Timeline of Theodore Roosevelt’s Life for Kids

Theodore Roosevelt as a child. he is wearing a jacket and leaning on a chair.

Theodore Roosevelt as a child. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt’s Birth

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City. His family was wealthy and well-respected. Roosevelt struggled with asthma as a boy, so his father encouraged him to exercise to stay healthy.
— October 27, 1858
Formal portrait of Alice Hathaway Lee standing and holding a book.

Alice Hathaway Lee. Prints and Photographs division. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt marries alice hathaway lee

Theodore Roosevelt met Alice Hathaway Lee at Harvard College when he was 19 years old. They got married on Roosevelt’s 22nd birthday in Brookline, Massachusetts. They had one child together, a girl named Alice.
— December 2, 1886
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt with a rifle.

Theodore Roosevelt in the West. Prints and Photographs division. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt visits the badlands

Twenty-five-year-old Theodore Roosevelt visited the Badlands of North Dakota to heal from his grief over the deaths of his wife and mother. He loved living on the frontier and spent time hunting and ranching. He set up Elkhorn Ranch, where he spent a lot of time throughout his life.
— June 9, 1884
Paper with cursive font that reads "Mrs. Carow announces the marriage of her daughter Miss Edith Kermit Carow to Mr. Theodore Roosevelt Thursday, December 2nd at two o'Clock St. George's Church, Hanover Square, London.

Marriage announcement of Edith Kermit Carow and Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt marries Edith Kermit Carow

After his wife Alice died, Theodore Roosevelt had not planned to get married again. However, he reconnected with his childhood friend, Edith Kermit Carow, and the two were married when Roosevelt was 28 years old. Theodore and Edith had five children together: Theodore Jr. “Ted,” Kermit, Ethel, Archibald, and Quentin.
— December 2, 1886
Sheet music cover page titled "Teddy's Terrors: March-Two-Step" with a drawing of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders on horseback.

Teddy’s terrors. Gregory A. Wynn Theodore Roosevelt Collection. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt leads the rough riders

During the Spanish-American War, 39-year-old Theodore Roosevelt was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Rough Riders. He led his Rough Riders in a charge up San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill in Cuba. This battle eventually helped America win the war.
— July 1, 1898
A round pin with a picture of McKinley and Roosevelt side by side.

William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt campaign pin. Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt is elected vice president of the United states

Theodore Roosevelt ran as vice president to Republican William McKinley. They won the 1900 election. Roosevelt thought that at age 42, he would not go any farther in politics beyond being the vice president. That was not true.
— November 6, 1900
Sketch of Theodore roosevelt raising his right hand in a room full of people.

Nashville News, October 13, 1901. Wikimedia Commons.

Theodore roosevelt becomes the twenty-sixth president of the united states

Less than a year after he was elected president, William McKinley was shot and killed. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president when McKinley died. Roosevelt was 42 years old, the youngest person to become president.
— September 14, 1901
Photo of Roosevelt wearing a white suit, sitting in a steam shovel and surrounded by workers.

President Roosevelt running an American steam-shovel at Culebra Cut, Panama Canal. Prints and Photographs division. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore visits the panama canal

At age 48, Theodore Roosevelt visited the construction at the Panama Canal Zone in Central America. Workers were building a 50-mile-long canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Roosevelt’s visit was the first time a U.S. president traveled out of the country during their presidency.
— November 14, 1906
Illustrated manuscript of the Nobel Peace Prize Award.

Nobel Peace Prize. Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore roosevelt is awarded the nobel peace prize

Theodore Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 48 for helping to end the Russo-Japanese War. He helped Russia and Japan organize negotiations and sign the Portsmouth Treaty.
— December 10, 1906
Photo of Theodore Roosevelt and Kermit Roosevelt with others in Africa including native people, a man on a mule, and a man holding a camera in the front.

Theodore Roosevelt and Kermit Roosevelt with others in Africa. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore roosevelt goes on a scientific expedition to Africa

When he was finished serving as president, 50-year-old Theodore Roosevelt took a trip to Africa with his son, Kermit, and a large crew of others. They collected thousands of natural specimens for the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. Kermit was the official photographer for their safari.
— March 23, 1909
Poster with a picture of Theodore Roosevelt. The text reads "Vote Bull Moose Party Teddy Roosevelt for President: Carry a big stick and sock it to 'em."

Teddy Roosevelt for President campaign poster. Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.

Theodore Roosevelt loses the presidential election to Woodrow Wilson

Theodore Roosevelt ran for president one last time in 1912. During his campaign, he was shot on the way to a speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but survived. While Roosevelt lost the election to Woodrow Wilson, the close election brought important issues to people’s attention.
— November 5, 1912

Theodore roosevelt explores the amazon rainforest in brazil

Theodore Roosevelt’s last big adventure, a journey down the River of Doubt in South America, took place when he was 55 years old. The trip through the jungle was difficult, and Roosevelt almost died when a leg injury led to infection. Roosevelt’s group brought back information for maps of the interior of Brazil and collected animal specimens for the Museum of Natural History.
— February 27, 1914
New York Times newspaper with a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt and the headline "Theodore Roosevelt dies suddenly at oyster bay home; nation shocked, pays tribute to former president; our flag on all seas and in all lands at half mast."

New York Times, January 7, 1919. New York Times Archive.

Theodore Roosevelt dies

At 4:15 a.m., Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep at his family’s home in Oyster Bay, New York. He was 60 years old.
— January 6, 1919