A Companion to Theodore Roosevelt

“Teddy” Roosevelt (to use a diminutive he hated), was tailor‐made to be the first president of a new century. He embraced the job with gusto and seemed to take Washington and the country by storm. He had a freshness and energy that contrasted sharply with his more staid predecessors. But historians have long argued over whether this superficial sparkle was anything more than topshow. Real achievement is different: that has to be sweated for.

To start with, let us give Roosevelt his due. It is a well‐established point that he brought a touch of modernity to the White House. For...