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The 15 Best Books on President Theodore Roosevelt

Essential books on theodore roosevelt.

There are countless books on Theodore Roosevelt, and it comes with good reason, aside from serving as America’s twenty-sixth President (1901-1909) after the assassination of President William McKinley, he brought new excitement and power to the office, vigorously leading Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat,” he wrote in The Strenuous Life .

In order to get to the bottom of what inspired one of history’s most consequential figures to the heights of societal contribution, we’ve compiled a list of the 15 best books on Theodore Roosevelt.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

This classic biography is the story of seven men – a naturalist, a writer, a lover, a hunter, a ranchman, a soldier, and a politician – who merged at age forty-two to become the youngest President in history.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt begins at the apex of his international prestige. That was on New Year’s Day, 1907, when Roosevelt, who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize, threw open the doors of the White House to the American people and shook 8,150 hands. One visitor remarked afterward, “You go to the White House, you shake hands with Roosevelt and hear him talk – and then you go home to wring the personality out of your clothes.”

The rest of this book tells the story of Roosevelt’s irresistible rise to power. During the years 1858-1901, he transformed himself from a frail, asthmatic boy into a full-blooded man. Fresh out of Harvard, he simultaneously published a distinguished work of naval history and became the fist-swinging leader of a Republican insurgency in the New York State Assembly. He chased thieves across the Badlands of North Dakota with a copy of Anna Karenina   in one hand and a Winchester rifle in the other.

Married to his childhood sweetheart in 1886, he became the country squire of Sagamore Hill on Long Island, a flamboyant civil service reformer in Washington, D.C., and a night-stalking police commissioner in New York City. As assistant secretary of the navy, he almost single-handedly brought about the Spanish-American War. After leading “Roosevelt’s Rough Riders” in the famous charge up San Juan Hill, Cuba, he returned home a military hero, and was rewarded with the governorship of New York.

In what he called his “spare hours” he fathered six children and wrote fourteen books. By 1901, the man Senator Mark Hanna called “that damned cowboy” was vice president. Seven months later, an assassin’s bullet gave Roosevelt the national leadership he had always craved.

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The story is told through the intense friendship of Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft – a close relationship that strengthens both men before it ruptures in 1912, when they engage in a brutal fight for the presidential nomination that divides their wives, their children, and their closest friends, while crippling the progressive wing of the Republican Party, causing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to be elected, and changing the country’s history.

The Bully Pulpit is also the story of the muckraking press, which arouses the spirit of reform that helps Roosevelt push the government to shed its laissez-faire attitude toward robber barons, corrupt politicians, and corporate exploiters of our natural resources. The muckrakers are portrayed through the greatest group of journalists ever assembled at one magazine – Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, Lincoln Steffens, and William Allen White – teamed under the mercurial genius of publisher S. S. McClure.

Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough

Written by David McCullough, the author of  Truman,  this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.

The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, TR’s first love. All are brought to life to make “a beautifully told story, filled with fresh detail” ( The New York Times Book Review ).

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller

Nathan Miller’s critically acclaimed biography of Theodore Roosevelt was the first complete one-volume life of the Rough Rider to be published in more than thirty years. From his sickly childhood to charging up San Juan Hill to waving his fist under J.P. Morgan’s rubicund nose, Theodore Roosevelt  offers the intimate history of a man who continues to cast a magic spell over the American imagination.

As the twenty-sixth president of the United States, Roosevelt embodied the overwhelming confidence of the nation as it entered the American Century. With fierce joy, he brandished a “Big Stick” abroad and promised a “Square Deal” at home. He was the nation’s first environmental president, challenged the trusts, and, as the first American leader to play an important role in world affairs, began construction of a long-dreamed canal across Panama and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for almost singlehandedly bringing about a peaceful end to the Russo-Japanese War.

Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

Theodore Rex is the story – never fully told before – of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, Roosevelt succeeded to power in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Youngest of all our chief executives, he rallied a stricken nation with his superhuman energy, charm, and political skills. He proceeded to combat the problems of race and labor relations and trust control while making the Panama Canal possible and winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

But his most historic achievement remains his creation of a national conservation policy, and his monument millions of acres of protected parks and forests. The book ends with Roosevelt leaving office, still only fifty years old, his future reputation secure as one of our greatest presidents.

The River of Doubt by Candice Millard

The River of Doubt – it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.

After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.

Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide.  The River of Doubt  brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.

When Trumpets Call by Patricia O’Toole

Drawn from a wealth of new materials, this gem among books on Theodore Roosevelt is an analysis of the final ten years of the President’s life and describes how he went on safari after leaving the White House, unsuccessfully strived for another presidential term, worked to support Liberty bonds when the U.S. entered World War I, and lost his son on Bastille Day.

The Naturalist by Darrin Lunde

Perhaps no American president is more associated with nature and wildlife than Theodore Roosevelt, a prodigious hunter and adventurer, and an ardent conservationist. We think of Roosevelt as an original, yet in The Naturalist , Darrin Lunde shows how from his earliest days he actively modeled himself in the proud tradition of museum naturalists – the men who pioneered a key branch of American biology through their desire to collect animal specimens and develop a taxonomy of the natural world.

The influence these men would have on Roosevelt would shape not just his personality but his career, informing his work as a politician and statesman and ultimately affecting generations of Americans’ relationships to this country’s wilderness.

Theodore Roosevelt by Henry F. Pringle

Pringle’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography not only chronicles the incidents that shaped Roosevelt’s career but also offers insight into the character and mind of this colorful American president.

The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt by George Grant

Before his fiftieth birthday, Teddy Roosevelt had served as a state legislator in New York, undersecretary of the navy, police commissioner of New York City, governor of New York, and two terms as vice president and then president of the United States. He also had run a cattle ranch in the Dakota Territories, had worked as a journalist and editor, conducted scientific expeditions to four continents, raised five children, and enjoyed a fulfilling marriage with his wife. No wonder he continues to capture our imaginations as he did the loyalty and respect of his own time.

In  The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt ,  George Grant explores the life and character of one of the most remarkable men of the twentieth century. In doing so, he defines the qualities that made Roosevelt such an extraordinary leader, the exploits that made him so famous, and the spiritual values and faith that he affirmed with such vigor as he walked the world stage with an impact generated by few men in his time.

T.R.: The Last Romantic by H. W. Brands

Lauded as “a rip-roaring life” ( Wall Street Journal ),  TR  is a magisterial biography of Theodore Roosevelt by bestselling author H. W. Brands. In his time, there was no more popular national figure than Roosevelt. It was not just the energy he brought to every political office he held or his unshakable moral convictions that made him so popular, or even his status as a bonafide war hero. Most important, Theodore Roosevelt was loved by the people because this scion of a privileged New York family loved America and Americans.

And yet, according to Brands, if we look at the private Roosevelt without blinders, we see a man whose great public strengths hid enormous personal deficiencies; he was uncompromising, self-involved, and a highly imperfect brother, husband, and father.

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine?

Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, this favorite among books on Theodore Roosevelt recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history.

The Boys of ’98 by Dale L. Walker

Spur Award-winning author Dale Walker tells the colorful story of America’s most memorable fighting force, the volunteer cavalry known as the Rough Riders. From its members, and their slapdash training in Texas and Florida, to its battles at Las Gusimas and San Juan Hill under the command of Theodore Roosevelt, who kept riding, some say, into the White House.

The Lion’s Pride by Edward J. Renehan

Drawing upon a wealth of previously unavailable materials, including letters and unpublished memoirs,  The Lion’s Pride takes us inside what is surely the most extraordinary family ever to occupy the White House. Theodore Roosevelt believed deeply that those who had been blessed with wealth, influence, and education were duty bound to lead, even – perhaps especially – if it meant risking their lives to preserve the ideals of democratic civilization. Teddy put his principles, and his life, to the test in the Spanish-American War, and raised his children to believe they could do no less.

When America finally entered the “European conflict” in 1917, all four of his sons eagerly enlisted and used their influence not to avoid the front lines but to get there as quickly as possible. Their heroism in France and the Middle East matched their father’s at San Juan Hill. All performed with selfless – some said heedless – courage: Two of the boys, Archie and Ted, Jr., were seriously wounded, and Quentin, the youngest, was killed in a dogfight with seven German planes.

Thus, the war that Teddy had lobbied for so furiously brought home a grief that broke his heart. He was buried a few months after his youngest child. Filled with the voices of the entire Roosevelt family,  The Lion’s Pride  gives us the most intimate and moving portrait ever published of the fierce bond between Teddy Roosevelt and his remarkable children.

The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley

In this groundbreaking gem among books on Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our “naturalist president.” By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor.

This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt’s most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest.

Books by Theodore Roosevelt

Through the brazilian wilderness.

In 1914, with the well-wishes of the Brazilian government, Theodore Roosevelt, ex-president of the United States; his son, Kermit; and Colonel Rondon travel to South America on a quest to course the River of Doubt. While in Brazil, Theodore is also tasked with a “zoogeographic reconnaissance” of the local wilderness for the archives of the Natural History Museum of New York.

The expedition, officially named Expedicão Scientific Roosevelt-Rondon, was not without incident; men were lost, a cannibalistic tribe tracked the group, and at one point Roosevelt contracted flesh-eating bacteria. In the end though, the Roosevelt-Rondon expedition was a success, and the River of Doubt was renamed the Rio Roosevelt in his honor.

Written by a city-born boy who grew up to be a true explorer and leader, Roosevelt’s  Through the Brazilian Wilderness is a unique and important part of history, and it is indicative of the ex-president’s true wanderlust and bravery. Candid black-and-white photos from the expedition fill the pages, adding further dimensions to this remarkable journey.

The Rough Riders

The Rough Riders was the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry. Roosevelt had resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the war, and his forceful personality and notoriety among the popular press of the period were probably the main driving factors resulting in the fame of this regiment. Here is the exciting story of the Rough Riders in one of the most-cherished books by Theodore Roosevelt.

The Strenuous Life

Roosevelt wrote 35 books and delivered numerous lectures on topics ranging from citizenship and success to duty and sportsmanship. His 1899 address to a Chicago audience, “The Strenuous Life,” articulates his belief in the transformative powers that individuals can achieve by overcoming hardship. Along with the other speeches and essays in this collection, Roosevelt’s work offers an inspiring vision of moral rectitude and stalwart leadership.

The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt

The life and times of President Theodore Roosevelt, in his own words.

The Wilderness Hunter

“For a number of years much of my life was spent either in the wilderness or on the borders of the settled country if, indeed, ‘settled’ is a term that can rightly be applied to the vast, scantily peopled regions where cattle-ranching is the only regular industry. During this time I hunted much, among the mountains and on the plains, both as a pastime and to procure hides, meat, and robes for use on the ranch; and it was my good luck to kill all the various kinds of large game that can properly be considered to belong to temperate North America,” Roosevelt writes.

Adding, “in hunting, the finding and killing of the game is after all but a part of the whole. The free, self-reliant, adventurous life, with its rugged and stalwart democracy; the wild surroundings, the grand beauty of the scenery, the chance to study the ways and habits of the woodland creatures all these unite to give to the career of the wilderness hunter its peculiar charm.”

If you enjoyed this guide to essential books on Theodore Roosevelt, be sure to check out our list of The 15 Best Books on President Abraham Lincoln !

My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies

The Best Biographies of Theodore Roosevelt

19 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by Steve in Best Biographies Posts , President #26 - T Roosevelt

≈ 28 Comments

American history , biographies , Candice Millard , David McCullough , Doris Kearns Goodwin , Edmund Morris , H.W. Brands , Henry Pringle , Jean Yarbrough , John Blum , Kathleen Dalton , Nathan Miller , Patricia O'Toole , presidential biographies , Presidents , Pulitzer Prize , Theodore Roosevelt , William Harbaugh

He almost makes Andrew Jackson look tame.

Roosevelt was a prolific author, part-time science nerd, rancher, conservationist, legislator, reform-minded police commissioner and government bureaucrat, soldier, governor, naval enthusiast, thrill-seeking adventurer, Nobel Peace Prize winner…and the youngest president in American history.

Theodore Roosevelt is easy to caricature, but extremely difficult to study, unravel and adequately interpret. At once he could be both brilliant and insane, logical and yet completely delusional. He was remarkably self-confident, a quick study in the art of politics, a gifted communicator, extremely sociable and enormously devoted to his family and his country.

Unfortunately, his incredible life story has a less-than-perfect ending. After letting go the reins of political power and concluding that his successor wasn’t quite up to the task, Roosevelt worked himself into a perpetual state of agitation and, eventually, became almost unhinged.

Over 18 weeks I read 14 books on Roosevelt: Edmund Morris’s three-volume series and 11 one-volume biographies, totaling about 7,000 pages. Among other things, I walked away absolutely convinced it would be difficult to write an uninteresting book about Teddy Roosevelt.

* I began with Edmund Morris’s beloved three-volume series on Roosevelt. Published between 1979 and 2010, this series remains enormously popular – and for good reason.

The trilogy’s first volume “ The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt ” covers TR’s pre-presidency and is filled with adventure, discovery and political maturation (to the extent Roosevelt ever really “matured”). This volume won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for biography and fully captures TR’s spirit and soul spirit. It demonstrates the author’s affinity for Roosevelt, is a bit lengthy, and doesn’t exhibit the smoothest style…but it is hard to imagine a better introduction to this larger-than-life character. ( Full review here )

The second volume, “ Theodore Rex ,” is more sober and serious and focused on Roosevelt’s presidency. Although less lively and exciting than the first volume, Morris’s writing style in this volume is more fluid and natural. I was surprised Morris didn’t have more to say about Roosevelt’s political legacy, but this volume is clearly intended more as a historical narrative than a political analysis. It performes its task admirably. ( Full review here )

The final volume “ Colonel Roosevelt ” covers the last decade of Roosevelt’s life. This period offers an author a panoply of wonderful topics to cover: TR’s African safari, his journey through the Amazon forest, his third-party presidential campaign and his vitriolic attacks on Taft and Wilson. Morris proves up to the task, and this volume exhibits the vitality and engagement of the first volume along with the literary sophistication of the second volume. ( Full review here )

* Next I read Henry Pringle’s Pulitzer Prize winning “ Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography .” Published in 1931, this was long considered the definitive study of Roosevelt. I found this biography both frustrating and rewarding: it spends too much time knocking TR off his pedestal but is liberally infused with thought-provoking insights and observations. In the end, its non-linear journey through TR’s life, its over-weighted focus on TR’s political career and its distracting negativity wore me down. But it makes a very good “companion” book to a more modern, and balanced, biography. ( Full review here )

* John Blum’s “ The Republican Roosevelt ” was my next biography. Published in 1954, this comparatively brief review of Roosevelt helped establish TR’s reputation as a president of consequence. Far less a biography than a 161-page analysis of TR’s moral and political core, readers new to Roosevelt will not find his complete portrait here. But anyone interested in this complex political figure will find this an intriguing study. ( Full review here )

* William Harbaugh’s 1961 “ Power and Responsibility: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt ” is considered by many scholars the best single-volume biography of TR. I’m inclined to agree. Despite some shortcomings – the book focuses far more heavily on TR’s political career than on the numerous other fascinating events of his life – it is a careful, penetrating and thoughtful study of Roosevelt. Harbaugh is a careful observer and an excellent writer. But as good as this biography was, some readers may prefer to first digest a biography of TR that more fully captures his early years (and his family life) before moving on to this excellent book. ( Full review here )

* David McCullough’s 1981 “ Mornings on Horseback ” is a colorful and engaging account of the first twenty-eight years of Teddy Roosevelt’s life and was the 1982 Pulitzer Prize finalist for biographies. This book provides a fascinating window into the young TR and should prove entertaining to even the most picky reader. While much of TR’s life is uncovered, the years of focus are explored with uneven intensity. And, regrettably, the book is not able to fully capture the soul of this future president. But while this may not be McCullough at his very best, “Mornings on Horseback” is endlessly colorful and entertaining, if not interpretive and revealing. ( Full review here )

* Nathan Miller’s “ Theodore Roosevelt: A Life ” was the first comprehensive biography of TR in over three decades when it was published in 1992. It is well-balanced between Roosevelt’s personal and professional lives and provides a thorough introduction to nearly every aspect of TR’s life. But it lacks a sense of vitality and, compared to other TR biographies, feels somewhat lifeless and antiseptic. More a matter-of-fact review than a colorfully descriptive or keenly insightful review of his life, readers can do better elsewhere. ( Full review here )

* “ TR: The Last Romantic ” is H.W. Brands’s 1997 comprehensive review of Roosevelt’s life. This biography is both detailed and exceptionally readable. Brands offers a sober, penetrating perspective on TR’s life and provides a far less complimentary view of Roosevelt than many other biographers. But the author’s theme of TR as a philosophical “romantic” eventually feels forced, and there is no escaping that the book’s first half is far better than its second half. ( Full review here )

* Kathleen Dalton’s 2002 “ Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life ” was next. Unlike most biographies of TR, Dalton’s book is extremely balanced in its opinion of Roosevelt. But in order to avoid over-dramatizing TR’s most bombastic, dramatic and adventurous moments, she abbreviates or extricates too many of the most important events in his life. As a result, the book often feels austere and bland – and Roosevelt almost certainly would not recognize himself in these pages. In an effort to reveal the real TR and avoid the caricature, Dalton fully conveys neither. ( Full review here )

*Next up was Candice Millard’s “ The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey .” This enormously popular 2005 narrative follows Roosevelt on his post-presidential adventure through the Brazilian rainforest. Millard’s writing style is vivid and gripping and there appear to be no details of TR’s journey that were overlooked in her research. Although it is not a comprehensive biography of Theodore Roosevelt and only briefly reviews TR’s earlier life, it is a dramatic and compelling tale of adventure and perseverance. Anyone fascinated by TR, or just enchanted by a great story, will want to read this book. ( Full review here )

* Jean Yarbrough’s 2012 “ Theodore Roosevelt and the American Political Tradition ” proves to be, at best, a semi-biography of Roosevelt. Although it proceeds chronologically through Roosevelt’s life, touching at least briefly on each event of significance, the emphasis is always on TR’s political philosophies. But while readers seeking a thorough introduction to Roosevelt will do better to look elsewhere, Yarbrough provides a great service to TR scholarship with this book and its analysis. ( Full review here )

* I looked forward to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 2013 “ The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism ” above all other TR biographies. Often described as three biographies in one (of Roosevelt, Taft and the journalists of their era) “The Bully Pulpit” is heavier on facts than on colorful description or keen insight. But it proves very well-written, often extremely interesting, and quite clever in in the way it follows TR and Taft in parallel throughout their early lives.

Fans of Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals” will recognize much of her style in this book. But although it offers a unique and compelling way to weave together the lives of TR and Taft, Goodwin probably tries to cover too much ground in one place…and I was eventually annoyed by its heavy use of embedded quotes and phrases. Nevertheless, this is a great book and a must-read for anyone interested in Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft or this period of American history. ( Full review here )

*At the end of my TR journey I read Patricia O’Toole’s 2005 “ When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt after the White House .” Published five years before the final volume of Morris’s three-volume series (and covering nearly the same ground), this biography is relatively lively and fast-paced. To her credit, O’Toole takes the time to expertly review the huge portion of TR’s life which falls outside the book’s primary scope. And while there seemed to be little new about TR in this biography, O’Toole tells a mostly-familiar story in a new and interesting way. If not for the final volume in Morris’s series, O’Toole’s “When Trumpets Call” would perform a unique and invaluable service. ( Full review here )

– – – – – – – – – – –

Best Biography of Theodore Roosevelt: Edmund Morris’s three-volume series

Best Single-Volume Bio of TR: “ Power and Responsibility ” by William Harbaugh

Best “Unconventional” Bio of TR: Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “ The Bully Pulpit ”

Most Exciting Read about TR: Candice Millard’s “ The River of Doubt “

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28 thoughts on “the best biographies of theodore roosevelt”.

July 10, 2015 at 3:06 pm

I want to think you for your in depth study of Theodore Roosevelt, I unfortunately have only read the one volume on TR, Theodore Roosevelt A Life by Nathan Miller and enjoyed it. I have The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin which I have not began to read as of yet. I will take your suggestion in the future as I further my studies the Presidents.

Thank you Scott La Mar

July 10, 2015 at 3:36 pm

Good luck on your next biography! I think you’ll enjoy The Bully Pulpit. It is not only an interesting bio of TR, but also of Taft…so you get two-for-the-price-of-one. While far from perfect, it held my attention quite well!

July 17, 2015 at 9:55 pm

Great summary Steve! I think I will pick up the O’Toole book on your recommendation. I’m sure this seems odd, but I actually, for some reason, have a keen interest in what the Presidents have done AFTER their time in office.

April 29, 2016 at 3:33 pm

Have you read Douglas Brinkley’s “The Wilderness Warrior”? It looks very interesting.

May 4, 2016 at 10:50 am

I have not. Looks interesting, although it obviously doesn’t qualify strictly as a “biography.” But I’ll have to find time at some point to read this behemoth..!

October 21, 2016 at 1:12 pm

Would like to know if anyone read THE RISE OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT by Edmund Morris what they thought of this book.

November 5, 2016 at 3:40 pm

Super helpful and thorough assessment. Thanks! Hadn’t heard of Harbaugh. Wish it was available on Audible. I mostly only listen to books now. I suppose I’ll start with Morris though the 3 volumes is a bit of a commitment. I’m in the middle of Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and its good, but a bit slow for me.

November 6, 2016 at 5:37 am

Oddly enough – especially given how much time I spent in the car where I can’t “read” – I haven’t gotten into Audible. In part this is natural since I still take notes on a laptop when I come across a particularly clever one-liner or an interesting new fact. But it really boils down to my need to have a physical book and to be able to read at my own pace. Separately, I didn’t find Team of Rivals slow at all, but I might have if forced to listen at someone else’s pace for reading it aloud?

January 6, 2017 at 4:00 am

No fans of “I Rose Like a Rocket”? Grondahl vividly shows how rough Albany politics sharpened TR’s political edge.

January 8, 2017 at 11:40 am

Fascinating – one I haven’t encountered before! I was such a fan of TR biographies I may have to add this one to my follow-up list sight unseen!

March 15, 2017 at 9:51 am

Very helpful article. Thanks! I didn’t really reach a conclusion on which one I should read though. I’ve never read any political biographies, so I want something relatively small in size and somewhat “easy” to read and comprehend. It seems to me that moriss’ trilogy is the fullest (and propably most exciting) choice, but its length is scary to me. Mornings on horseback seems a decent alternative the way you describe it (I would like a rather adventurous version for now). What about his autobiography. I thought one existed. Was I wrong?

March 15, 2017 at 10:06 am

I understand your dilemma! Morris’s series is best, but longest. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “The Bully Pulpit” is fantastic, but admittedly not 100% focused on TR. Brands’s “TR: The Last Romantic” is a fine 100%-focused, single-volume bio but was just “fine” and not “great” for me. “Mornings on Horseback” checks off the “adventurous” box but only covers the early portion of his life…

You are absolutely correct that TR wrote an autobiography ( which can be found here ). It is, by most accounts, typical Teddy Roosevelt – stream-of-consciousness, often fascinating, etc. I have not read it since I have my hands full just reading biographies, never mind autobiographies and memoirs! But I do plan to go back and read those later, particularly those of Eisenhower, Truman, Coolidge, TR,…

Good luck choosing a TR book to read – you will be absolutely fascinated by his life no matter what you read-

September 4, 2017 at 8:54 pm

Your evaluations of the various biographies was super helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

September 5, 2017 at 4:22 pm

Fantastic, thanks! If you read one on TR let me know which one you chose and how you liked it-

June 16, 2018 at 11:27 pm

So I’m making my way through the presidents and am just about up to TR. I am jumping ahead a little order-wise to read Mornings on Horseback “early.” I love McCullough’s books and maybe it will help me learn about the times when his immediate predecessors were in the executive mansion.

Anyway, thinking about a womb to tomb biography to read I am stuck by a certain irony. TR is fascinating, and has attracted some of the most talented writers around, yet—to be honest—your reviews leave me thinking none of them stand out as being great. They’re all OK, but they also seem to all have some pretty big flaws.

Do you think I am being unfair?

June 17, 2018 at 5:39 am

By the time I got to TR I had read just over 100 presidential biographies, so my expectations for the perfect one were pretty well-defined at that point. It’s fair to say I didn’t find any TR biographies “perfect” (according to my subjective definition) but given how my scoring has worked itself out, anything “4” stars or higher is excellent – and there TR biographies I thought were excellent.

It’s also worth pointing out that something like “Mornings on Horseback” can make for a fantastic read but not quite provide the historical or analytical impact that a perfect presidential biography provides for me. So although I rated it 3 3/4 stars, I really really enjoyed it and would gladly read it again – but for me it erred slightly on the side of entertaining rather than penetrating.

In general, TR was a phenomenally interesting biographical subject so almost anything covering some aspect of his life is bound to be interesting 🙂

June 27, 2018 at 10:49 pm

The Edmund Morris series is fantastic. I’m about halfway through Theodore Rex after devouring The Rise of TR and they’ve both been excellent reads. I agree with Steve above that The Rise is the more entertaining book, simply because of the incredible, eclectic life TR lived before becoming president.

Additionally, I did not plan on reading the full three volumes (I actually bought the first book on amazon thinking it was a single volume biography, whoops!) but after finishing the The Rise, I felt compelled to see TRs life through. I’d recommend reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and if you like it, finish books 2 and 3. Book 1 is one helluva yarn all on its own.

One more thing. I got into Roosevelt because of Millard’s The River of Doubt. I agree with Steve that the River of Doubt is also a fascinating story. I couldn’t put that book down. Of course, this book only covers a thin slice of TRs life, but it certainly inspired me to find out more!

December 12, 2018 at 6:30 pm

is Morris three volumes easy reading or is hard and dry reading?

January 30, 2019 at 11:09 am

I just finished Morris’s trilogy. I think overall they were excellent books, with a good balance of fact/historical context/entertainment that makes them worth the time investment.

The other thing I noticed is a consistency of quality from start to finish. Sometimes authors grow weary of the subject, and later books don’t have the same impact as the earlier books. I think Morris did an outstanding job keeping this trilogy consistent in tone, coverage, and writing style.

I would definitely recommend them, I think they are ‘easy’ reads, but not short books, so while the reading is easy, it will take some time to finish the series. Also, I wouldn’t stop at the end of his presidency. Unlike most other presidents I’ve read about so far, TR warrants entire books devoted to his post-presidency. The man never slowed down, and he left office quite young.

April 8, 2019 at 5:43 pm

Thank you for your reviews! Years ago I set myself a goal of at least one biography for each president and I’m just getting to Roosevelt. Again. Because I’ve already done “Mornings On Horseback” and “River Of Doubt” years ago before I started this. You’ve provided me with ideas for a volume to capture Teddy and the eras around him and to overlap those who went before as I move through history.

April 9, 2019 at 6:16 am

I *really* enjoyed Teddy Roosevelt! And given the recent “resurgence” of Grant biographies I wonder why there aren’t more authors focusing on the inimitable TR. Let me know what you finally read on him and what you thought of it-

June 9, 2019 at 11:24 am

Thank you for the great in-depth post! I was recently assigned to TR’s namesake ship and am looking for relevant reading material. I really appreciate your well written reviews!

June 21, 2019 at 6:43 am

I hope you love the USS Theodore Roosevelt as much as I loved reading about his life! That was one unbelievably fascinating guy-

July 7, 2019 at 11:34 am

I am reading through Presidents and about to start on McKinley. While in the Buffalo area recently, we visited the Theodore Roosevelt inauguration site. https://www.trsite.org/ Nice tour- gives some info on McKinley as well as Theodore Roosevelt. We found it interesting and we are trying to visit otherPresidential sites as we travel around the country.

July 8, 2019 at 9:36 am

Thanks for the tip on TR’s inauguration site! I will be in Buffalo in a couple weeks for a swim meet and may have a some free time on my hands – and it’s always good to know how I might put it to good use!

July 8, 2019 at 3:40 pm

If you like barbeque, we ate at a restaurant close to the TR site called “Fat Bob’s” which was very good.

May 4, 2020 at 10:21 pm

David McCullough writes in “Mornings on Horseback” about how an asthmatic young Teedie used to be terrified by visions of a werewolf “coming at him from the bottom of his bed”. I have been obsessed with this image ever since first hearing Jason Robards narrate about it in the American Experience documentary “TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt” (in which McCullough was one of the interviewees).

Would you, by any chance, know the source of where the story about TR’s werewolf nightmares first originated? I find no mention of it in Roosevelt’s autobiography, nor in the biographies written prior to McCullough’s.

The idea of this boy having delusions about werewolves seems so eerily befitting a president who would grow up to have such a profound connection to nature. I just want to make sure that it’s true, and not the invention of his biographers.

February 8, 2021 at 1:31 pm

Have just finished Edmund Morris’s ‘The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. My mark is only 2/5.

The author always uses 3 words where one would do and spends much time painting ‘imagined’ (but dull and irrelevant) scenes to the narrative. So it’s a clunky slow biography.

According to Morris, people encountering young Roosevelt foretold his great destiny: but it’s unclear if the expectations were contemporary or gathered later. And Morris writes as cheerleader for the Great Man – a distinctly partisan account.

Morris is not so blind as to ignore the heritage that Roosevelt was privileged and ill disciplined throughout his early life. Where Roosevelt claimed principles, he quickly discarded them when they were inconvenient. But Morris is exhaustive in providing explanations and justifications for the switches and is always unsympathetic to critics for example when Cleveland, as Governor of New York, vetoes Roosevelt’s Civil Service Law because the legislation is technically defective.

Roosevelt ended with a small fortune – having started with a large one. It would be good to hear more about the financial pressures and the influence (if any) but the topic is not developed.

If Roosevelt had a truly enduring principle, it was to be the showman ensuring, always, that the press was there to watch: Morris appears to envy the attention Roosevelt generated and so describes his publicity campaigns in unnecessary detail.

Roosevelt was not untypical of hyperactive privileged sons of the late nineteenth century in seeking empire (think of Rhodes) but Morris does not mention the zeitgeist of colonialism in the era. Indeed Morris ignores the similarities between Roosevelt’s initiatives and similar efforts in many Western countries: such comparisons would have been illuminating but, presumably, do not fit with the preferred Morris line that Roosevelt was a one-off.

It’s a pity; he is celebrated for taking forward, especially as President, those very issues – promoting workers’ welfare, protection of the environment, and fairness for individual citizens: it would have been interesting to hear more about the international input to a man who saw himself as a citizen of the world.

So a disappointing book and a tedious read.

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20 Best Theodore Roosevelt Books (2022 Review)

September 4, 2020 by James Wilson

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, I receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most well-received presidents of the United States. He ran for president more than once, but didn’t actually receive the title until he became vice president. During his vice presidency the president at the time, William McKinley, was assasinated. Roosevelt was sworn in as his replacement, and then later won the election for a second term presidency. As president, Roosevelt had numerous accomplishments: he conserved parks, he implemented more athletics, and he instituted the national wildlife conservation project. His achievements were notable, leading him to be one of the greatest presidents the United States has seen. He lived an adventurous life, full of courage and kindness. He did a lot of great work. Every American, and anyone else curious about him, should read one or two books on Roosevelt.

What are the Best Theodore Roosevelt Books to read?

The books listed below are some great ones that discuss every element of Roosevelt’s life.

Best Theodore Roosevelt Books: Our Top 20 Picks

Here are some of the best Theodore Roosevelt books that you can consider to expand your knowledge on the subject:

1. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey

Theodore Roosevelt had an adventurous and riveting life. His most notable accomplishment was being the 26th president of the United States. He had many other great stories and experiences that aren’t discussed as often as his presidency.  The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey  by Candice Milard recounts Roosevelt’s journey in the Amazon. The River of Doubt is an uncharted river that spans across the Amazon. After finishing up his final term of presidency, Roosevelt decided to explore the Amazon. Roosevelt and his men faced many hardships, but after this trip, he had the confidence to become president and lead the country. Millard writes with a great deal of emotion and excitement. This book will draw readers in with the amazing adventures, and the history behind them.

• Authors : Candice Millard (Author)
• Publisher : Broadway Books; 1st Edition (October 10, 2006)
• Pages : 416 pages

2. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

The 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, is pretty well known. He was intelligent, kind, and a great leader. But what did he do?  The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt  by Edmund Morris is a biography that marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president. This book covers all aspects of Roosevelt’s life, starting with his birth in 1858. The biography delves into Roosevelt’s childhood, his education, and how he came to be the 26th president of the United States. A particularly interesting aspect of this book is Roosevelt’s relationship with his father, and the turmoil that followed his death. Readers won’t just learn about Roosevelt in this book, they’ll also connect with him. His story is inspiring, and great to learn about.

• Authors : Edmund Morris (Author)
• Publisher : Random House (November 23, 2010)
• Pages : 960 pages

3. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt has overcome a lot in his life. An aspect of his life that many don’t know about is how sickly he was as a kid.  Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt  by David MucCullough focuses on Roosevelt’s childhood, and how it shaped him to be the impressive man he became. McCullough discusses Roosevelt’s history of illness, most of which has to do with his nearly fatal asthma attacks. In addition to discussing how frail and ill Roosevelt was a child, this book also discusses his family and life with them. There are wonderfully personal and emotional themes in this book. There is grief, courage, love, and so much more. This is a great read for getting to know the person behind the 26th president.

• Authors : David McCullough (Author)
• Publisher : Simon & Schuster; 1st Edition (May 12, 1982)
• Pages : 480 pages

4. Theodore Rex

Theodore Roosevelt had many, many adventures. He only lived to the ripe age of 60, but he did so much. Of his sixty years, he spent eight of them in the White House.  Theodore Rex  by Edmund Morris focuses on Theordore Roosevelt’s time as president. As a president, Roosevelt had charm, intelligence, and wit. He combated many problems during his time in his office. Some of the problems he addressed were of race and labor relations. He protected many parks and forests. He was an environmentalist. What was considered his greatest achievement, however, was his installation of the national conservation policy.

• Publisher : Random House; 1st Edition (November 20, 2001)
• Pages : 784 pages

5. Colonel Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt has been commended for all of the great work he did. Before he even became president, he toured Europe where many people called him “the most famous man in the world.”  Colonel Roosevelt  by Edmund Norris is a book that is a biography that depicts all of Roosevelt’s life. Although much of his life is discussed in this book, it mainly focuses on Roosevelt’s post-presidency achievements. This book is very descriptive and interesting. Morris is eloquent and colorful with his words. The tone of this book is straight-forward and riveting. The final years of Roosevelt’s life were just as notable as his early years, and his time in office. This book sheds light on these beautiful years, and explains why people should care about Roosevelt’s post-presidency work.

• Publisher : Random House; First Edition (November 23, 2010)

6. The Rough Riders

The Rough Riders were the first United States volunteer cavalry which was created to help with the Spanish-American war. This volunteer just happened to be led by the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.  The Rough Riders  by Theodore Roosevelt is his own autobiography about his life and the Rough Riders. This book recounts the many challenges the Rough Riders faced during the Spanish-American War. Readers can trust the information in this book because it was actually, truly written by someone who lived it: Roosevelt. Roosevelt is an incredible writer. He captivates readers with his storytelling techniques, and his passion. This book was recently converted to a digital edition, so readers can enjoy it on paper or on the screen. This is a wonderful read by a wonderful man.

• Authors : Theodore Roosevelt (Author)
• Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 23, 2018)
• Pages : 136 pages

7. Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense: The Courtroom Battle to Save His Legacy

Theodore Roosevelt for the Defense: The Courtroom Battle to Save His Legacy by David Fischer and Dan Abrams recounts the history of Theodore Roosevelt’s defense in the case against his rival, William Barnes. This was a huge trial because it meant Roosevelt could lose a lot of money and integrity. The research and information from this book is included in this text. There are court transcripts, news reports, and other sources included in this text. This was a confusing trial that had many Americans excited and nervous. By reading this case, readers will get a sense of what it was like to be in the same courtroom as Roosevelt and Barnes. It also teaches them how to defend themselves in court, as well. The extraordinary person that was Roosevelt is closely examined in this book. There is lots of information and great analogies on this case in this book.

• Authors : Dan Abrams (Author), David Fisher (Author)
• Publisher : Hanover Square Press; Original Edition (May 21, 2019)
• Pages : 400 pages

8. Who Was Theodore Roosevelt?

There have been 50 presidents in the United States of America. Some of these presidents were more notable than others. One of the most notable presidents was Thedore Roosevelt. Not only should adults know who Theodore Roosevelt is, but kids should, too. After all, the teddy bear was named after him.  Who Was Theodore Roosevelt  by Michael Burgan and Jerry Hoare is a great book for teaching children about Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt is known for his great work with wildlife, which kids can relate to. He even won a nobel peace prize. Children will be able to learn about all the great work Roosevelt did in this book in a fun and interesting way. This is an easy read, and it’s especially great for kids who have to write a report about Roosevelt.

• Authors : Michael Burgan (Author), Who HQ (Author), Jerry Hoare (Illustrator)
• Publisher : Penguin Workshop; Illustrated Edition (May 1, 2014)
• Pages : 112 pages

9. The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History

The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History by Darrine Lunde focuses on the work Theodore Roosevelt did to conserve wildlife. Roosevelt helped implement many environmental and wildlife clean up and conservation programs when in office. He also explored many parts of the world, including uncharted territory in the Amazon. He did a great deal of good for nature and the environment. This book discusses the great work with wildlife Roosevelt did, but it also explores the work of those who inspired him. Roosevelt had to get his passion for wildlife somewhere. The information in this book is very interesting, and hails directly from Roosevelt’s diaries and journals. Readers will truly connect with Roosevelt in this book because it is about his greatest passion: wildlife.

• Authors : Darrin Lunde (Author)
• Publisher : Crown; 1st Edition (April 12, 2016)
• Pages : 352 pages

10. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail

Theodore Roosevelt was many things. Among the notable positions he had– president, war, and Nobel Peace Prize winners– he was also an adventurer and a hunter. For a long time Roosevelt lived in North Dakota. He had gone there to hunt bison, but he fell in love with nature and wildlife and decided to stay.  Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail  by Theodore Roosevelt is Roosevelt’s own book about his experiences in the West. He spent two years in North Dakota, and saw many incredible and great things. He had wonderful adventures that he recaptures in this book. He makes humble living in the wilderness seem like paradise. Roosevelt has a way with nature and a way with words that will draw readers into this story.

• Publisher : Independently published (March 15, 2019)
• Pages : 155 pages

11. T.R.: The Last Romantic

Theodore Roosevelt was considered to be a great man and a great president. However, like everyone else, he had his flaws.  T.R.: The Last Romantic  by H.W. Brands unpacks all of Roosevelt’s life, from the good to the bad. This is a very well-written and detailed account of Roosevelt’s life. There are about 800 pages in this book, with each one being more riveting than the next. He was a fearless man who had many great adventures and experiences. He was a great leader, too. This book tackles the history of Roosevelt, and explains why he is so we’ll celebrate. The book also explains his faults, and how he could have improved his life and presidency. Overall, this is a great book on Roosevelt because it looks at him through a non-partisan lens. This read is interesting, engaging, and easy to read.

• Authors : H. W. Brands (Author)
• Publisher : Basic Books; Illustrated Edition (September 11, 1998)
• Pages : 928 pages

12. The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century

Theodore Roosevelt’s history is expansive and interesting. He had many amazing achievements as a human, and as a president. Some of his greatest work was from the Rough Riders.  The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century  by Clay Risen is a story about Theodore Roosevelt as well as the volunteer cavalry he led, the Rough Riders. The book discusses the history of the Rough Riders, all that they did, and why they volunteer. This cavalry was a unique set of men. Some of those that joined the cavalry were cowboys. Other members of the cavalry were Ivy League athletes. Many men of different backgrounds volunteered. This says a lot about Roosevelt’s leadership skills. This book will help readers gain a better idea of who the Rough Riders were, and why they are an important part of history.

• Authors : Clay Risen (Author)
• Publisher : Scribner; 1st Edition (June 4, 2019)
• Pages : 368 pages

13. Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

Theodore Roosevelt had an awe-inspiring, adventurous life. His life was so eventful that, when documenting his life story, many historians write a series on his life, instead of one single book.  Theodore Roosevelt: A Life  by Nathan Miller is a simple, on volume book on the entire life of Roosevelt. Every little bit of his life is discussed in his book, from his sickly childhood to his experiences as a president. Every triumph and tragedy from Roosevelt’s life is included in this book. There are many great details in this book that are colorful and invigorating. The book is thought-provoking, but easy to understand. This biography is not too long and redundant. Overall, it’s an interesting read on a great man and president.

• Authors : Nathan Miller (Author)
• Publisher : Quill/William Morrow; Reissue Edition (January 1, 1992)
• Pages : 640 pages

14. Theodore Roosevelt: The American President’s Series: The 26th President, 1901-1909

Theodore Roosevelt lived for 60 years, but it is said he lived “four lives in one.” Along with serving as president for two terms, he was the leader of a volunteer cavalry, he explored the Amazon, he won a Nobel Peace Prize, and so much more.  Theodore Roosevelt: The American President’s Series: The 26th President, 1901-1909  by Louis Auchincloss gives an intimate look at Theodore Roosevelt’s life and work, specifically from the years 1901-1909. He was a politician, a war leader, an adventurer, a president, and more. This is a thorough and enjoyable biography that gives a clear idea on what Roosevelt did. He did some great work in his early years that is often overlooked by his work as president. This is one book in a series of Roosevelt’s life. This series lends plenty of insight to the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

• Authors : Louis Auchincloss (Author), Arthur M. Schlesinger (Editor)
• Publisher : Times Books; 1st Edition (January 4, 2002)
• Pages : 176 pages

15. Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life

Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life  by Kathleen Dalton is a wonderful biography on the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt. The book captures every aspect of Roosevelt’s life. It starts with his childhood. He was a sickly child who fought many emotional and physical battles… but he overcame them, and moved on to greater things. As a young adult, he was adventurous and active. He explored regions of North Dakota, the Amazon, and more. He became one of the youngest, most notable presidents of the United States. He made many great policies that focused on conserving nature, parks, and wildlife. His life progressed in a fascinating way. The book looks at both Roosevelt’s history, and that of his family. Readers will garner a deep understanding of who Roosevelt was, and how his history shaped him.

• Authors : Kathleen Dalton (Author)
• Publisher : Knopf; 1st Edition (October 8, 2002)
• Pages : 752 pages

16. The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete

Theodore Roosevelt was a very ill child. He had bad eyesight, crippling asthma, and many other ailments. While attending college, Roosevelt was told, by a doctor, that he “might die of a heart attack!” Instead of simply changing his own life and exercise habits, Roosevelt took this as an opportunity to help others, too. The Strenuous Life: Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of the American Athlete by Ryan Swanson discusses the impact sports and athletics had on Roosevelt’s life. Roosevelt took part in many sports. He practiced jiu-jitsu. He played tennis. He commended athletics while president, and even invited athletes to the White House. He wanted people to be active and healthy. During his presidency, an emphasis was made on adding P.E. to school curriculums, and many interscholastic sports began. Roosevelt encouraged healthy living, and did a lot for it.

• Authors : Ryan Swanson (Author)
• Publisher : Diversion Books; Illustrated Edition (August 20, 2019)
• Pages : 336 pages

17. Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography

Theodore Roosevelt’s history is compelling and intriguing. He had many incredible experiences that very few can relate to.  Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography  by Henry F. Pringle is a simple, straight-forward book biography about Roosevelt. The biography offers insight into Roosevelt’s career and how he became the man he was. This is a very informative read that is great for educators that are teaching lessons about Roosevelt. The book does not have a biased opinion on Roosevelt, but it can be a boring read. Some of the text is repetitive, and the writing is not very colorful. Pringle shares many facts about Roosevelt, but he doesn’t speak about him with passion or excitement. He simply explains who he was, and why he did the things he did.

• Authors : Henry F. Pringle (Author)
• Publisher : Mariner Books; First Edition (January 13, 2003)
• Pages : 456 pages

18. The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was both a courageous and honorable man. He did great work for the country of the United States, and he was a well-received president.  The Courage and Character of Theodore Roosevelt  by George Grant specifically analyzes Roosevelt’s character and faith. This book is well researched and full of many enticing details about Roosevelt’s life. Because Grant researches and explains a specific aspect of Roosevelt’s life, as opposed to all of it, he lends readers a lot of new information that has not been discussed before. The book also discusses Roosevelt’s religion– something that few biographies on Roosevelt do. This is a great read for those who know lots about Roosevelt, but want to hear about a different perspective on his life. This is also a great read for those who are religious, and want to know how religion affected Roosevelt.

• Authors : George Grant (Author)
• Publisher : Cumberland House Publishing (April 15, 2005)
• Pages : 224 pages

19. The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt

The assassinations on presidents, or attempted assassinations of presidents, is not an unknown concept. Many presidents’ lives have been taken, or almost taken, by a citizen who didn’t agree with their policies.  The Attempted Murder of Teddy Roosevelt  by Burt Solomon uncovers an possible assasination attempt that few know about– one against Thedore Roosevelt. One year into his presidency, Roosevelt’s horse drawn carriage had an accident with an electric trolley. Roosevelt was safe, but one of his secret service agents was killed on the spot. Was this truly an accident, or was it an assisnation attempt? This is the question that is explored in this book. This story is based on truth, but it’s historical fiction. The book helps readers learn about history, while embarking on a mysterious adventure as the 26th president of the United States.

• Authors : Burt Solomon (Author)
• Publisher : Forge Books (December 3, 2019)
• Pages : 304 pages

20. Theodore Roosevelt: Letters and Speeches

It should come as no surprise that, along with being a great president, Theodore Roosevelt was a great writer and speaker, too.  Theodore Roosevelt: Letters and Speeches  by Thedore Roosevelt and Louis Auchincloss is a book full of the many speeches and letters of Roosevelt. There are 367 letters written by Roosevelt included in this text. The text also includes four of his speeches. This book gives readers a firsthand look at some of Roosevelt’s innermost thoughts. They get to read about who he was as a person through his own words. They can then compare his letters to his professional side, which can be reflected in his speeches. Reading a biography about Roosvelt is great, but it’s interesting to actually hear about Roosevelt’s life from him for a change. This is a wonderful read for anyone who likes and appreciates Roosevelt and the work he did.

• Authors : Theodore Roosevelt (Author), Louis Auchincloss (Editor)
• Publisher : Library of America; 1st Edition (October 7, 2004)
• Pages : 915 pages

Choosing the Best Theodore Roosevelt Books

As mentioned in these books, Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency was not his only achievement. He was an adventurous spirit with many goals and lots of passion. He never let failure keep him from exploring and becoming the powerful man he was. He lived life to the fullest. Many can learn a thing or two from these books and from Roosevelt himself. He was a worthy president who will go down in history as one of the greats.

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25 Fascinating Books About and By Theodore Roosevelt

• Best Books on US Presidents
• Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most well-known presidents in United States history. He was a leader on the battlefield and in politics, and he had a love of nature and reading that showed in his work.

Several books have been written about Theodore Roosevelt over the years, providing readers with insights into his life and career. 

Here are some of the best books about Theodore Roosevelt that we think you will love. At the bottom, you will also find a complete list of books written by him (including our 10 top recommendations!). 

1. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

Written By : Edmund Morris

Published : 2001 (1979)

Pages : 816

In his book, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt , Edmund Morris paints a portrait of a man who was not content to sit on the sidelines and watch history unfold. Roosevelt was a dynamic figure whose energy and passion for life was evident in everything he did.

This book shows you how he was determined to make a difference and leave his mark on the world. This determination led him to accomplish great things, both during his time in office and after he left the White House.

Some consider this to be one of the best nonfiction books of all time, won Morris a Pulitzer Prize, and a book about Theodore Roosevelt we highly recommend!

2. Theodore Roosevelt

Written By : Nathan Miller

Published : 1992

Pages : 624

Drawing on original material and personal letters, this illuminating biography of Theodore Roosevelt offers a fresh look at one of America's most compelling presidents.

Nathan Miller paints a nuanced portrait of a leader whose intellect, force of will, and capacity for physical strenuousness was matched by an unwavering conviction in the righteousness of his beliefs.

The reader gains a new understanding of how Roosevelt's political instincts and legendary energy shaped the course of American history.

3. Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life

Written By : Kathleen Dalton

Published : 2004

Pages : 756

On October 27, 1858, Theodore Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family in New York City. Despite his privileged upbringing, Roosevelt would go on to lead a life of adventure and public service, becoming one of the most influential presidents in American history.

In Kathleen Dalton's biography Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life , readers are given an intimate look at his childhood, including his ongoing ill health as a boy and how it shaped his life.

You’ll learn about his early years spent hunting and exploring the wilderness to his tenure as president. Dalton covers it all.

4. Theodore Roosevelt: Letters and Speeches

Written By : Theodore Roosevelt, Louis Auchincloss (Editor)

Pages : 960

Theodore Roosevelt was a prolific writer of books, letters, and speeches. In this book, you’ll read more than 350 letters written by the president between 1881 and 1919.

You’ll also get a chance to read four of his most important speeches word for word.

It's a great look into his writings, his life, and how these impacted both his life and the United States.

5. Theodore Rex

Published : 2001

Pages : 772

If you're looking for an entertaining and informative read, be sure to check out Edmund Morris' book Theodore Rex . The Pulitzer Prize-winner tells the story of America's 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, in meticulous detail.

From his early years as a sickly child to his tenure as one of the most influential presidents in U.S. history, Morris provides an intimate look at Roosevelt based on letters and other documentation written by those that knew him best.

It’s the second book by Morris on this list. Theodore Rex is a follow-up to his book The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt .

6. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

Written By : Doris Kearns Goodwin

Published : 2013

Pages : 910

In this book, you’ll learn about the complicated relationship between Roosevelt and Taft. Roosevelt was a huge supporter of Taft's and hand-picked him to become his successor in 1908. Taft snubbed Roosevelt and didn't acknowledge his help when Taft was elected as president.

From there, their relationship continued to deteriorate and ended when Roosevelt decided to run against Taft in 1912.

It’s a fascinating look at a different aspect of both the Roosevelt and Taft presidencies.

7. The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America

Written By : Timothy Egan

Published : 2009

Pages : 324

It was the biggest fire in American history, and it almost destroyed Teddy Roosevelt's dream of building a national park system. In August 1910, a massive wildfire tore through the mountains of Washington, Montana, and Idaho, incinerating 3 million acres of forest.

But the so-called Big Burn also galvanized public support for federal land management and helped solidify the need for the United States Forest Service.

Timothy Egan tells the story of this overlooked moment in American history in his book, The Big Burn.

8. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

Written By : Candice Millard

Published : 2005

Pages : 416

In February of 1914, Theodore Roosevelt set out on an expedition down the River of Doubt in Brazil. It was to be his most challenging adventure yet – and it turned out to be his darkest.

After illness, accidents, and a mutiny by his own men, Roosevelt battled his way through the treacherous jungle river, coming face-to-face with death more times than he could count.

This is the incredible story of Roosevelt's harrowing journey – and his inspiring return to civilization.

9. Theodore Roosevelt and the Making of American Leadership

Written By : Jon Knokey

Published : 2015

Pages : 512

Few people have had as great an impact on American leadership as Theodore Roosevelt. In this book, Jon Knokey examines how Roosevelt's upbringing and experiences helped him to become one of the most influential presidents in U.S. history.

Roosevelt was a champion of the people, and he used his power to fight for what he believed in. He also understood the importance of communicating with the public, and he developed new ways to reach out to Americans.

Knokey's book is a fascinating look at how Roosevelt transformed American politics and paved the way for future leaders.

10. Unreasonable Men: Theodore Roosevelt and the Republican Rebels Who Created Progressive Politics

Written By : Michael Wolraich

Published : 2014

Pages : 310

In the history of the United States, there have been many influential presidents. Some have maintained a consistent political ideology throughout their terms, while others have shifted as new challenges and opportunities arise.

Theodore Roosevelt is one such president who evolved from being a conservative Republican to becoming one of the country's earliest progressive leaders. While this shift was largely due to personal experiences and opportunities, Roosevelt's beliefs and actions had a significant impact on American politics for years to come.

This book takes you behind the scenes of the fight between Roosevelt and Taft. Their well-documented battle broke the Republican party in two, which paved the way for more progressive candidates and policies.

11. The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism

Written By : Susan Berfield

Published : 2020

Pages : 304

At the turn of the 20th century, two titans of U.S. capitalism faced off in a battle that would transform the way the country did business.

On one side was President Theodore Roosevelt, who championed trust-busting and believed in a vigorous competitive economy.

On the other was J.P. Morgan, who believed in consolidation and partnerships between businesses to create monopolies.

This book details the clash between these two men that ushered in an era of reform and regulation in American business.

12. Rough Riders: Theodore Roosevelt, His Cowboy Regiment, and the Immortal Charge Up San Juan Hill

Written By : Mark Lee Gardner

Published : 2016

Pages : 336

Theodore Roosevelt is famous for a lot of things: his time as the 26th president of the United States, his work creating national parks, his Nobel Peace Prize.

But one of T.R.'s lesser-known accomplishments is leading the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment or "Rough Riders." This group of cowboys and ranchers became infamous for their charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Thanks in part to Roosevelt's leadership, the Rough Riders are remembered as some of America's bravest and most badass soldiers.

13. Colonel Roosevelt

Published : 2010

Pages : 766

This book is the third and final installment in Edmund Morris's biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It covers Roosevelt's time as President of the United States, starting with his election in 1912 and ending with his death in 1919.

Roosevelt was a dynamic leader, and this book provides a detailed account of his policies and accomplishments during his tenure as President. It also paints a vivid portrait of life in the White House during that period.

If you're interested in American history or in learning more about one of our most influential Presidents, then Colonel Roosevelt is worth reading.

14. T.R.: The Last Romantic

Written By : H.W. Brands

Published : 1998

Pages : 928

In his new book, T.R.: The Last Romantic , historian H.W. Brands paints a sympathetic portrait of Theodore Roosevelt as an impassioned and idealistic leader who strove to make the world a better place.

Despite his many successes, Roosevelt was also plagued by personal tragedies and political setbacks that threatened to derail his career. This intimate biography offers an insightful look at one of America's most complex presidents.

15. Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

Written By : David McCullough

Published : 1982

Pages : 445

Mornings on Horseback tells the extraordinary story childhood and young adult life of Theodore Roosevelt. It started when he turned 10 in 1869, thought to 1886 when he was 26.

From an early age, T.R. was wild and willful and had a tenacious desire to learn and explore. He was also faced poor health in his early years with an ongoing struggle with asthma.  

This book paints a vivid picture of his childhood up until the time when he was living in North Dakota as a real-life cowboy.

Through meticulous research and stunning images, author David McCullough brings readers inside T.R.'s world like never before. Mornings on Horseback is an unforgettable portrait of both a remarkable young man and the foundation that lead to his presidential success.

16. Taking on Theodore Roosevelt: How One Senator Defied the President on Brownsville and Shook American Politics

Written By : Harry Lembeck

Pages : 544

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt found himself in a heated battle with the United States Senate. A group of African American soldiers stationed at Brownsville, Texas, had been accused of shooting up the town, killing one person, and severely injuring another. Roosevelt was adamant that they be dishonorably discharged.

Senator Joseph Foraker, however, refused to go along with the president's plan.

In the end, the soldiers were cleared of all charges and retained their military careers.

This book tells the story of Foraker’s defiance and shows how Theodore Roosevelt reversed course. In the end, it highlighted Roosevelt’s dedication to justice for all Americans.

17. The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt and His Adventures in the Wilderness

Written By : Darrin Lunde

Pages : 320

Few presidents in American history have been as closely associated with the natural world as Theodore Roosevelt. A lifelong naturalist and avid outdoorsman, Roosevelt was passionate about wildlife and conservation, and he made it a key part of his presidency.

This book tells the story of Roosevelt's adventures in the wilderness, from his early days exploring the forests and lakes of upstate New York to his famous safaris in Africa.

It provides a fascinating look at how his early childhood and life led to his deep connection to nature.

18. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

Written By : Douglas Brinkley

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most well-known presidents in United States history. A man of many talents and accomplishments, he is most often remembered for his love of nature and conservationism.

He's worked hard to protect America's wilderness, and you can see the impact of his work throughout the U.S. today.

In this book by Douglas Brinkley, Roosevelt's passion for the outdoors and dedication to conservation are explored in detail.

19. When Trumpets Call: Theodore Roosevelt After the White House

Written By :  Patricia O'Toole

Patricia O'Toole's When Trumpets Call is a detailed and engaging look at Theodore Roosevelt in the final decade of his life after he left the White House.

O'Toole paints a complex picture of Roosevelt, who was deeply affected by his time in the White House and sought to find a new purpose in life.

Despite finding much success post-presidential, Roosevelt also faced many challenges and disappointments.

20. The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century

Written By : Clay Risen

Published : 2019

Pages : 368

President Theodore Roosevelt is known for his love of hunting and the outdoors. One lesser-known fact about him, however, is his involvement with the Rough Riders. This volunteer cavalry regiment was formed in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War.

Roosevelt was selected as the colonel of the regiment, and he led them to victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill.

This book tells the story and struggles of this untrained group of volunteers. It showcases what they faced as they helped lead the U.S. to victory in the Spanish-American war.

21. Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker

Written By : Stacy A. Cordery

Published : 2007

Pages : 483

Alice Roosevelt Longworth was one of the most fascinating and influential women of her time. As a daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, she spent most of her teenage years in the White House and developed a reputation as a fiercely independent woman with a sharp wit.

After leaving the White House, Alice leveraged her political connections to become one of the most influential women in Washington.

This book talks about her childhood, her time in the White House, and the ups and downs she experienced throughout her adult life.

It’s a fascinating look at Roosevelt's oldest child and the only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt.

22. Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream

Written By : Gregg Jones

Published : 2012

Pages : 430

In 1898, the Spanish-American War catapulted the United States into a new role on the world stage. The war fought in Cuba, and the Philippines was a turning point for America, as it demonstrated its military might and revealed its willingness to intervene in international affairs.

In Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream , Gregg Jones tells the story of one of America's most controversial wars and examines how Theodore Roosevelt's actions affected his legacy.

The book focuses on what happened during the Spanish-American War, including the abuses reported in the Philippines about the U.S. Military.

Jones’ book provides a thorough examination of this complex and often misunderstood chapter in American history.

23. The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Ruthless Rise of America's Greatest Political Family

Written By : William J. Mann

Pages : 608

The Roosevelts were a powerful American family whose members held prominent positions in politics and business for more than a century.

The dynasty began with Theodore Roosevelt, who served as 26th president of the United States and continued with his nephew Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected to four terms as president.

Along the way, the Roosevelts faced their share of scandals and controversies, but they also left an indelible mark on American history.

The book goes into more detail on the lives of others in the Roosevelt family, including Eleanor, Teddy Roosevelt's children, and Elliott Roosevelt Mann, Eleanor's illegitimate half-brother.

24. Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands: A Young Politician's Quest for Recovery in the American West

Written By : Roger L. Di Silvestro

Published : 2011

Pages : 353

In the summer of 1884, Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the Badlands of North Dakota. He was a young, energetic politician on the hunt for adventure and recovery from his recent loss of support from the GOP.

The rugged landscape and unforgiving weather of the Badlands suited Roosevelt's temperament. He found solace in nature and a renewed sense of purpose.

In the years following his visit to North Dakota, Roosevelt would become one of the most influential politicians in America, serving as president of the United States.

This book covers his experiences in the Badlands. It also shows how it shaped who he was as a leader and helped him rebound from personal disappointment.

25. How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Panama Canal

Written By : Ovidio Diaz-Espino

Pages : 276

This book offers a take on what really happened behind the scenes when the U.S. acquired the rights to build the Panama Canal. You'll read more about how J.P. Morgan and a group of Wall Street financiers stepped in to acquire the rights to build the canal when a French company went bankrupt.

It's a well-researched and very different take on the history of this deal with the U.S., what happened in Columbia to allow this to happen, and the early days after the formation of the Republic of Panama.

Books Written by Theodore Roosevelt

In addition to being a popular president to write about, Roosevelt also wrote 47 books. Some are out of print, but there are some that you can still read.

A few of these have been recently edited, but all were originally written by him.

Below you will find two lists. The first is a list of 10 books you can still find that I think you will enjoy. The second list is all of his other books. Some you can still find, but they aren’t as popular as my first ten recommendations.

These are ten that I think you will enjoy.

1. Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (1913)

2. The Rough Riders (1899)

3. The Strenuous Life (1899)

4. Through the Brazilian Wilderness (1914)

5. The Naval War of 1812, Part I and Part II (1882)

6. African Game Trails (1910)

7. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail (1888)

8. Hunting Trips of a Ranchman (1885)

9. Theodore Roosevelt's Letters to His Children , this one is also listed above but wanted to include it in this list in case you are only looking for books written by Theodore Roosevelt (1919)

10. The Wilderness Hunter (1893)

This list includes the rest of his works.

1. Thomas H. Benton. American Statesmen (1886)

2. Essays on Practical Politics (1888)

3. Gouverneur Morris: The Study of His Life and Work (1888)

4. The Winning of the West, Volume I: From the Alleghanies to the Mississippi (1889)

5. The Winning of the West, Volume II: In the Current of the Revolution (1889)

6. New York. Historic Towns (1891)

7. American Big Game Hunting, written with George Bird Grinnell (1893)

8. The Winning of the West, Volume III: The War in the Northwest (1894)

9. Hero Tales from American History , written with Henry Cabot Lodge (1895)

10. Hunting in Many Lands , written with George Bird Grinnell (1895)

11. The Winning of the West, Volume IV (1896)

12. American Ideals (1897).

13. Trail and Campfire , written with George Bird Grinnell (1897)

14. Some American Game (1897)

15. American Naval Policy: As Outlined in the Messages of the Presidents of the United States. Washington, D.C. (1897)

16. Oliver Cromwell (1900)

17. The Naval Operations of the War between Great Britain and the United States, 1812–1815 (1901)

18. The Deer Family (1902)

19. Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter (1905)

20. Good Hunting: In Pursuit of Big Game in the West (1907)

21. Outlook Editorials (1909)

22. African and European Addresses (1910)

23. American Problems (1910)

24. The New Nationalism (1910)

25. The Conservation of Womanhood and Childhood (1912)

26. Realizable Ideals: Earl Lectures of Pacific Theological Seminary (1912)

27. History as Literature and Other Essays (1913)

28. Progressive Principles (1913)

29. Life-Histories of African Game Animals, Volume I , written with Edmund Heller (1914)

30. Life-Histories of African Game Animals, Volume II , written with Edmund Heller (1914)

31. America and the World War (1915)

32. Fear God and Take Your Own Part (1916)

33. A Book Lover's Holidays in the Open (1916)

34. The Foes of Our Own Household (1917)

35. National Strength and International Duty (1917)

36. The Great Adventure: Present-Day Studies in American Nationalism (1918)

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Explore 20 Best Theodore Roosevelt Books with Our 2024 Update

Are you a history buff or just fascinated by the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further! Here are the 20 best books about Theodore Roosevelt that every enthusiast should read. From biographies to political analyses, these books offer an in-depth look at the life and times of the iconic president. Whether you’re interested in his conservation efforts, his military career, or his impact on American politics, there’s a book on Theodore Roosevelt for every reader.

• 1 20 Best Books About Theodore Roosevelt
• 2 Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life
• 3 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
• 4 The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey
• 5 The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America
• 6 Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
• 7 Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography
• 8 Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography
• 9 Theodore Roosevelt: A Life
• 10 Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography
• 11 Theodore Roosevelt: The American Presidents Series
• 12 Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography
• 13 Theodore Roosevelt: The Rough Riders/An Autobiography
• 14 Theodore Roosevelt: A Life
• 15 Theodore Roosevelt: The Making of a Conservationist
• 16 Theodore Rex
• 17 Mornings on Horseback
• 18 The Wilderness Warrior
• 19 The Bully Pulpit
• 20 The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America
• 21 Colonel Roosevelt
• 22 Conclusion

20 Best Books About Theodore Roosevelt

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Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life

By kathleen dalton.

If you’re looking for a fascinating book about Theodore Roosevelt, then “Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life” by Kathleen Dalton is a must-read. This meticulously researched biography takes readers on a thrilling journey through the life of the 26th President of the United States. Dalton skillfully brings to life the adventurous spirit, the political prowess, and the larger-than-life personality of this iconic figure. From his early years as a sickly child to his rise to power and his impactful presidency, this book provides a comprehensive and engaging portrait of Theodore Roosevelt. Dalton’s vivid storytelling and rich historical detail make this biography a captivating and insightful read for history buffs and anyone interested in the life of one of America’s most dynamic leaders.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

By edmund morris.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris is a captivating biography that delves into the early life and political career of the dynamic and influential former President. This compelling book on Theodore Roosevelt explores his rise to power, from his privileged upbringing to his time as a cowboy in the Dakotas, and his eventual ascension to the highest office in the land. Morris paints a vivid portrait of Roosevelt, depicting his larger-than-life personality, his progressive policies, and his enduring legacy as a leader. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, the author brings to life the remarkable journey of this iconic figure, making it a must-read for anyone interested in American history and politics. This book about Theodore Roosevelt is a rich and immersive exploration of the man behind the legend, offering readers a deeper understanding of the complexities and achievements of this influential historical figure.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey

By candice millard.

The River of Doubt is a gripping book about Theodore Roosevelt written by Candice Millard. It transports readers to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, where Theodore Roosevelt embarks on a perilous and harrowing journey down an uncharted tributary of the Amazon River. This riveting narrative delves into the physical and mental challenges that Roosevelt and his team faced as they battled through treacherous rapids, deadly wildlife, and debilitating illnesses. Millard’s vivid storytelling and meticulous research provide a compelling insight into Roosevelt’s resilience, leadership, and the depths of human endurance. The book offers a fascinating exploration of a lesser-known chapter in the life of the iconic former president, making it a must-read for history enthusiasts, adventure seekers, and anyone captivated by tales of courage and survival.

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

By douglas brinkley.

The Wilderness Warrior is a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. Authored by Douglas Brinkley, this book delves into Roosevelt’s fervent crusade for the preservation of America’s natural landscapes and wildlife. Brinkley paints a vivid portrait of Roosevelt as a passionate conservationist, detailing his efforts to establish national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. The book also explores Roosevelt’s adventurous spirit and his love for the great outdoors, showcasing his expeditions and hunting trips. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Brinkley brings to life the remarkable legacy of this influential leader and his enduring impact on American conservation. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or a nature lover, this Theodore Roosevelt book is sure to inspire and inform.

Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

By david mccullough.

Mornings on Horseback is a captivating biography that delves into the early years of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. Written by David McCullough , this book provides a fascinating glimpse into the extraordinary Roosevelt family and the vanished way of life they inhabited. McCullough paints a vivid portrait of Theodore Roosevelt’s childhood, exploring his unique upbringing and the experiences that shaped his remarkable character. Through rich storytelling and meticulous research, the author brings to life the world of young Theodore Roosevelt, offering readers a deeper understanding of the man who would later become a legendary figure in American history. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about the fascinating life of Theodore Roosevelt, this book about theodore roosevelt is sure to captivate and enlighten.

Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography

By theodore roosevelt.

Looking for a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt ? Look no further than “Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography.” This insightful memoir provides a firsthand account of the life and experiences of the 26th President of the United States. With vivid storytelling and a wealth of historical details, readers are transported into the world of this remarkable leader. From his adventurous spirit to his impactful political career, Roosevelt’s autobiography offers a compelling glimpse into the life of one of America’s most influential figures. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about the life of Theodore Roosevelt, this book is a must-read that will leave you inspired and enlightened.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography

By henry f. pringle.

If you’re searching for a comprehensive book on Theodore Roosevelt, look no further than Henry F. Pringle’s riveting biography. This in-depth exploration of the life and legacy of the 26th President of the United States offers a captivating portrayal of the man behind the legend. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Pringle brings Roosevelt to life, showcasing his remarkable achievements, bold leadership, and enduring impact on American history. From his early years as a passionate reformer to his presidency and beyond, this book about Theodore Roosevelt delves into the complexities of his character and the pivotal moments that shaped his extraordinary journey. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about this larger-than-life figure, Pringle’s Theodore Roosevelt book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the indelible mark left by one of the nation’s most influential leaders.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life

By nathan miller.

Looking for a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further than Nathan Miller’s “Theodore Roosevelt: A Life.” This comprehensive biography delves into the remarkable life of the 26th President of the United States, from his early struggles with asthma to his adventurous spirit and his enduring impact on American politics. Miller skillfully portrays Roosevelt’s complex personality, his passion for conservation, and his role as a progressive leader. Readers will be drawn into the vivid narrative that brings to life Roosevelt’s military exploits, his presidency, and his post-political adventures. With meticulous research and engaging storytelling, this Theodore Roosevelt book is a must-read for history enthusiasts and anyone intrigued by the life of one of America’s most dynamic leaders.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by Edmund Morris is a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt, the dynamic and influential 26th President of the United States. This meticulously researched biography provides an in-depth look at the life and legacy of the indomitable leader, from his early years as a sickly child to his rise to power and his lasting impact on American politics and society. Morris delves into Roosevelt’s adventurous spirit, his progressive policies, and his larger-than-life personality, painting a vivid portrait of a man who left an indelible mark on the nation. With engaging storytelling and rich historical detail, this Theodore Roosevelt book offers a comprehensive and compelling exploration of one of America’s most iconic figures.

Theodore Roosevelt: The American Presidents Series

By louis auchincloss.

Looking for a comprehensive book on Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further than Louis Auchincloss’s contribution to The American Presidents Series. This insightful biography delves into the life and legacy of the dynamic and influential figure that was Theodore Roosevelt. Auchincloss skillfully navigates through Roosevelt’s political career, his larger-than-life personality, and his impact on American history. With meticulous research and engaging storytelling, this book about Theodore Roosevelt offers a vivid portrait of the man who reshaped the presidency and left an indelible mark on the nation. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious about this iconic leader, Auchincloss’s Theodore Roosevelt book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of one of America’s most charismatic and enigmatic presidents.

Recommended for you:

by William Roscoe Thayer

Looking for a comprehensive book on Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further than William Roscoe Thayer’s biography. In this engaging and insightful read, Thayer delves into the life and legacy of the 26th President of the United States, exploring his fascinating journey from a sickly child to a renowned leader and conservationist. The book offers a vivid portrayal of Roosevelt’s dynamic personality, his progressive policies, and his adventurous spirit, making it a must-read for history enthusiasts and fans of biographies. Thayer’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling bring Theodore Roosevelt to life on the pages, providing readers with a deeper understanding of one of America’s most influential figures. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious about this iconic leader, this book about Theodore Roosevelt is sure to captivate and educate.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Rough Riders/An Autobiography

Are you looking for a captivating book about theodore roosevelt? Look no further than “The Rough Riders/An Autobiography” by Theodore Roosevelt . This compelling theodore roosevelt book takes you on an exhilarating journey through the life of one of America’s most fearless and charismatic leaders. Roosevelt’s vivid storytelling and firsthand accounts of his experiences as a soldier in the Spanish-American War will keep you on the edge of your seat. From his time as the leader of the Rough Riders to his rise to the presidency, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a true American legend. Whether you’re a history buff or just love a good adventure, this book about theodore roosevelt is a must-read for anyone interested in the life and legacy of this remarkable leader.

by Aida D. Donald

Looking for a captivating book on Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further than Aida D. Donald’s biography, “Theodore Roosevelt: A Life.” This comprehensive and engaging biography delves into the life of the 26th President of the United States, from his early years as a sickly child to his remarkable achievements as a leader, conservationist, and reformer. Donald skillfully captures Roosevelt’s larger-than-life personality, his love for adventure, and his dedication to public service. Through meticulous research and vivid storytelling, she brings to life the man behind the legend, offering readers a deeper understanding of this influential figure. Whether you’re a history enthusiast or simply curious about this fascinating figure, this book about Theodore Roosevelt is a must-read for anyone interested in American history and politics.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Making of a Conservationist

By paul russell cutright.

Are you looking for a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt? Look no further than “Theodore Roosevelt: The Making of a Conservationist” by Paul Russell Cutright. This insightful biography delves into the life and evolution of the iconic president, from his early years to his transformation into a passionate conservationist. Cutright skillfully explores Roosevelt’s love for the natural world and his pivotal role in shaping American conservation policies. Through engaging storytelling and meticulous research, the author brings to life the dynamic personality and influential legacy of this remarkable leader. Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a nature lover, or simply curious about theodore roosevelt, this book offers a fascinating journey through the life of one of America’s most influential figures.

Theodore Rex

Theodore Rex is a gripping biography that delves into the life of the 26th President of the United States. This meticulously researched book about Theodore Roosevelt takes readers on a journey through his dynamic presidency, capturing his relentless energy and passion for reform. Edmund Morris skillfully brings the larger-than-life figure of Theodore Roosevelt to the forefront, offering a vivid portrayal of his leadership and influence during a pivotal period in American history. As readers immerse themselves in the pages of this Theodore Roosevelt book, they will gain a deeper understanding of his impact on the nation and his enduring legacy. With its rich narrative and insightful analysis, Theodore Rex is a must-read for anyone seeking a comprehensive and compelling account of Roosevelt’s presidency.

Mornings on Horseback

Mornings on Horseback is a captivating biography that delves into the early years of Theodore Roosevelt, exploring his formative experiences and the events that shaped his remarkable character. Written by acclaimed author David McCullough, this book offers a vivid portrayal of Roosevelt’s upbringing, his family dynamics, and the social and political landscape of 19th-century America. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, McCullough paints a compelling picture of the young Roosevelt, shedding light on the influences that would later propel him to become one of the most influential leaders in American history. This enthralling book about theodore roosevelt is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of this iconic figure and the forces that shaped his extraordinary life.

The Wilderness Warrior

The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley is a captivating book about the conservation efforts of the 26th President of the United States. This comprehensive biography delves into the life of theodore roosevelt, exploring his passion for nature and his pivotal role in establishing the foundation for the modern environmental movement. Brinkley’s vivid storytelling brings to life Roosevelt’s remarkable adventures, from his expeditions in the American West to his establishment of national parks and forests. The book paints a compelling portrait of a man who was not only a fearless leader, but also a dedicated naturalist and advocate for wildlife conservation. Brinkley’s meticulous research and engaging narrative make this book a must-read for anyone interested in theodore roosevelt or the history of conservation in America.

The Bully Pulpit

By doris kearns goodwin.

The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a captivating book about Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with the media. Goodwin skillfully weaves the stories of Roosevelt and his close friend, William Howard Taft, to illustrate the power of the presidency and the press during the Progressive Era. The book delves into the challenges and triumphs of Roosevelt’s presidency, as well as his efforts to enact social and political reforms. Goodwin’s vivid storytelling and meticulous research bring to life the dynamic personalities and political landscape of the time. The Bully Pulpit is a compelling and insightful read for anyone interested in American history, politics, and the enduring legacy of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America

By timothy egan.

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan is a captivating book about theodore roosevelt’s legacy and the catastrophic wildfire that swept through the western United States in 1910. Egan vividly portrays the heroic efforts of the newly formed U.S. Forest Service to battle the blaze and the larger-than-life personalities involved, including the unforgettable theodore roosevelt. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Egan weaves together a narrative that explores the devastating impact of the fire and the pivotal role it played in shaping America’s conservation policies. This book about theodore roosevelt is a gripping account of nature’s fury, human resilience, and the enduring legacy of one of America’s most influential leaders.

Colonel Roosevelt

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris is a fascinating book about Theodore Roosevelt, the larger-than-life former president. This biography chronicles Roosevelt’s post-presidential years, focusing on his adventures in Africa and South America, as well as his failed bid for the presidency in 1912. Morris provides a vivid and detailed account of Roosevelt’s life, capturing his indomitable spirit and his relentless pursuit of adventure and achievement. The book offers a compelling portrait of a man who continued to push the boundaries of what was possible long after leaving the Oval Office. With its rich storytelling and meticulous research, Colonel Roosevelt is a must-read for anyone interested in the extraordinary life of this iconic leader.

Exploring the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt through these 20 best books about Theodore Roosevelt is an enriching experience for history enthusiasts and readers alike. From his political career to his adventurous spirit, these books offer a comprehensive look into the fascinating world of this iconic figure. Whether you’re interested in his conservation efforts, his military leadership, or his impact on American society, there’s something for everyone in this collection of books. Dive into these captivating reads and discover the remarkable story of Theodore Roosevelt.

Which Theodore Roosevelt book is best?

The best book on Theodore Roosevelt can vary with personal preference, but three widely recommended titles are:

• Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life by Kathleen Dalton ,
• The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris ,
• The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard .

Each offers valuable insights and could be a great starting point.

What are the best books to learn about Theodore Roosevelt?

For those looking to learn about Theodore Roosevelt, there is a wealth of literature that can provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Some of the most highly recommended books include:

• The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard ,
• The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley ,
• Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by Henry F. Pringle ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by Edmund Morris ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: The American Presidents Series by Louis Auchincloss

These books offer a range of perspectives on Theodore Roosevelt, covering various aspects and approaches to the subject.

What are the best books on Theodore Roosevelt?

The best books on Theodore Roosevelt include:

• Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by William Roscoe Thayer ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: The Rough Riders/An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt ,
• Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt .

Each offers unique insights into the subject. While these books on the topic of Theodore Roosevelt are highly regarded, it’s important to note that any list of ‘best’ books is subjective and reflects a range of opinions.

What are the best Theodore Roosevelt books of all time?

Choosing the best Theodore Roosevelt books of all time can vary depending on who you ask, but seven titles that are often celebrated include

• Theodore Roosevelt: The American Presidents Series by Louis Auchincloss ,
• and Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by William Roscoe Thayer .

Each of these books has made a significant impact in the field of Theodore Roosevelt and continues to be influential today.

Related posts:

Book Scrolling

Best Book Lists, Award Aggregation, & Book Data

The Best Books To Learn About President Theodore Roosevelt

(You can view the rest of our presidential Best Book lists by going to our Best US President Books page, or for a more in-depth look at how we found and ranked the books you can visit our Best Book About Every United States President article.)

The Best Books About Theodore Roosevelt (Tie) (Appear on 10 Lists)

The rise of theodore roosevelt by edmund morris.

• Art of Manliness
• At Times Dull
• Best Presidential Bios
• Library of Congress
• Mandi Lindner
• Presidential History
• Presidents USA
• The Tailored Man
• The Washington Post

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.

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Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris

Theodore Rex is the story—never fully told before—of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, “TR” succeeded to power in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Youngest of all our chief executives, he rallied a stricken nation with his superhuman energy, charm, and political skills. He proceeded to combat the problems of race and labor relations and trust control while making the Panama Canal possible and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. But his most historic achievement remains his creation of a national conservation policy, and his monument millions of acres of protected parks and forest. Theodore Rex ends with TR leaving office, still only fifty years old, his future reputation secure as one of our greatest presidents.

#3 (Appears on 9 Lists)

Colonel roosevelt by edmund morris.

This biography by Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, marks the completion of a trilogy sure to stand as definitive. Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine? Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, this masterwork recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history.

#4 (Appears on 5 Lists)

Mornings on horseback: the story of an extraordinary family, a vanished way of life and the unique child who became theodore roosevelt by david mccullough.

Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as “a masterpiece” (John A. Gable,Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.

#5-7 (Appear on 4 Lists)

The bully pulpit: theodore roosevelt, william howard taft and the golden age of journalism by doris kearns goodwin.

The Bully Pulpit, like Goodwin’s brilliant chronicles of the Civil War and World War II, exquisitely demonstrates her distinctive ability to combine scholarly rigor with accessibility. It is a major work of history—an examination of leadership in a rare moment of activism and reform that brought the country closer to its founding ideals.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Life by Nathan Miller

As the twenty-sixth president of the United States, from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt embodied the overwheliming confidence of the nation as it entered the American Century. With fierce joy, he brandished a “Big Stick” abroad and promised a “Square Deal” at home. He was the nation’s first environmental president, challenged the trusts, and, as the first American leader to play an important role in world affairs, began construction of a long-dreamed canal across Panama and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for almost singlehandedly bringing about a peaceful end to the Russo-Japanese War.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard

The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.

#8-9 (Appear on 2 Lists)

When trumpets call: theodore roosevelt after the white house by patricia o’toole.

From the author of the acclaimed Five of Hearts, this highly praised, spell-binding biography is the definitive account of TR’s final decade, the most poignant — and in some ways, the most heroic — years of his extraordinary life. Drawn from a wealth of new materials, this is a remarkable portrait of a remarkable man.

TR: The Last Romantic by H.W. Brands

In his time, there was no more popular national figure than Theodore Roosevelt. It was not just the energy he brought to every political office he held or his unshakable moral convictions that made him so popular, or even his status as a bonafide war hero—the man who led the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American war. Most important, Theodore Roosevelt was loved by the people because this scion of a privileged New York family loved America and Americans.And yet, according to Bill Brands, if we look at the private Roosevelt without blinders, we see a man whose great public strengths hid enormous personal deficiencies. His highly exaggerated, and often uncompromising ways drove many of his business and personal friends crazy. His historical writings, which Brands quotes from extensively, are nothing if not a portrait of a boy’s endless macho fantasies. He was often so full of himself that his speeches and writings were the frequent subject of fierce satire in their time.Even more revealing, according to Brands, was Roosevelt as son, brother, husband, and father. According to Brands, to understand both the public and private Roosevelt one must understand the impact of his father’s death while he was still a child, denying him the opportunity to come to terms with his own manhood. When his first wife Alice died of complications from childbirth, leaving behind a baby daughter Alice, his response was to run away to shoot Buffalo in the west, leaving the newborn infant to the care of his unmarried sister Bamie. When his second wife Edith was seriously, perhaps fatally ill, he left her to fight in the Spanish-American war. His only concern when his brother Elliot, who had been his only friend as a child, became an alcoholic was to hide the news from the public. Determined that his four sons would not dishonor his belief that men, to achieve their manhood, must test themselves in war, he arranged for each to serve, often in the frontlines, during WWI. His youngest son Quentin would die in that cause.Beautifully written, powerfully moved by its subject,TR is nonetheless a biography more appropriate to today’s critical times.

#10-31 (Appear on 1 List)

Theodore roosevelt: an autobiography by theodore roosevelt.

Written over a course of years and first published in 1913, this lengthy yet unceasingly interesting biography sees one of the United States finest Presidents recount his own life in his own words. Theodore Roosevelt sets out his life’s events in a way which clarify how he came to possess his beliefs. We hear of his love of the great outdoors which would in turn result in the establishment of America’s national parks, and the belief in commerce as an engine for progress which would lead to the state-sponsored construction of the Panama Canal during the years of his presidency.

Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! by Jean Fritz

Today’s preeminent biographer for young people brings to life our colorful 26th president. Conservationist, hunter, family man, and politician, Teddy Roosevelt commanded the respect and admiration of many who marveled at his energy, drive and achievements.

Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt by George E Grant

This volume in the Leaders in Action series presents the life of Teddy Roosevelt: adventurer, journalist, rancher, legislator, governor, vice president and president of the United States, and an inspiration to people of his own time and of ours.

Power and Responsibility: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt by William Harbaugh

This is a positive and controversial book — one that restores much of the luster to Theodore Roosevelt’s reputation as a man, as President, and as a reformer and Progressive. Interpreting TR’s career from the point of view of what was politically possible rather than theoretically desirable, the author shows how Roosevelt — as a young assemblyman in the New York Legislature, as an incorruptible commissioner of the civil service and later of the police, and finally as governor and President — repeatedly forced the leaders of the Republican Old Guard to compromise their opposition to his social and economic views.

The Boys of ’98: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders by Dale L. Walker

Spur Awardwinning author Dale Walker tells the colourful story of Americas most memorable fighting force, the volunteer cavalry known as the Rough Riders. From its members, and their slapdash training in Texas and Florida, to its battles at Las Gusimas and San Juan Hill under the command of Theodore Roosevelt, who kept riding, some say, into the White House.

The Lion’s Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and His Family in Peace and War by Edward J. Renehan

The Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt by Lewis L. Gould

The Republican Roosevelt by John Blum

This is a book about politics and politicians; about elections, lawmaking, governing, and how they work. It is also about power, its increasing concentration in American society, and its implications at home and abroad especially for those who exercise it. It is a book about the Republican Party during the period in which it developed the forces and frictions which still characterize it today. Finally, it is a book about a remarkably successful and vibrant man who contained within himself much of the best and the worst of his environment, who contributed generously to American life, who knew in his time disappointment, temptation, and pain, but also glory; a man remembered most by his intimates for the “fun of him.

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns

A vivid and personal portrait of America’s greatest political family and its enormous impact on our nation, which expands on the hugely acclaimed seven-part PBS documentary series, bringing readers even deeper into these extraordinary leaders’ lives

The Rough Riders (written by Theodore Roosevelt) by Theodore Roosevelt

Upon the 1898 Declaration of War launching the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt resigned from the Navy Department. With the aid of U.S. Army Colonel Leonard Wood, Roosevelt found volunteers from cowboys from the Western territories to Ivy League friends from New York, forming the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The newspapers called them the “Rough Riders.”

The Strenuous Life. by Teddy Roosevelt

In Theodore Roosevelt, historian Kathleen Dalton reveals a man with a personal and intellectual depth rarely seen in our public figures. She shows how Roosevelt’s struggle to overcome his frailties as a child helped to build his character, and offers new insights into his family life, uncovering the important role that Roosevelt’s second wife, Edith Carow, played in the development of his political career. She also shows how TR flirted with progressive reform and then finally commited himself to deep reform in the Bull Moose campaign of 1912. Incorporating the latest scholarship into a vigorous narrative, Dalton reinterprets both the man and his times to create an illuminating portrait that will change the way we see this great man and the Progressive Era.

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley

From New York Times bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley comes a sweeping historical narrative and eye-opening look at the pioneering environmental policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, avid bird-watcher, naturalist, and the founding father of America’s conservation movement—now approaching its 100th anniversary.

Theodore Roosevelt by Louis Auchincloss

• All The Presidents Books

The American century opened with the election of that quintessentially American adventurer, Theodore Roosevelt. Louis Auchincloss’s warm and knowing biography introduces us to the man behind the many myths of Theodore Roosevelt. From his early involvement in the politics of New York City and then New York State, we trace his celebrated military career and finally his ascent to the national political stage. Caricatured through history as the “bull moose,” Roosevelt was in fact a man of extraordinary discipline whose refined and literate tastes actually helped spawn his fascination with the rough-and-ready worlds of war and wilderness.

Theodore Roosevelt by Lewis L. Gould

Theodore Roosevelt delivers the most insightful look yet at a pioneer of political theater–a man whose vigorous idealism as a champion of democracy serves as a counterpoint to the cynicism of today’s political landscape. The book will coincide with the 100th anniversary of Roosevelt’s third party run for the Progressive or Bull Moose Party

Theodore Roosevelt and the American Political Tradition by Jean Yarbrough

Rough Rider, hunter, trust-buster, president, and Bull Moose candidate. Biographers have long fastened on TR as man of action, while largely ignoring his political thought. Now, in time for the centennial of his Progressive run for the presidency, Jean Yarbrough provides a searching examination of TR’s political thought, especially in relation to the ideas of Washington, Hamilton, and Lincoln—the statesmen TR claimed most to admire.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin: Madness, Vengeance, And The Campaign Of 1912 by Gerard Helferich

Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin is the dynamic unfolding account of the audacious attempt on Roosevelt’s life by a lone and fanatical assailant. Based on original sources including police interrogations, eyewitness testimony, and newspaper reports, the book is above all a fast-paced, suspenseful narrative. Drawing from Schrank’s own statements and writings, it also provides a chilling glimpse into the mind of a political assassin. Rich with local color and period detail, it transports the reader to the American heartland during a pivotal moment in our history, when the forces of progressivism and conservatism were battling for the nation’s soul—and the most revered man in America traveled across the country campaigning relentlessly against Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Socialist Eugene V. Debs in what historians agree was the first modern American presidential contest.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of America to World Power by Howard K. Beale

Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership by James Strock

Theodore Roosevelt was a leader of uncommon strength who, through the sheer force of his extraordinary will, turned America into a modern world power. Thrown headfirst into the presidency by the assassination of his predecessor, he led with courage, character, and vision in the face of overwhelming challenges, whether busting corporate trusts or building the Panama Canal. Roosevelt has been a hero to millions of Americans for over a century and is a splendid model to help you master today’s turbulent marketplace and be a hero and a leader in your own organization.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Biography by Henry Pringle

Pringle’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography not only chronicles the incidents that shaped Roosevelt’s career but also offers insight into the character and mind of this colorful american president.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life by Kathleen Dalton

He inherited a sense of entitlement (and obligation) from his family, yet eventually came to see his own class as suspect. He was famously militaristic, yet brokered peace between Russia and Japan. He started out an archconservative, yet came to champion progressive causes. These contradictions are not evidence of vacillating weakness: instead, they were the product of a restless mind bend on a continuous quest for self-improvement.

Theodore Roosevelt: The Making of a Conservationist by Paul Russell Cutright

Through the Brazilian Wilderness (written by Theodore Roosevelt) by Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt’s popular book Through the Brazilian Wildernessdescribes his expedition into the Brazilian jungle in 1913 as a member of the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition co-named after its leader, Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon. The book describes all of the scientific discovery, scenic tropical vistas and exotic flora, fauna and wild life experienced on the expedition, as well as the exciting human dramas which occurred during the expedition.

The Best Theodore Roosevelt Book Lists Consulted

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A Reader’s Guide to the Lifework of Theodore Roosevelt

I’m only half joking when I tell people that Theodore Roosevelt’s time as President was the least interesting aspect of his life.

The reality is that T.R’s presidency was only a small portion of his life’s work—work that spanned the full spectrum of careers, from sedentary, high-brow intellectual pursuits to the action-packed violence of war, with a variety of wide-ranging jobs in between.

Because he was able to fit several lifetimes of work into his 60 years, understanding T.R.’s impact on history requires much more examination than what any single, measly biography can offer.

So, I’m offering up a few of my favorite T.R. books, each delving into a specific facet of his life and work. Whether you read one of them or all of them, I can guarantee that each of these books will give you a much deeper appreciation for the strengths, failings, and lasting influence of this complex man.

Conservationist – The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley . Many would argue that T.R.’s most enduring legacy is his work in conservation—species protection, public lands, and his absolute contempt for the robber barons’ attempts to pillage the U.S.’s natural resources. This dense, fact-filled tome catalogs all of T.R.’s conservation accomplishments, sometimes in excruciating detail. But there is no better resource out there for understanding just how much T.R. loved wild places and how damn hard he worked to conserve them.

Cattleman – Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands: A Young Politician’s Quest for Recovery in the American West by Roger L. DiSilvestro . Much is made of T.R.’s time spent as a “cowboy,” and this book gives an in-depth portrayal of his successes and failures as a Dakota rancher. While his time as a cattleman healed and fortified T.R. both physically and emotionally, many people overlook the fact that ranching damn near ruined him financially. If you want to dive deep into understanding all sides of West’s impact on T.R.’s legacy, this is your book.

Scientist – The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History by Darrin Lunde . Before politics entered his life, T.R. was fully committed to pursuing a career in science, as a naturalist. Collecting, cataloging, and preserving birds and animals was his obsession from childhood into young adulthood, and he gained some renown within scientific circles for his contributions. This enlightening book not only details T.R.’s success and talents as a naturalist, but explains the rise of the field of study during the late 19th century.

Hunter – Hunting Trips of a Ranchman & The Wilderness Hunter by Theodore Roosevelt . Much has been written about T.R.’s obsession with hunting—some call him a blood-lusting maniac and others revere him as the savior of big game. To help form your opinion, I recommend going straight to the source and reading these two entertaining, educational, and revealing works by the man himself.

Crime Fighter – Island of Vice: Theodore Roosevelt’s Doomed Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York by Richard Zacks . If any phase of T.R.’s life could be categorized as a failure, it would be his stint as a New York City police commissioner. His unyielding standards and bombastic personality, combined with his high-falutin’ self-righteousness, created a no-win situation for him in morally loose NYC. I’m personally very interested in the failures of successful people, and this is a failure story worth reading.

Soldier –   The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst and the Rush to Empire by Evan Thomas . If there is a single anecdote that I believe summarizes T.R.’s personality, it’s his role in the lead-up to the Spanish-American War. This book will give you valuable insights into the force of his personality, and the relentlessness with which he exerted his will on those within his orbit. There are also plenty of wonderful stories detailing the famed Rough Riders and the Battle of San Juan Hill.**

Explorer – The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard . If I could only recommend one T.R. book to the general public, this would be it. Exciting, easy-to-read, and extremely educational, it’s the story of T.R.’s exploration of a tributary of the Amazon River—an expedition that nearly killed him. Even though this book is focused on this one specific adventure, it provides a deep and broad overview of T.R.’s personality and legitimate physical and mental toughness.

Child – Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt by David McCullough . McCullough is a damn genius, and everything he writes is fantastic. So obviously when he turns his attention to exploring T.R.’s family and childhood, you need to read it. I’ve heard many well-respected writers say that this is their favorite T.R. book.

Father – Theodore Roosevelt: Letters to His Children by Theodore Roosevelt .  On top of everything, TR was a committed father who loved his family madly. This collection of letters is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming—stories ranging from a ridiculous recounting of a badger running loose in the White House to pointed advice to his children encouraging them to work hard, be honest, and live up to high personal standards. I read this book at least once per year and have started reading portions of it to my oldest daughter, who loves it.

The Whole Enchilada – The Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy by Edmund Morris . I credit this trilogy, particularly the first volume, with drastically changing the trajectory of my life for the better. I happened to read them during a pivotal period of my life, and they redefined my understanding of the importance of approaching all tasks with full enthusiasm, working hard at “work worth doing,” embracing the strenuous life, and much, much more. Committing to read the full 2,400+ total pages is not for the faint of heart, but, trust me, it’s well worth the effort.

Don’t like to read? Well, how the hell did you make it this far? No matter, I’ve got a suggestion for you too: Ken Burns: The Roosevelts – An Intimate History . Nearly 14 hours of all things Roosevelt—Theodore, Eleanor, and Franklin. My suggested viewing strategy is to alternate one episode of The Roosevelts with a full showing of Road House , then repeat for 28 hours straight.

**Since writing this post, I read The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century by Clay Risen . Holy cow it was good! A completely different book than The War Lovers , one deserving of its own category. I’m not going to rewrite the post or add categories, but I highly recommend giving T he Crowded Hour a read.

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Theodore Roosevelt: A Life from Beginning to End (Biographies of US Presidents) Paperback – May 13, 2019

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• Part of series Biographies of US Presidents
• Print length 47 pages
• Language English
• Publication date May 13, 2019
• Dimensions 6 x 0.11 x 9 inches
• ISBN-10 109852103X
• ISBN-13 978-1098521035
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (May 13, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 47 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 109852103X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1098521035
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.72 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.11 x 9 inches
• #3,434 in US Presidents
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• #73,497 in United States History (Books)

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History Books » American History

The best books on franklin d. roosevelt, recommended by cynthia koch.

Historians consistently rank FDR, the 32nd and longest-serving president of the United States, as among America’s greatest. Here, Cynthia Koch , Director of History Programing for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation, talks us through his life and explains how, in many ways, his guile was key to his success.

Interview by Eve Gerber

Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Alan Brinkley

Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal by William Leuchtenburg

Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945 by David M. Kennedy

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

Eleanor Roosevelt: The Defining Years: Volume Two 1933-1938 by Blanche Wiesen Cook

1 Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Alan Brinkley

2 franklin d. roosevelt and the new deal by william leuchtenburg, 3 freedom from fear: the american people in depression and war, 1929-1945 by david m. kennedy, 4 it can't happen here by sinclair lewis, 5 eleanor roosevelt: the defining years: volume two 1933-1938 by blanche wiesen cook.

B efore becoming historian-in-residence at Harvard’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation , you were the director of FDR’s Presidential Library, which is housed on his palatial neoclassical New York estate. I want to begin by asking you about the roots and early years of America’s 32nd President. 

The Roosevelts summered in Hyde Park; theirs was one of a string of estates along the Hudson River. FDR lived in the family estate at Hyde Park his entire life, and by the end of his life, it was about 1,300 acres. The Roosevelts also had a residence in New York City and a summer place on Campobello Island off the coast of Maine, in New Brunswick, Canada. The Roosevelts were also very cosmopolitan. They traveled to Europe very frequently, especially when his father was ill and they sought treatments at spas in Germany. I once calculated that by the age of 15 Franklin had spent more than half his life in Europe. So Franklin’s upbringing was very international.

As a child, Franklin had friends on neighboring estates but spent a lot of time alone. He was privately tutored at home until age 14, when his parents enrolled him at the Groton School. There he had his first formative educational experience under the leadership of Endicott Peabody, whose ethos was to form public-spirited young gentlemen to make contributions to the world.

“He changed from being a rather arrogant young man into someone who had deep empathy for people who were suffering”

FDR went on to Harvard and graduated in 1904. Although he completed his coursework in 1903, he stayed on to lead the student newspaper (the Harvard Crimson ) as its editor. He lived throughout his four years in a residence building on what was then called the ‘Gold Coast’ of Harvard (today’s Adams House), where the wealthiest young men stayed. There were porters and maids, who also made tea. It was a very elite existence.

FDR met his distant cousin Eleanor during his Harvard years. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor had just returned from England where she had been sent at age 15 to the Allenswood boarding school outside London, where she first developed her progressive political viewpoints under the tutorship of the feminist headmistress Marie Souvestre, a progressive educator. Eleanor never completed her education beyond age 17. After her “coming out” as a debutante, Eleanor began working at a settlement house on the Lower East Side of New York. During this period she was courted by Franklin. They married in 1905 and almost immediately began their family.

Franklin attended Columbia University Law School, passed his bar exams, and worked briefly for one of the law firms in New York. But he soon became involved in politics and was elected to the New York State Senate in 1911. After working hard for Woodrow Wilson’s election, Roosevelt went to Washington in 1913 as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, intentionally following the path of Theodore Roosevelt.

The Roosevelts became part of the Washington political and social scene. Mrs. Roosevelt had three children by this time (she had five babies by 1916). To take care of her heavy social responsibilities as the wife of a high-ranking official, she hired a secretary. During these years Franklin learned about the workings of official Washington and its bureaucracy and, as war drew closer, he was instrumental in preparing the Navy for World War I. But this is also the period when Franklin and Lucy Mercer—Eleanor’s social secretary—fell in love and he began being unfaithful.

FDR’s lucky life was marred when he was afflicted with polio. When did that happen?

That happened in 1921, a year after he ran for vice president. He was 39 years old at the time.

Scholars’ surveys and public opinion polls consistently place FDR among the top three to five most admired presidents. How did the most aristocratic of Americans earn his place in the pantheon of America’s populist champions?

He had empathy. Many people, including Mrs. Roosevelt, attribute his possession of that quality to the trials that he went through during his battle against polio. He changed from being a rather arrogant young man into someone who had deep empathy for people who were suffering.

Turning to the books you’ve selected. The first recommendation I want to talk about is National Book Award-winning New Deal historian Alan Brinkley’s compact biography, Franklin Delano Roosevelt . Tell me about this one, please.

Franklin Roosevelt is not as well known today as he should be among students. And everybody appreciates a book that is less than a hundred pages long. There are many, many, wonderful biographies of Roosevelt, beginning with the ones done by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and James McGregor Burns. Then Jean Edward Smith and Roger Daniels. The genius of what Alan did is to make Roosevelt’s story accessible by getting it down to a hundred pages.

“No president since the founders has done more to shape the character of American government,” Brinkley wrote. “And no president since Lincoln has served through darker or more difficult times.” Upon entering office, FDR inherited from Herbert Hoover—his predecessor as President—the Great Depression caused by the Crash of 1929. FDR instituted a set of policies known collectively as The New Deal. Your next recommendation was written by America’s emeritus New Deal expert William E. Leuchtenberg. Please tell us about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal .

William Leuchtenburg is the preeminent historian of the New Deal. He first published this book in 1963 and it remains the standard treatment. It’s the wellspring for almost everything we understand about the New Deal. It lays out, in a concise volume, the story of the New Deal.

Leuchtenberg brings to life the suffering of the people in the early years of the Great Depression. There are stories of the people living along railroad tracks and families going through the garbage to find food.

Freedom from Fear is a fantastic contribution to the Oxford History of the United States series by Stanford historian David Kennedy. This book won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Francis Parkman Prize and expanded our understanding of how Roosevelt refreshed a country that was desperate for change.

In Freedom from Fear , Kennedy condenses—into one very large volume—the story of how Roosevelt brought the country out of the Great Depression and into World War II . He begins in the Hoover years and explores some of the structural problems with the economy. He takes you right through the New Deal years, including the failure of New Deal programs during the late 1930s when political opposition mounted. And he carries you all the way through World War II and the early years of the Cold War that immediately followed.

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Next you recommend a 1935 dystopian novel by Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis . Tell us about It Can’t Happen Here and its relevance to Roosevelt.

It Can’t Happen Here gives us a window into an aspect of the 1930s that is often forgotten. Roosevelt was elected during a period when authoritarianism was on the rise around the world, with the elevation of Adolf Hitler and the consolidation of Mussolini’s powers. Popular sentiment was not uniformly behind the New Deal and Franklin Roosevelt. In fact, by 1935 FDR was facing serious challenges, both from the right and from the left. It was a time when many Americans—including leading pundits like Walter Lippmann—worried that democracy was failing and demagogues could easily gain a grip on power.

Your final book is about one of America’s most memorable first ladies . Please tell me about historian Blanche Wiesen Cook’s Eleanor Roosevelt: The Defining Years, 1933–1938 .

Cook has dedicated much of her scholarly life to a three-volume biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. Since I’ve been involved with what I call the world of the Roosevelts, I turned to this book for the granular view of what was going on with Mrs. Roosevelt.

Blanche helps readers see the ways in which Eleanor advanced progressive causes, publicly and privately. Eleanor made contributions, both from the sidelines and out front—visiting coal mines, impoverished communities, and New Deal projects. She traveled all over the country speaking on issues of importance not only to FDR’s presidency, but on issues she wished to advance. She became increasingly involved with civil rights as the 1930s wore on.

It’s a story of Eleanor’s awakening and how she brought Franklin along. Franklin’s presidency would not have been what it was, by any measure, if it weren’t for the contributions that Eleanor was making.

Did Eleanor’s public profile and robust role in the administration represent a break from the part played by previous first ladies?

Eleanor was pretty much a 180-degree reversal of the traditional role. She didn’t want to be a White House hostess. She had seen the role of the first lady up close during Woodrow Wilson’s administration and during her uncle Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. Eleanor also did not want to return to Washington because she had developed a very independent life during the 1920s. She was teaching, working on women’s labor issues and with Val-Kill Industries (a workers cooperative she founded with two friends on the Roosevelt estate), and was active in politics as the chair of the Women’s Committee of the Democratic Party. Blanche Wiesen Cook has called her the most important woman in national politics in the late 1920s.

Mrs. Roosevelt changed the role of First Lady. In partnership with the reporter Lorena Hickok—who was, perhaps, her lover—she began women-only press conferences where, mixed in with “women’s issues,” she often addressed national policy. She continued to write a column, which was a homely mixture of what her family was up to and what she was interested in in terms of national issues. She shared insights into the private life of the Roosevelt family, making them familiar figures to Americans and the president and his policies more accessible. She was public facing in a way that I don’t think any other First Lady has ever been.

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Historian Alan Brinkley, whom we discussed earlier, notes that the crises FDR faced as president “brought out his greatness, and his guile.” Having informed us about FDR’s greatness, please tell us about his guile.

His guile contributed to his greatness. FDR called himself the juggler because he had to keep so many things going at the same time. For instance, he wanted to stop lynching but knew that he couldn’t get an anti-lynching bill through Congress without antagonizing the southern wing of the Democratic Party—which would have ended the New Deal. He was willing to try guile and charm rather than turning to confrontation. FDR is criticized for trusting Stalin too much. I don’t think he trusted Stalin, but he was optimistic enough to believe he could use his charm to find common ground in the search for a peaceful world. He didn’t let people know what he was thinking. He was manipulative in a way that moved his policies forward. Guile—used in service to the New Deal, winning World War II, and planning for peace—was key to his success in many ways.

October 8, 2022

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Cynthia Koch

Cynthia Koch is Historian in Residence for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation at Adams House, Harvard University. She was Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

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The Surprising Feminist Life of President Theodore Roosevelt

“There can be no question that women should have equal rights with men.” So began Theodore Roosevelt’s 1880 Harvard senior thesis, “Practicability of Giving Men and Women Equal Rights.”

The man who would become the 26th President of the United States fearlessly led the charge of the Rough Riders, won the Nobel Peace Prize, and saved the game of football. He was shot by a would-be assassin and continued with his speech. But the courage and passion he later showed for daring feats and presidential firsts arguably began with a full-throated endorsement of women’s rights when he was still an undergraduate.

“In the very large class of work which is purely mental … it is doubtful if women are inferior to men … individually many women are superior to the general run of men,” Roosevelt wrote forty years before passage of the 19th Amendment in the United States. Roosevelt continued:

“I contend that, even as the world is now, it is not only feasible but advisable to make women equal before the law … especially as regards the laws relating to marriage there should be the most absolute equality preserved between the two sexes. I do not think the woman should assume the man’s name. The man should have no more right over the person or property of his wife than she has over the person or property of her husband … I would have the word “obey” used no more by the wife than by the husband.”

Roosevelt liked and listened to women in an age when women’s pathways to power were narrow if non-existent.

This was a revolutionary thought for someone of Roosevelt’s class and gender. Roosevelt, long before it was politically popular, supported equal pay for equal work, women owning property, and women’s right to work as judges, lawyers, and doctors.

This lesser known and unexplored side of arguably America’s most masculine president (with all due respect to the heroics of our war presidents such Washington, Grant, or Ike, JFK’s good looks, or Reagan’s well-cultivated cowboy image) is the subject of my book, The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President .

Roosevelt was raised in a house of strong women. His mother, Mittie, much maligned in history as the stereotypical Victorian taking to the fainting couch, was in truth the source of her son’s acerbic wit, impulsivity, and lively personality. Mittie’s mother and sister lived with the family during the Civil War, and Roosevelt’s two sisters, Bamie and Conie, rounded out the female contingent of the happy home.

TR—as he was known to his peers—called his elder sister Bamie a “feminine Atlas”, and she proved to be one of his most valuable political advisors. Like Robert F. Kennedy to his brother John F. Kennedy, or Valerie Biden Owens to the current President, the bond of siblings transcended politics. Of Bamie it was remarked, “I always believed that if she had been a man, she, rather than [Theodore Roosevelt] would have been President.” In a 1955 interview, several decades after the deaths of both Theodore and Bamie, none other than Eleanor Roosevelt agreed with that assessment: “Well, I think it might easily have been so.”

Theodore’s younger sister Conie was his confidante and emotional outlet. She was also one of his biggest boosters, slipping stories to the press about her brother’s White House antics and adventures. Conie knew the stories about the first family’s wrestling matches and menagerie of wild creatures – from Josiah the Badger (“he bites legs sometimes, but he never bites faces”) to Algonquin the pony (who once took an elevator ride to the second floor of the White House) – would endear the first family to the public. It worked, and President Roosevelt counted a retinue of women activists among his fans.

Roosevelt liked and listened to women in an age when women’s pathways to power were narrow if non-existent. It is clear from the evidence of Roosevelt’s interactions with women, especially his two wives, two sisters, and mother, that the self-made man is a myth. Roosevelt had, in modern parlance, a support system, one that would care for and cajole, comfort and indulge, advise and listen, inspire and encourage him his entire life. His family, especially these incredible women, informed his career path and his values. When he made mistakes, they were there to mitigate the damage and when he triumphed, they knew just how to ensure he reaped the full benefit of that success.

Roosevelt’s Progressive Party was the first to allow women to serve as officials in the national campaign and the first to permit women delegates to the convention.

“I do delight in him,” Edith Wharton, the first woman to earn a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, said of Roosevelt. Wharton recalled that being in the presence of TR “glow in me like a tiny morsel of radium.” The author of such classics as The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth was a frequent correspondent with the President.

“We owe Mrs. Wharton all the assistance we can give,” Roosevelt wrote in the introduction to The Book of the Homeless (1916), whose profits went to refugees of World War I. TR personally contributed $500 – the equivalent of over $10,000 today – to the home for refugees Wharton founded in Paris.

Wharton was not the only woman of the age to correspond with Roosevelt.

Ida B. Wells was born into slavery and, once free, became one of the nation’s leading journalists, advocating for Black rights and against the horrors of lynching.

Roosevelt took a stronger and more public stance against lynching than his presidential predecessors. “Participation in lynching or even viewing its aftermath [is] inherently demoralizing,” Roosevelt said, while supporting states who used their militia to prevent the deplorable act of racist violence.

Famously, Roosevelt was the first president to invite a Black man to dinner at the White House. Black rights advocate and educator Booker T. Washington dined with the President on October 16, 1901, just two days after the thirty-day period of mourning for assassinated President William McKinley had elapsed.

The reaction was immediate and incendiary. An Alabama Congressman said “no great harm would have been done the country” if a bomb had exploded under the dining table. In 1901, breaking bread with a Black man in the White House had lasting political consequences: Roosevelt would never win a single state in the south and, according to historian Dr. Kathleen Dalton, he was “for a while the most unpopular president in the south since the Civil War.”

President Roosevelt also met with Susan B. Anthony and pledged support for what became the Nineteenth Amendment but only after the movement succeeded in attaining the two-thirds supermajority of states required for ratification. When Roosevelt ran again in 1912, this time not as a Republican but on the Progressive Party ticket, he changed his mind.

Roosevelt’s Progressive Party was the first to allow women to serve as officials in the national campaign and the first to permit women delegates to the convention. Social activist Jane Addams, later the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, seconded TR’s nomination—another first in history—and TR received the first ever electoral vote cast by a woman. “In the future, Henry,” a cartoon of the age captured, “Please do not refer to me as the ‘Missus’: ‘Call me the moosus,’” referring to the mascot of the Progressive Party, the Bull Moose.

Roosevelt campaigned across the nation and, in the nine states that now legally allowed it, urged women to register and exercise their right to vote. In Spokane, Washington, speaking to an all-women audience, he explained his support for suffrage: “I believe that it will tend toward an increasing number of ideal homes, an increase in the sense of co-partnership between the man and the woman, and make each think more of the rights of the other than of his or her own rights. Just as a man can do better work for others if he is a free man, so a woman can do better work for others if she is a free woman.”

Roosevelt thundered his speech to a close with a challenge: “The suffrage having been given to you it is not only your right but your duty to exercise it. You are false to your duty as citizens and women if you fail to register and vote.”

As the 2,500-person crowd dispersed, “several hundred women were seen standing in the registration line a block away from the theater.”

Roosevelt’s encouraging words in 1912 harkened back to his effusive defense of equality as a college senior in 1880. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude. He was twenty-first in a class of 177. Yet to his closest college friend he acknowledged what he viewed as his greatest success: his “eager, restless, passionate pursuit of one all-absorbing object” – Alice Hathaway Lee.

Alice Hathaway Lee, athletic and beguiling, was strikingly beautiful with wide, pale blue-gray eyes and dark golden blonde hair. So radiant, her nickname was Sunshine and, in the words of historian E.M. Halliday, her grace equaled her “lively intellect and advanced opinions.”

Halliday surmises the views in TR’s senior thesis “were largely the result of long conversations between the lovers.” Teddy, as he was known only to Alice and a small circle of family and close friends, won the love of Alice and they announced their engagement on February 14, 1880, the Valentine’s Day just three months before the publication of his senior thesis.

“I wish for nothing but to have you to love and cherish all the days of my life,” Teddy wrote to Alice shortly after they were married. It was not to be. Tragically, Alice died on February 14, 1884, four years to the day of their engagement. Bereft and depressed, he wished no longer wished to be called Teddy, the sobriquet his ‘Sunshine’ had given him.

After two years of mourning, and despite his best efforts to avoid her, Theodore rediscovered his childhood sweetheart, Edith Kermit Carow. Edith was the opposite of Alice in just about every way. They were secretly engaged and married in London.

Edith, along with his elder sister Bamie, was TR’s most trusted advisor. “Never, when he had his wife’s judgement, did [TR] go wrong or suffer disappointment,” said Mark Sullivan, a prominent journalist of the age. Roosevelt himself later confessed, “Whenever I go against her judgement, I regret it.”

All his life – from Edith Wharton to Jane Addams, his sisters, and his wives -- Theodore Roosevelt invited the advice and counsel of women. Inspired by his first wife and guided by his second, he lived up to the words he wrote in the heady and hopeful days of college. His life is known for masculine adventures, but the true story of Theodore Roosevelt is incomplete without understanding the outsize role women played. And the women in his life prove no person is self-made, perhaps especially the great ones.

Edward F. O’Keefe is the CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library scheduled to open in Medora, North Dakota, on July 4, 2026, and the author of The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President (Simon & Schuster) available on May 7, 2024.