His candidacy split the Republican vote and allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to become president. In the 1912 presidential election he ran against his successor, William Taft, with whose policies he disagreed. Roosevelt retired from the presidency in 1908. In 1906, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese war. Roosevelt also encouraged the building of the Panama Canal. His corollary to the Monroe Doctrine prevented the establishment of foreign bases in the Caribbean and arrogated the sole right of intervention in Latin America to the United States. He believed US security would be enhanced when other nations knew that the country would protect its interests with the threat of war. In foreign affairs, Roosevelt declared that the US should 'speak softly and carry a big stick'. In addition he established America's first national park, in Florida, in 1903 and first national monument, in Wyoming, in 1906.

His presidency was notable for introducing anti-monopolistic reforms designed to limit the powers of large corporations. In September 1901, McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt became president. In 1898, Roosevelt was elected New York governor and in 1900, vice president under McKinley. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt saw active service as lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment. Roosevelt strongly supported expanding US naval power as a means of increasing America's presence in world affairs. The following year, he was appointed assistant secretary to the navy by Republican President William McKinley.

In 1895, Roosevelt became president of the New York City police board. In 1889, Republican President Benjamin Harrison appointed him as a member of the US Civil Service Commission. In 1884, he spent two years as a cattle rancher in Dakota Territory and then became a writer, including a four-volume history of America's westward expansion (published 1889 - 1896). He was elected as a Republican and re-elected twice more, leading the Republicans. In 1876, he went to Harvard and then on to Columbia Law School, leaving in 1881 to run for a seat in the New York State assembly. Theodore Roosevelt was born on 27 October 1858 in New York, son of a wealthy businessman. © Roosevelt was 26th president of the United States, a strong and vigorous leader who greatly expanded US involvement in foreign affairs.

Theodore roosevelt history