When Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the president in 1901, he was just 43, thus becoming the youngest president of the country till then.
Before joining politics, he was a war hero. His performance on the battlefield paved the way for his political career. He certainly brought new excitement and power to the office. He led the Congress and the American public towards progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy, Roosevelt expanded the powers of the presidency and the federal government in support of the public interest. His policies were successful in dealing with the conflicts between big business and labour forces. He used his power as the president to force businesses to follow rules of fairness in dealing with workers.
Roosevelt played a seminal role in shaping America as a superpower in world politics, particularly in Europe and Asia. It was Roosevelt who secured the route and began construction of the Panama Canal. He won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1906 for mediating an end to the Russo-Japanese War.
President Roosevelt also cared about the environment. During his tenure, large areas were added to the national forests in the West. He also reserved lands for public use, and fostered great irrigation projects.
Roosevelt was popular amongst his people and won the office for a second time too. Though he enjoyed being the president, he felt that too many terms would eventually give way to dictatorship. Therefore, he did not run for president the third time.
In 1912, the political circumstances forced him to run for president once again, representing the newly-formed Progressive Party. A fanatic shot him while campaigning in Milwaukee. But he recovered soon. He did not win the election, however.
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