The Meaning, Origins, and Legacy of Theodore Roosevelt's " Strenuous Life"

Neil L. Barker
Portland State
Portland, OR

Three years ago I had the chance to travel to France with my father. After several hectic days of touring art museums, walking along the Seine, and exploring Versailles, we left Paris and headed north toward the bucolic calm of the French countryside. Of course we wanted to visit the Normandy coast. The two of us share an interest in history, and had long planned to visit the sites connected to the 1944 D-day invasion, even before Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Tom Brokaw's hyperbolically titled The Greatest Generation (Greater than the generation that convened at Philadelphia in 1776? Greater than the generation that fought at Gettysburg in 1863? Greater than the generation that marched in Selma in 1965?) spawned a sort of World War Two "cult of worship" among the American public.

The most moving site at Normandy is the National Cemetery. This meticulously manicured cemetery, located on a bluff just above Omaha Beach, contains row after row of perfectly aligned graves marked with gleaming white marble crosses or Stars of David. It is truly an overwhelmingly powerful reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by these American soldiers. My father and I walked among the grave markers together. Occasionally, one of us would stop and comment on a grave marker that we considered especially noteworthy. We took note, for instance, of the handful of graves that contained the remains of soldiers from our home state of Oregon. On the far side of the cemetery we were both drawn to a single, white cross that stood out only because its engravings featured gold lettering. The gold lettering, intended to identify the deceased as a Medal of Honor recipient, spelled the name THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JR. The cross immediately adjacent bore the name Quentin Roosevelt.

I found the discovery of the Roosevelt graves deeply moving. On one hand, I wondered if Quentin, killed in World War I, and Theodore, Jr., who died in World War II, would have preferred a burial closer to their beloved home in Oyster Bay, New York. Perhaps their burial in a distant, foreign land simply reflected the Roosevelt family creed, as expressed by Therefore Roosevelt who had proclaimed, "Where a tree falls, there let it lay."⁽¹⁾ The site of the graves also reminded me of the tremendous power of Theodore Roosevelt's personality, or more specifically, his unsurpassed ability to push, cajole, and even inspire others toward achieving greatness. And in fact, the decision of Quentin and Theodore, Jr. to enlist can in part be explained by their father's legendary stature as "The Hero of San Juan Hill." As Historian Edward Renehan, Jr. argues, "All the children of Theodore Roosevelt-most especially his four boys-grew up in the light of his great martial example. Each came of age sharing Roosevelt's Kiplingesque view of the battlefield as a place of honor, fulfillment, and robust democracy."⁽²⁾

It is Roosevelt's ability to inspire others to achieve greatness, just as he inspired his sons in time of war, which makes him such a noteworthy historic figure. Whereas many other presidents from the distant past are exactly that, presidents from the distant past, Roosevelt is unique because he still matters. Nearly one hundred years since he became president, Roosevelt's upstanding moral character and willingness to exercise executive power is still held up as the standard for presidential conduct. More important to Roosevelt's legacy, and what ultimately makes him such a timeless figure, are the standards he set not just as a public official, but as a private citizen. It is his unsurpassed ability to inspire so many to live the strenuous life that deserves further examination.

The question to ask, then, is if Roosevelt possessed this ability to inspire others, who inspired Roosevelt? Or, did he innately posses this ability? Did it naturally radiate from Roosevelt, as in Greek mythology, when Athena, in full armor, magically sprouted from the top of Zeus' head? Perhaps the better question to ask is, if Roosevelt's children followed his example, who set the standard for Roosevelt?

The answer to this question can be found at Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt's Long Island estate in Oyster Bay, New York, which today the National Park Service maintains as a national historic site. As one enters the spacious yet understated home, on the right, just opposite the head of an African cape buffalo Roosevelt shot while on safari, is the President's library. Various knickknacks and keepsakes from his political career, family life, and overseas travels are scattered throughout the space. The room itself is lined with bookcases containing Roosevelt's beloved assortment of books. Above the bookcases, hanging on the wall, are five portraits of the five men he most admired: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John Marshall, Ulysses S. Grant, and, most importantly, his own father and namesake, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.

The influence of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. on the life of President Roosevelt cannot be overstated. Roosevelt once remarked, "My father, Theodore Roosevelt, was the best man I ever knew."⁽³⁾ Roosevelt's own sister, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, was herself acutely aware of the influence that her father had had on her famous brother. Mrs Robinson observed in her memoir that Roosevelt "was truly the spirit of my father reincarnate."⁽⁴⁾

In his own life time, Roosevelt, Sr. distinguished himself as an enthusiastic philanthropist, contributing generous amounts of his time and money to charities in New York City. But his commitment to philanthropy went well beyond a casual adherence to the notion of noblesse oblige. His philanthropy became his full time vocation. Roosevelt, Sr. actively contributed to the establishment of numerous charitable organizations and cultural institutions, including: the Children's Aid Society, the Newsboy's Lodging house, the New York Orthopedic Dispensary and Hospital, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History.

Undoubtedly his father's impressive record of charitable work left a lasting impact on the young and impressionable Roosevelt. Roosevelt, Sr.'s influence in this regard is even more noteworthy in light of the Roosevelt family's social and financial background. One would think that a child from a family such as the Roosevelts, a family that occupied such an elite strata of nineteenth century New York City society, would have never encountered, much less thought about, the social issues that Roosevelt, Sr. confronted in his charitable work. Indeed, growing up in the comfort of the Roosevelt family town house in the exclusive Gramercy Park section of Manhattan, young Roosevelt clearly enjoyed the benefits of his family's elite pedigree. Travelling to Europe. Private tutors. A house full of servants. Summering at country estates in upstate New York or rural New Jersey. But in the midst of this life of material comfort, Roosevelt Sr. continually pushed his son, challenging his son to live a life of public service, not a life of self-indulgence and narcissism. As historian David McCullough summarized, Roosevelt, Sr. instilled in his children an understanding that as Roosevelts, "They had standards, standards which they never questioned. They were Roosevelts, but, being Roosevelts, that in itself could never be thought of as enough. Duty and the family name demanded more."⁽⁵⁾

But Roosevelt inherited something much more remarkable from his father, something that served as the genesis for his own philosophy of the strenuous life. Roosevelt's father had instilled in him a genuine enthusiasm and wonderment of life itself; a belief that life should be lived with passion, zeal, and a sense of adventure. Roosevelt, Sr. often reminded his children that "Man was never intended to become an oyster."⁽⁶⁾ Roosevelt's father did not tolerate laziness or indifference in his children. He demanded action. He implored his children to challenge themselves. And, indeed, throughout his life, Roosevelt consistently pushed himself towards achieving whatever particular goal he had set for himself at the time. Whether rowing the waters off Long Island, challenging J.P. Morgan and the Northern Securities Company, exploring the River of Doubt in Brazil, or forming the Bull Moose Party, Roosevelt always confronted a challenge head on, while also giving the impression that, in his words, he was having a "bully" good time. It was as if Roosevelt possessed a childlike glee and truly enjoyed everything he did. And in fact, Roosevelt famously claimed that "No President has ever enjoyed himself as much as I."⁽⁷⁾

1. Edward Renehan, Jr., The Lion's Pride: Theodore Roosevelt and his Family in Peace and in War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 232.

2. Ibid., 4.

3. David McCullough, Mornings on Horseback (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1981), 364

4. Ibid., 370.

5. Ibid., 38.

6. Ibid., 31.

7. William Johnston, TR, Champion of the Strenuous Life: A Photographic Biography of Theodore Roosevelt (New York: Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1958), 74.

8. Edward Wegenknecht, The Seven Worlds of Theodore Roosevelt (New York: Longmans Green & Co., 1958), 109.