President on the presidency

1. “President on the presidency”

2. MEET THE MAN
A brief history…
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3. HOW DID TEDDY VIEW
THE PRESIDENCY?
❖Teddy did not necessarily hold a negative view of the
presidency
❖Frequently Teddy explained the presidency as a vessel for the
people of the USA and thus required the president to serve in
a manner that most effectively supported the nation and its
people
❖Aside from politics, a strong moral compass was an absolute
must for a president, as described by Teddy

4. TEDDY’S OWN WORDS
-Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln and Free Speech Essay, 1918
“The President is merely the most important among a large
number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed
exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or
bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able,
and disinterested service to the nation as a whole.”
“I don't think any President ever enjoyed himself more than I did.
Moreover, I don't think any ex-President ever enjoyed himself
more.”
-Theodore Roosevelt, University of Cambridge, May 26, 1910

5. TEDDY & THE PRESIDENTS
❖Teddy mainly interacted with 3 presidents
❖Vice President to William McKinley
❖Upon McKinley’s death, Roosevelt assumes the presidency
(1901-1908)
❖Roosevelt handpicked William Howard Taft to be his
successor and began grooming Taft during his own presidential
term. Taft would go on to become president in 1909
❖After taking a respite from politics Roosevelt returned in 1912
to run against Woodrow Wilson and Taft. In Teddy’s opinion
Taft had been an utter failure as president and had lost sight of
the progressive policy they had previously planned.

6. Roosevelt and Taft
“Theodore
Roosevelt
pondering a
crystal ball with
Woodrow Wilson's
face”

7. ROOSEVELT & TAFT
❖Roosevelt chose Taft to be his successor and appointed him Secretary of War
to begin grooming him
❖Roosevelt offered Taft a seat on the Supreme Court numerous times but Taft
always turned him down
❖When Taft became President in 1909 he began pursuing his own policy
which conflicted with the progressive ideals he and Roosevelt had discussed
❖Eventually Roosevelt and Taft’s relationship would dissolve and become
hostile
❖As a result of Taft’s failure to comply, Roosevelt decided to run in the 1912
election.
❖Taft and Roosevelt both running, split the Republican base and allowed
Woodrow Wilson to win
❖Prior to Roosevelt’s death in 1919 the two friends were able to settle their
differences

8. At the peak of Roosevelt and Taft’s hostilities the two
were corresponding with one through letters. Taft was
convinced to give these letters to a reporter with the
understanding that they were not to be released. Years
later when another round of discussion began regarding
releasing the letters Taft wrote to the journalist, asking
for the letters not to be released.
Roosevelt went as far as to give a lengthy interview detailing
his disappointments with Taft’s work.

9. ROOSEVELT & WILSON
❖Roosevelt and Wilson fundamentally carried different values
but the real divide between the men was the way in which
Wilson handled World War I
❖Roosevelt was particularly angered by Wilson’s handling of the
sinking of the Lusitania
In this letter to a friend, Roosevelt
elaborates on his frustration with Wilson’s
lack of military response

10. WORKS CITED
Needham, Henry Beach. "Why Roosevelt Opposes Taft." The
Saturday Evening Post [Philadelphia, PA] 04 May 1912: n.
pag. Print.
Roosevelt, Theodore, II. "Oyster Bay." Letter to Oscar King
Davis.
23 June 1915. MS. Long Island, NY, n.p.
Taft, William Howard. "Supreme Court of the United States."
Letter to Mr. Lorimer. 10 Oct. 1922. MS. Washington, DC,
n.p.
Thomasson, Gordon C. "Theodore Roosevelt’s 1918 Wartime
Essay: “Lincoln And Free Speech”." The New Rose and
Crown. N.p., 02 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 June 2015.