The second program in the Bridgeville Area Historical Society 2025/2026 series was an informative and entertaining discussion of the life of Theodore Roosevelt, by Jack Puglisi. I knew Mr. Puglisi when he was a remarkably customer-friendly manager of the Borders Book Store at Mitchell’s Corner. At that time I had no idea he was such a gifted speaker on historical topics. This Fall he is teaching a class on Abraham Lincoln at Pitt’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. In addition, he is a gifted artist, working primarily in pen and ink pointillism in a variety of modes – realistic, fantasy, whimsy, and cartoon. He brought three impressive prints to this presentation; the pointillism is indeed impressive.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was born on October 27, 1858, the son of a very successful businessman and philanthropist. The Senior Roosevelt was an appropriate role model for his son, emphasizing discipline and morality. Although he did not serve in the military during the Civil War, he very actively supported the Union effort. TR Jr.’s eagerness to participate in the Spanish-American War probably was influenced by his disappointment that his father passed up his opportunity.
As a youth TR was infatuated with wildlife. He taught himself taxidermy and established “The Roosevelt Museum of Natural History” to archive creatures he had killed. When severe asthma began to limit the activities of his young life, he initiated a regimen of heavy exercise and weight-lifting that served him well the rest of his life. After encountering bullies on a camping trip, he engaged a boxing instructor to teach him the finer points of defending himself. When he enrolled at Harvard his father advised him, “take care of your morals first, your health next, and finally your studies”. Despite this advice TR managed to graduate magna cum laude, 22nd of 177 graduates. In the interim his father had died, leaving him independently wealthy.
Following graduation from Harvard he married socialite Alice Hathaway Lee, then entered politics and was elected to the New York State Assembly. There he promptly earned a reputation as a strong opponent of corruption in government. Concurrently, based on research he had done at Harvard, he published The Naval War of 1812, still the definitive record of that conflict. Early in 1884 his wife gave birth to a daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt, then died two days later of kidney failure. After an unsuccessful effort to oppose the nomination of James G. Blaine for President on the Republican ticket, he elected to exit the political world and become a cattle rancher. He established Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota and learned how to become a cowboy. The combination of his marriage to Edith Kermit Carow and a severe winter in early 1887 ended his ranching career and brought him back to New York.
Following a disappointing performance running for Mayor of New York, TR published a very popular book, The Winning of the West, dealing with our nation’s westward expansion. In 1889, largely due to Henry Cabot Lodge’s influence, he was appointed to the Civil Service Commission where his opposition to the spoils system reinforced his image as an opponent to corruption. Next came a term as President of the New York City Police Commission and additional enhancement of that image. By 1897 he was in Washington as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, where he became an advocate of a powerful Navy. When the explosion of the Battleship Maine initiated the Spanish-American War, he resigned his post and formed a cavalry regiment called “the Rough Riders” and gained fame from their well-publicized charge up San Juan Hill. Upon his return, TR was easily swept into office as Governor of New York.
As Governor he continued his independent ways, alienating the Republican establishment. At the 1900 Republican Convention they nominated him as President McKinley’s running mate, confident that shelving him as Vice President would negate his obvious popularity. Their Machiavellian plan back-fired when McKinley was assassinated and the progressive “Teddy” Roosevelt became the youngest man ever to occupy the White House. His administration was replete with significant events. Famous as a ‘Trust-buster”, TR brought 44 anti-trust suits against big business. He initiated rule changes in American football, to reduce injuries, arbitrated the Coal Strike of 1902, got the Hepburn Act passed to give the Interstate Commerce Commission power to regulate railroad rates, promoted conservation by putting 230 million acres of wilderness under public protection, and expedited the secession of Panama from Colombia and the construction of the Panama Canal. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the ending of the Russo-Japanese War.
When the Election of 1908 occurred, TR elected to respect George Washington’s precedent by turning down a race for a third term. His Secretary of War and good friend William Howard Taft easily defeated William Jennings Bryan and became President. After a well-publicized trip to Africa and Europe he returned and immediately realized his disillusionment with the Taft administration. This led to his ill-fated attempt to oust the Republican nomination from Taft in 1912, followed by his establishment of a new party, the Progressive Party. The consequence of this dispute was the splitting of the Republican Party’s majority and the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson as President. During the campaign Roosevelt was shot at close range. The slug passed through a spectacles case and a fifty-page speech before lodging in his chest. Despite blood seeping onto his shirt, he proceeded to deliver a ninety-minute speech before receiving medical attention. He remained active in politics until his death in 1919 at the age of sixty.
Theodore Roosevelt was a constructive extremist. His presidency was marked by great ambitions and magnificent accomplishments. He richly deserves his place on Mount Rushmore.
The next Historical Society program is scheduled for 7:30 pm, Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in the Chartiers Room of the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department. Tina Calabro will discuss “How to Construct a Memorable Family History Book”.