What do you think?
Rate this book
The Rough Rider and the Professor: Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and the Friendship that Changed American History
Evoking the political intrigue of the Gilded Age, The Rough Rider and the Professor chronicles the extraordinary thirty-five-year friendship between President Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts.
Theodore Roosevelt was a uniquely gifted figure. A man of great intellect and physicality, the New York patrician captured the imagination of the American people with his engaging personality and determination to give all citizens regardless of race, color, or creed the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
While Roosevelt employed his abilities to rise from unknown New York legislator to become the youngest man ever to assume the presidency in 1901, that rapid success would not have occurred without the assistance of the powerful New Englander, Henry Cabot Lodge.
Eight years older than Roosevelt, from a prominent Massachusetts family, Lodge, was one of the most calculating, combative politicians of his age. From 1884 to 1919 Lodge and Roosevelt encouraged one another to mine the greatness that lay within each of them. As both men climbed the ladders of power, Lodge, focused on dominating the political landscape of Massachusetts, served as the future president’s confidant and mentor, advising him on political strategy while helping him obtain positions in government that would eventually lead to the White House.
Despite the love and respect that existed between the two men, their relationship eventually came under strain. Following Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency, T. R.’s desire to expand the social safety net—while attempting to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party—clashed with his older friend's more conservative, partisan point of view. Those tensions finally culminated in 1912. Lodge's refusal to support the former president's independent bid for a third presidential term led to a political break-up that was only repaired by each man's hatred for the policies of Woodrow Wilson.
Despite their political disagreements, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge remained devoted friends until the Rough Rider took his final breath on January 6, 1919.
Theodore Roosevelt was a uniquely gifted figure. A man of great intellect and physicality, the New York patrician captured the imagination of the American people with his engaging personality and determination to give all citizens regardless of race, color, or creed the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
While Roosevelt employed his abilities to rise from unknown New York legislator to become the youngest man ever to assume the presidency in 1901, that rapid success would not have occurred without the assistance of the powerful New Englander, Henry Cabot Lodge.
Eight years older than Roosevelt, from a prominent Massachusetts family, Lodge, was one of the most calculating, combative politicians of his age. From 1884 to 1919 Lodge and Roosevelt encouraged one another to mine the greatness that lay within each of them. As both men climbed the ladders of power, Lodge, focused on dominating the political landscape of Massachusetts, served as the future president’s confidant and mentor, advising him on political strategy while helping him obtain positions in government that would eventually lead to the White House.
Despite the love and respect that existed between the two men, their relationship eventually came under strain. Following Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency, T. R.’s desire to expand the social safety net—while attempting to broaden the appeal of the Republican Party—clashed with his older friend's more conservative, partisan point of view. Those tensions finally culminated in 1912. Lodge's refusal to support the former president's independent bid for a third presidential term led to a political break-up that was only repaired by each man's hatred for the policies of Woodrow Wilson.
Despite their political disagreements, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge remained devoted friends until the Rough Rider took his final breath on January 6, 1919.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2023
40 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 29, 2024
just kiss already, Teddy and Henry.
Learned a lot, but not a big fan of how the narrative nonfiction was presented.
Learned a lot, but not a big fan of how the narrative nonfiction was presented.
September 11, 2023
interesting thesis but annoying writing style
After reading several biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, I found that each provided fresh insights into one of our more interesting presidents. The Rough Rider and the Professor was no exception. However, the poor editing and writing style was very distracting. The author used numerous nouns to identify each of the characters (the senator, the scholar, the academic, etc.), and sometimes it was not immediately obvious to whom he was referring. There were instances of
sentences that obviously had meanings opposite to that the author intended. The misuse of the word “notoriety” throughout the text was particular grating. Unfortunately the editor was on vacation when the manuscript was
After reading several biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, I found that each provided fresh insights into one of our more interesting presidents. The Rough Rider and the Professor was no exception. However, the poor editing and writing style was very distracting. The author used numerous nouns to identify each of the characters (the senator, the scholar, the academic, etc.), and sometimes it was not immediately obvious to whom he was referring. There were instances of
sentences that obviously had meanings opposite to that the author intended. The misuse of the word “notoriety” throughout the text was particular grating. Unfortunately the editor was on vacation when the manuscript was
Want to read
September 2, 2023WSJ review: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...
March 30, 2024
Chapter one opens by referring to Abraham Lincoln as our “eighteenth president.” That error sets a tone for the book that is hard to get past. I decided to call this one a DNF when the author refers to Roosevelt as getting off the depot in Medora on September 7, 1884, instead of 1883, which was swiftly followed by a “the the” typo. If it is not worth the author’s time to give things a re-read, or the editor’s time to give it a first read, it is not worth my time or anyone else’s. Too much non-crap that I’d rather read.
December 31, 2023
How interesting to read of the lengthy friendship of these two distinguished political figures. While I knew a great deal about Theodore Roosevelt, I knew far less about Henry Cabot Lodge. The rich exchanges between the two of them documented in these pages gave me a new insight into their collaboration, in working to ensure that America fulfilled what they believed to be the ambitions of its founders. The book contains much history that I have read in other biographies, so I will focus in this review more on the Lodge-Roosevelt relationship.
The senator and the President possessed similar views on enacting legislation to enforce their moralist sensibilities. Lodge disliked the garish displays and the dishonest manner that characterized many that dominated the nation’s finances. “Money is no longer under a taboo,” he had stated in 1913 regarding the decline of the nation’s manners and morals. The new senator had also exhibited frustration at those within the business sector who had opposed the nation’s involvement in the war against Spain. President Roosevelt hoped to employ the powers of his office to incrementally restrain those corporate executives not conducting themselves in a principled manner. By employing these actions, the president wanted to use his reformist sensibilities to instill within these individuals responsibility conduct their affairs with fairness and integrity.
Roosevelt was a segregationist, but he also aspired to develop a strong African American presence within the Republican Party. Lodge came to the president‘s defense following the controversial invitation Roosevelt made to the prominent Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House. Washington‘s visit also led to an uproar in the south and media criticism of the president was scathing. Roosevelt was accused by the future governor of Mississippi of being a “coon-flavored miscegenationist,” and Senator “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman of South Carolina believed that the president‘s actions could create a conflagration so severe it could result in the deaths of numerous Black people throughout the south. Throughout the controversy, Lodge remained upbeat. “Needless for me to say how utterly right I think you are,” the senator commented. Regardless of his racial views Lodge had little love for those states that composed the old confederacy. “I am always hoping that they will learn and broaden, and then comes a thing like this, showing the narrow stolidity and imperiousness which are so disheartening,” he commented.
But as the calendar progressed through 1905, President Roosevelt found himself increasingly unable to find common ground with Lodge on several issues. For example, Roosevelt favored creation of the ICC; Lodge viewed a single government entity “equivalent to taking the railroads.” Eventually a compromise was struck, but even with the rate issue resolved, Lodge remain concerned about other “progressive reforms” the president seem determined to bring to fruition. He specifically found disconcerting the President’s inability to focus his wrath on other perpetrators than the rich. “It might be wise to emphasize a little more of the dangers from the demagogue and agitator, as well as the abuses of corporate capital,” he wrote T.R. In 1906.
Interesting note: “the tariff” was a platform position for the Republican Party that the two friends favored, but during TR’s presidency both came to realize it needed reform as average citizens were now paying the higher prices. Another was their view of Taft and of Wilson. They particularly criticized Wilson’s appointment of Bryan as Secretary of State. “You can have no conception of Bryan’s ignorance, and he has reached a point where he cannot learn,” Lodge wrote Roosevelt that fall. With instability on the Balkan, peninsula and revolution in Mexico, Lodge and Roosevelt believed American diplomacy required a steadier hand than the former boy orator from the Plains.
They both strongly favored readiness for war and opposed Wilson’s isolationist policies.
As the country moves toward the elections in 1912, Lodge and Roosevelt experience a widening division in their political views. Lodge continues to adhere to his staunch conservative line, while Roosevelt is increasingly progressive. I didn’t realize that the so-called “Bull Moose Party” was actually a progressive wing of the Republican Party.
Roosevelt becomes the Bull Moose candidate. Shortly before departing from the Gilpatrick hotel in Milwaukee to deliver a speech at the city’s auditorium, the progressive candidate was shot by a deranged saloon keeper, who opposed Roosevelt running for a third term. Firing at close range the bullet was miraculously slowed by a bulk of paper contained in the breast pocket of Roosevelt’s jacket - saved by his own long speech! Suffering only a flesh wound, Roosevelt refused to seek medical attention. Stating that he cared “not a rap” at being shot, the candidate headed to the venue where he spoke for the next 90 minutes before finally consenting to go to the hospital. He did spend some time in the hospital recovering. The attempt served as a bridge to restore his relationship with Lodge.
In the end, because the Republicans were divided and Debs also ran, Taft did not win a second term. TR actually finished ahead of Taft - pretty amazing for a third part candidate!
I didn’t realize that Taft was such a weak president. Apparently he dismissed a number of Roosevelt’s key cabinet officials and had a weak understanding of the need for trade-offs between the executive and legislative branches. Because we had at that time no limitation on the number of terms of a president could serve, Lodge later consistently, urged Roosevelt to run for a third term. Roosevelt, deep in the African jungle, had no interest.
Lodge was visibly shaken by Roosevelt’s progressive declaration. “I have had my share of mishaps in politics, but I never thought that any situation could arise, which would’ve made me so miserably unhappy,” the senator wrote Roosevelt. He felt that his failure to read TR’s progressive attitude “was very likely my fault, owing probably to my unwillingness to admit that there could be any serious difference of opinion between us on constitutional questions, which seemed to me vital.” Lodge had deep objections to the direct election of senators, contending it would weaken the power of state legislators. He opposed referendums and the recall of judges.
Interesting that Lodge felt Wilson was intellectually dishonest. I was under the impression that Wilson was a Calvinist and I would not have expected him to make decisions contrary to his moral tenants. His biographer Arthur S. Link describes his tenure as governor of NJ as “conservative to the core.” But as a Democratic candidate he apparently reversed his position on unions and called for an end to monopolies. (Maybe this policy was what we also discussed in Papa’s class.)
Neither Lodge nor Roosevelt was engaged with politics for the latter part of 1913. In September, the senator was forced to undergo surgery due to the development of gastric ulcers. While the procedure was a success, it involved a lengthy recovery process. Roosevelt, at age 54, and believing the 1912 GOP nomination was stolen from him, decided to embark on an extensive trip to South America, culminating in an exploration of the Amazon’s “river of doubt.” As Lodge recovered from his operation and Roosevelt prepared for his voyage, both remained critical of the initial stages of Wilson’s tenure in the White House. Roosevelt actually returned from the Amazon jungle with malaria and underwent a lengthy convalescence.
Even in their disagreements over policy, the president and the senator remained congenial as ever and that collegiality also extended to the relationship between the wives and children. Throughout 1906, Roosevelt encouraged Bay Lodge in the development of his poetry, while also assisting Cabot’s younger son, John E. Lodge, in pursuing his love of far eastern art. Lodge did his best to use his resources to help Roosevelt’s children as well. In the first week of October 1906, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. became indirectly involved in a friend’s drunken altercation with the Cambridge, Massachusetts police. Left behind following the dispute as his classmate eluded capture, the junior Roosevelt endured a brutal beating at the hands of the outraged officers. Refusing to reveal the name of the offending party to the authorities, a warrant was issued for Roosevelt’s arrest. Immediately attending to the situation, Lodge managed to use his contacts with local law-enforcement to get the matter resolved. Interestingly, Jurdem notes that Lodge and his wife were among only a few Republicans with whom TR had associated before the 1912 schism in attendance at TR’s daughter’s 1913 wedding.
In the final pages, the book records TR’s death in 1919 at age 61. his sister sends a cable to his dear friend Henry Cabot Lodge telling him, "Theo died last night in his sleep with no suffering." I thought it was so sweet that she called the man the world knew as "Teddy," "Theo." i wonder if that was his name in the family?
As I’ve commented so many times before, it is a real joy to see how well people used to write in their letters. There were no texts, no emails, no phones. We had to articulate in words, on paper what we wanted to get across. Writing is a lost art.
The senator and the President possessed similar views on enacting legislation to enforce their moralist sensibilities. Lodge disliked the garish displays and the dishonest manner that characterized many that dominated the nation’s finances. “Money is no longer under a taboo,” he had stated in 1913 regarding the decline of the nation’s manners and morals. The new senator had also exhibited frustration at those within the business sector who had opposed the nation’s involvement in the war against Spain. President Roosevelt hoped to employ the powers of his office to incrementally restrain those corporate executives not conducting themselves in a principled manner. By employing these actions, the president wanted to use his reformist sensibilities to instill within these individuals responsibility conduct their affairs with fairness and integrity.
Roosevelt was a segregationist, but he also aspired to develop a strong African American presence within the Republican Party. Lodge came to the president‘s defense following the controversial invitation Roosevelt made to the prominent Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House. Washington‘s visit also led to an uproar in the south and media criticism of the president was scathing. Roosevelt was accused by the future governor of Mississippi of being a “coon-flavored miscegenationist,” and Senator “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman of South Carolina believed that the president‘s actions could create a conflagration so severe it could result in the deaths of numerous Black people throughout the south. Throughout the controversy, Lodge remained upbeat. “Needless for me to say how utterly right I think you are,” the senator commented. Regardless of his racial views Lodge had little love for those states that composed the old confederacy. “I am always hoping that they will learn and broaden, and then comes a thing like this, showing the narrow stolidity and imperiousness which are so disheartening,” he commented.
But as the calendar progressed through 1905, President Roosevelt found himself increasingly unable to find common ground with Lodge on several issues. For example, Roosevelt favored creation of the ICC; Lodge viewed a single government entity “equivalent to taking the railroads.” Eventually a compromise was struck, but even with the rate issue resolved, Lodge remain concerned about other “progressive reforms” the president seem determined to bring to fruition. He specifically found disconcerting the President’s inability to focus his wrath on other perpetrators than the rich. “It might be wise to emphasize a little more of the dangers from the demagogue and agitator, as well as the abuses of corporate capital,” he wrote T.R. In 1906.
Interesting note: “the tariff” was a platform position for the Republican Party that the two friends favored, but during TR’s presidency both came to realize it needed reform as average citizens were now paying the higher prices. Another was their view of Taft and of Wilson. They particularly criticized Wilson’s appointment of Bryan as Secretary of State. “You can have no conception of Bryan’s ignorance, and he has reached a point where he cannot learn,” Lodge wrote Roosevelt that fall. With instability on the Balkan, peninsula and revolution in Mexico, Lodge and Roosevelt believed American diplomacy required a steadier hand than the former boy orator from the Plains.
They both strongly favored readiness for war and opposed Wilson’s isolationist policies.
As the country moves toward the elections in 1912, Lodge and Roosevelt experience a widening division in their political views. Lodge continues to adhere to his staunch conservative line, while Roosevelt is increasingly progressive. I didn’t realize that the so-called “Bull Moose Party” was actually a progressive wing of the Republican Party.
Roosevelt becomes the Bull Moose candidate. Shortly before departing from the Gilpatrick hotel in Milwaukee to deliver a speech at the city’s auditorium, the progressive candidate was shot by a deranged saloon keeper, who opposed Roosevelt running for a third term. Firing at close range the bullet was miraculously slowed by a bulk of paper contained in the breast pocket of Roosevelt’s jacket - saved by his own long speech! Suffering only a flesh wound, Roosevelt refused to seek medical attention. Stating that he cared “not a rap” at being shot, the candidate headed to the venue where he spoke for the next 90 minutes before finally consenting to go to the hospital. He did spend some time in the hospital recovering. The attempt served as a bridge to restore his relationship with Lodge.
In the end, because the Republicans were divided and Debs also ran, Taft did not win a second term. TR actually finished ahead of Taft - pretty amazing for a third part candidate!
I didn’t realize that Taft was such a weak president. Apparently he dismissed a number of Roosevelt’s key cabinet officials and had a weak understanding of the need for trade-offs between the executive and legislative branches. Because we had at that time no limitation on the number of terms of a president could serve, Lodge later consistently, urged Roosevelt to run for a third term. Roosevelt, deep in the African jungle, had no interest.
Lodge was visibly shaken by Roosevelt’s progressive declaration. “I have had my share of mishaps in politics, but I never thought that any situation could arise, which would’ve made me so miserably unhappy,” the senator wrote Roosevelt. He felt that his failure to read TR’s progressive attitude “was very likely my fault, owing probably to my unwillingness to admit that there could be any serious difference of opinion between us on constitutional questions, which seemed to me vital.” Lodge had deep objections to the direct election of senators, contending it would weaken the power of state legislators. He opposed referendums and the recall of judges.
Interesting that Lodge felt Wilson was intellectually dishonest. I was under the impression that Wilson was a Calvinist and I would not have expected him to make decisions contrary to his moral tenants. His biographer Arthur S. Link describes his tenure as governor of NJ as “conservative to the core.” But as a Democratic candidate he apparently reversed his position on unions and called for an end to monopolies. (Maybe this policy was what we also discussed in Papa’s class.)
Neither Lodge nor Roosevelt was engaged with politics for the latter part of 1913. In September, the senator was forced to undergo surgery due to the development of gastric ulcers. While the procedure was a success, it involved a lengthy recovery process. Roosevelt, at age 54, and believing the 1912 GOP nomination was stolen from him, decided to embark on an extensive trip to South America, culminating in an exploration of the Amazon’s “river of doubt.” As Lodge recovered from his operation and Roosevelt prepared for his voyage, both remained critical of the initial stages of Wilson’s tenure in the White House. Roosevelt actually returned from the Amazon jungle with malaria and underwent a lengthy convalescence.
Even in their disagreements over policy, the president and the senator remained congenial as ever and that collegiality also extended to the relationship between the wives and children. Throughout 1906, Roosevelt encouraged Bay Lodge in the development of his poetry, while also assisting Cabot’s younger son, John E. Lodge, in pursuing his love of far eastern art. Lodge did his best to use his resources to help Roosevelt’s children as well. In the first week of October 1906, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. became indirectly involved in a friend’s drunken altercation with the Cambridge, Massachusetts police. Left behind following the dispute as his classmate eluded capture, the junior Roosevelt endured a brutal beating at the hands of the outraged officers. Refusing to reveal the name of the offending party to the authorities, a warrant was issued for Roosevelt’s arrest. Immediately attending to the situation, Lodge managed to use his contacts with local law-enforcement to get the matter resolved. Interestingly, Jurdem notes that Lodge and his wife were among only a few Republicans with whom TR had associated before the 1912 schism in attendance at TR’s daughter’s 1913 wedding.
In the final pages, the book records TR’s death in 1919 at age 61. his sister sends a cable to his dear friend Henry Cabot Lodge telling him, "Theo died last night in his sleep with no suffering." I thought it was so sweet that she called the man the world knew as "Teddy," "Theo." i wonder if that was his name in the family?
As I’ve commented so many times before, it is a real joy to see how well people used to write in their letters. There were no texts, no emails, no phones. We had to articulate in words, on paper what we wanted to get across. Writing is a lost art.
May 26, 2025
I really liked this book. It was well researched and had just the precise amount of detail. The facts in the book were clear and supported.
There was not a lot of unnecessary prose in the book. It was just over 300 pages and that seems to be about the right amount of pages to cover this subject. More detail would have been just extra baggage that actually inhibited the key points.
The story as it relates to Prez Roosevelt was excellent. Very fair… the good and the bad presented equally.
My reason for not giving this five stars is I feel like the author didn’t want to say what became clear towards the end of the book. HC Lodge lost his way a bit and became too much a part of the establishment. He went along to get along and likely damaged his friendship with TR in much the same way that WH Taft did.
I’m not sure the author got that point across completely. I’m not sure actually the author wanted to get the point across because it went somewhat against his defining thesis in the book… TR and Lodge’s close and continuous friendship.
Excellent book.
But I think the author would have done well to paint a clearer picture of how much the relationship suffered after 1912 because I think it did. And that wasn’t overly clear.
There was not a lot of unnecessary prose in the book. It was just over 300 pages and that seems to be about the right amount of pages to cover this subject. More detail would have been just extra baggage that actually inhibited the key points.
The story as it relates to Prez Roosevelt was excellent. Very fair… the good and the bad presented equally.
My reason for not giving this five stars is I feel like the author didn’t want to say what became clear towards the end of the book. HC Lodge lost his way a bit and became too much a part of the establishment. He went along to get along and likely damaged his friendship with TR in much the same way that WH Taft did.
I’m not sure the author got that point across completely. I’m not sure actually the author wanted to get the point across because it went somewhat against his defining thesis in the book… TR and Lodge’s close and continuous friendship.
Excellent book.
But I think the author would have done well to paint a clearer picture of how much the relationship suffered after 1912 because I think it did. And that wasn’t overly clear.
November 29, 2023
Interesting subject material, marred by poor writing. Do yourself a favor, read Candice Millard’s “The River of Doubt” instead, then find a different book about Lodge.
Pegasus Books desperately needs a copy editor for Jurdem. e. g.;
p. 53: “At three in the morning on September 7, 1884, Theodore Roosevelt arrived at a deserted railroad trestle on the Western plains.” p. 58: “In June 1884 Roosevelt boarded a train for the East.” It’s hard to conceive how T. R. left Medora three months before he arrived.
p. 103: “In the summer of 1894, as T. R. grinded away at his job…” (“grinded”? I assume he that means “ground”.)
p. 178 “…in the election of 1900. McKinley and T. R. won more than three quarters of a million votes…” (They received 7,200,000 votes. Probably he means that they won by a margin of more than three quarters of a million votes.)
p. 215: “In the Senate, Lodge focused his energy on the issue of the construction of a canal connecting North and South America.”
The canal, of course, connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it does nothing to connect North and South America. They were already connected.
Pegasus Books desperately needs a copy editor for Jurdem. e. g.;
p. 53: “At three in the morning on September 7, 1884, Theodore Roosevelt arrived at a deserted railroad trestle on the Western plains.” p. 58: “In June 1884 Roosevelt boarded a train for the East.” It’s hard to conceive how T. R. left Medora three months before he arrived.
p. 103: “In the summer of 1894, as T. R. grinded away at his job…” (“grinded”? I assume he that means “ground”.)
p. 178 “…in the election of 1900. McKinley and T. R. won more than three quarters of a million votes…” (They received 7,200,000 votes. Probably he means that they won by a margin of more than three quarters of a million votes.)
p. 215: “In the Senate, Lodge focused his energy on the issue of the construction of a canal connecting North and South America.”
The canal, of course, connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it does nothing to connect North and South America. They were already connected.
April 5, 2025
Good read
What I liked about this book was the co text added by the multiple letters referenced I. Context of history. The book wasn't overwhelmed. By the historical events, drawing it away from the biography, it squarely focused on the individuals and their view of their political and familial surroundings.
Something that bothered me, however, was that the author referred to Roosevelt as "Roosevelt," "TR," Colonel," "the president," "the former president," and other terms throughout without any real reason for the change.
What I liked about this book was the co text added by the multiple letters referenced I. Context of history. The book wasn't overwhelmed. By the historical events, drawing it away from the biography, it squarely focused on the individuals and their view of their political and familial surroundings.
Something that bothered me, however, was that the author referred to Roosevelt as "Roosevelt," "TR," Colonel," "the president," "the former president," and other terms throughout without any real reason for the change.
September 11, 2023
A great history of two great Americans, their friendship and their efforts to guide The United States of America into the 20th Century. Many of their beliefs and plans mirror our struggles today to hold on to our autonomy in the US without giving up power. If you think politics are complicated now, read this historical account of what America experienced at the turn of the last century.
October 17, 2023
The history was well researched. The book was confusing at times because of the large cast of characters. The author jumped all over the place. There were many times I found myself going back in the book trying to figure out who I was reading about. O’Reilly and Dugard do a much better job of telling the story.
October 28, 2023
There’s no doubt that without Lodge’s assistance Teddy Roosevelt would not have been elected President nor even appointed NYC’s police commissioner. While there were some policy and tactical differences between the two especially once Roosevelt was elected Lodge seemed to be Roosevelt’s Rasputin from the earliest of days. A fascinating and revealing account.
February 17, 2025
While the book was well-written, accessible, and not overly academic, I felt there was more to say about the relationship between Roosevelt and Lodge. That was especially the case with respect to those periods during which Roosevelt and Lodge were politically at odds. There seemed to be a variety of topics that warranted greater discussion and development. A solid read, but not exceptional.
August 21, 2023
Very superficial.
September 5, 2023
TR is such a fascinating person that any book with him in it has to be interesting. Nonetheless, this is not the best book about him. And I think the author’s writing style is somewhat awkward.
September 8, 2023
Not worth it
Poorly written and/or proofread, too many errors to take seriously. An annoying effortbba shame--interesting material wasted. I couldn't finish it
Poorly written and/or proofread, too many errors to take seriously. An annoying effortbba shame--interesting material wasted. I couldn't finish it
Read
October 25, 2023First Half was interesting got bored with second half, more like a highschool biography project
March 29, 2024
I enjoyed the fact that most of the information and stories shared in this book was taken from the many, many, personal letters the two men and their families and friends exchanged over the decades.
May 28, 2024
TR is one my favorites but quite honestly I gained no new insights into him and only a bit into the tumultous time of his service. No excitement
October 12, 2023
Fascinating history. Love TR!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews