, who had rushed to the president’s bedside when he received news of the shooting, left Buffalo ‘with a light heart’ and joined his family on vacation in the Adirondacks. On September 14, 1901 that afternoon he was sworn in as president of the United States. -
Energy crisis
When the operators in 1900 refused to negotiate with Mitchell, 100,000 miners walked out for more than a month. In October, the operators agreed to a 10-percent wage increase, but refused to meet with Mitchell.Afraid that the mine shutdown would create a national energy crisis, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Mitchell and the operators to a meeting. He then intervened and set up the Anthracite Strike Commission, and brought the five-month strike to an end. -
Elkins Act passed
The Elkins Act of 1903 was named for Senator Stephen B. Elkins of West Virginia. This piece of legislation was championed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to end the practice of rebates. The Elkins Act gave federal courts the power to end rate discrimination. Widely supported by larger railroad companies, the Elkins Act upheld the rates published by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The Act outlawed rebates and made the railroad company itself liable for punishment. -
Pelican Island, Florida named first national wildlife refuge
On March 14, 1903, without fanfare, President Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing Pelican Island as the first federal bird reservation. He would establish a network of 55 bird reservation and national game preserved for wildlife - the forerunner to the national wildlife refuge system. But Pelican Island was the first time that the federal government set aside land for the sake of wildlife. -
Wins first full term as President
The United States presidential election of 1904 resulted in victory for Theodore Roosevelt, who had succeeded to the presidency after the assassination of William McKinley. The Republican Party unanimously nominated him for president at their convention.Roosevelt's success in the 1904 campaign made him the first president to attain the office for a second full term after the untimely death of his predecessor. -
Passage of Pure Food And Drug Act
President Theodore Roosevelt began the process by ensuring the passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906, which was followed by the Pure Food and Drug Act, passed in 1906 to become effective at the start of 1907. It was to be applied to goods shipped in foreign or interstate commerce. The purpose was to prevent adulteration or misbranding and protect the public against adulteration of food and from products identified as healthful without scientific support. -
Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, named first national monumen
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt established Devils Tower as our nation's first national monument. The volcanic topped National Monument, which stretches 1,200 feet above Wyoming’s eastern plains. This site is considered Sacred to the Lakota and many other tribes that have a connection to the area. Hundreds of parallel cracks make it one of the finest traditional crack climbing areas in North America. Devils Tower entices us to explore and define our place in the natural and cultural world. -
Leaves presidency, visits Africa
Despite riding the crest of an unprecedented wave of popularity, Theodore Roosevelt declined to run again for the presidency in 1908. He anointed William Howard Taft. He easily won the election defeating William Jennings Bryan in his final attempt to gain the Oval Office. in 1909, Roosevelt set out for Africa to hunt big game and collect specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.His decision was based on his desire to leave the political stage to his successor and on his natural need for action. -
Runs for presidency, unsuccessfully for Bull-Moose Party
is nominated for the presidency by the Progressive Party, a group of Republicans dissatisfied with the renomination of President William Howard Taft. Also known as the Bull Moose Party, the Progressive platform called for the direct election of U.S. senators, woman suffrage, reduction of the tariff, and many social reforms. Roosevelt embarked on a vigorous campaign as the party’s presidential candidate. A key point of his platform was the “Square Deal”.
