Theodore Roosevelt

 Born October 27, 1858, Theodore Roosevelt had a passion for science. He collected bugs, mammals and birds. At thirteen he gave his first paper to a major scientist and associate of Audubon's. His father gave him his first gun in 1872 and hunting soon became a passion, one of many to follow.1 After the death of both his wife and his mother on February 14th, 1884, Roosevelt retreated to the Dakota Badlands where he spent the next two years attempting to heal from the loss. After returning east Theodore reentered politics, achieved prominence in the New York Legislature and became police commissioner of New York City. After two years he resigned to become President McKinley's assistant secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt’s actions in the Spanish-American War made him a hero, and in 1898 he was elected Governor of New York. He was eventually elected to serve as Vice President of the United States, but when President McKinley was assassinated in 1901 Roosevelt became President.

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Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt became friends during Roosevelt’s tenure as Governor; by the time he became President Pinchot was perhaps the most trusted advisor on matters of conservation, which Roosevelt considered one of the great accomplishments of his administration. Pinchot eventually became the first chief of Roosevelt’s newly created Forest Service in the Department of Agriculture. Later, in writing about his time at the White House, Roosevelt wrote: "Among the many, many public officials who under my administration rendered literally invaluable service to the people of the United States, Gifford Pinchot on the whole, stood first."

Sources

Roosevelt, Theodore. Autobiography . New York: Macmillan, 1913.

Daily Tribune. "Roosevelt's Papers Reveal Heartache, Hijinks in a Presidential Life." November 1, 2018. https://www.dailytribune.com/2018/11/01/roosevelts-papers-reveal-hearta….

Roosevelt, Theodore. Autobiography . New York: Macmillan, 1913.

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "Gifford Pinchot State Park History." Accessed August 14, 2025. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/fin…- state-park/history.