Colonel Roosevelt

Ofallourgreatpresidents,TheodoreRooseveltistheonlyonewhosegreatnessincreasedoutofoffice.WhenhetouredEuropein1910asplain“ColonelRoosevelt,”hewashailedasthemostfamousmanintheworld.Crownedheadsviedtoputhimupintheirpalaces.“IfIseeanotherking,”hejoked,“IthinkIshallbitehim.”HadTRwonhishistoric“BullMoose”campaignin1912(whenheoutpolledthesittingpresident,WilliamHowardTaft),hemighthaveavertedWorldWarI,sogreatwashisinternationalinfluence.Hadhenotdiedin1919,attheearlyageofsixty,hewouldunquestionablyhavebeenreelectedtoathirdtermintheWhiteHouseandcompletedtheworkhebeganin1901ofestablishingtheUnitedStatesasamodeldemocracy,militarilystrongandsociallyjust.ThisbiographybyEdmundMorris,thePulitzerPrizeandNationalBookAward–winningauthorofTheRiseofTheodoreRooseveltandTheodoreRex,isitselfthecompletionofatrilogysuretostandasdefinitive.Packedwithmoreadventure,variety,drama,humor,andtragedythanabignovel,yetdocumenteddowntothesmallestfact,itrecountsthelastdecadeofperhapsthemostamazinglifeinAmericanhistory.Whatotherpresidenthaswrittenfortybooks,huntedlions,foundedathirdpoliticalparty,survivedanassassin’sbullet,andexploredanunknownriverlongerthantheRhine?ColonelRooseveltbeginswithaprologuerecountingwhatTRcalledhis“journeyintothePleistocene”—ayearlongsafarithroughEastAfrica,collectingspecimensfortheSmithsonian.SomereaderswillberepulsedbyTR’sbloodlust,whichthisbookdoesnotprettify,yettherecanbenodenyingthattheColonelpassionatelylovedandunderstoodeverylivingthingthatcamehisway:Thetextisrichinquotationsfromhismarvelousnaturewriting.AlthoughTRintendedtoremainoutofpoliticswhenhereturnedhomein1910,afatefuldecisionthatspringdrewhimbackintopubliclife.Bytheendofthesummer,inhisfamous“NewNationalism”speech,hewastheguidingspiritoftheProgressivemovement,whichinspiredmuchofthesocialagendaofthefutureNewDeal.(TR’sfifthcousinFranklinDelanoRooseveltacknowledgedthatdebt,addingthattheColonel“wasthegreatestmanIeverknew.”)ThenfollowsadetailedaccountofTR’sreluctantyetalmostsuccessfulcampaignfortheWhiteHousein1912.Butunlikeotherbiographers,EdmundMorrisdoesnottreatTRmainlyasapolitician.ThisvolumegivesasmuchconsiderationtoTR’sliteraryachievementsandepicexpeditiontoBrazilin1913–1914astohisfatherhoodofsixastonishinglydifferentchildren,hisspiritualandaestheticbeliefs,andhiseagerembraceofothercultures—fromArabandMagyartoGermanandAmericanIndian.ItisimpossibletoreadColonelRooseveltandnotbeawedbytheman’suniversality.TheColonelhimselfremarked,“IhaveenjoyedlifeasmuchasanyninemenIknow.”Morrisdoesnothesitate,however,toshowhowpathologicallyTRturneduponthosewhoinheritedthepowerhecraved—thehaplessTaft,theadroitWoodrowWilson.WhenWilsondeclinedtobringtheUnitedStatesintoWorldWarIin1915and1916,theColonelblastedhimwithsomeoftheworstabuseeverutteredbyaformerchiefexecutive.YetevenWilsonhadtoadmitthatbehindtheRooseveltianwilltorulelayawinningidealismanddecency.“Heisjustlikeabigboy—thereisasweetnessabouthimthatyoucan’tresist.”ThatmakesthestoryofTR’slastyear,whenthe“boy”inhimdied,allthesadderinthetelling:theconclusionofalifeofAristoteliangrandeur.