3. Sept. 16, 1901-Dec. 1902: First Year as President

President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was a prolific writer of books, articles, and especially letters, and received as much mail as he sent. His correspondents ranged from heads of states to average Americans, and covered a wide range of topics. Discover what Roosevelt and his correspondents had to say about the issues of their day.

As the nation mourned the death of President McKinley in September 1901, Roosevelt charted his own course as president. In the first year of his presidency he formed his own cabinet, instituted more progressive policies, and cultivated the press to reach the public directly. He navigated several controversies and crises including outrage from white southerners about his October 1901 White House dinner with African American educator Booker T. Washington, the Northern Securities railroad trust prosecution, the continuing Philippine-American War, being injured in a serious carriage accident, and successfully mediating a strike by coal miners in 1902. The nation also followed the adventures of the six rambunctious Roosevelt children, and their often equally rambunctious father.