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Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy
The definitive trilogy of biographies chronicling the storied life of the United States’ youngest President, Theodore Roosevelt—a consummate writer, soldier, naturalist, and politician—and his two world-changing terms in office.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt begins at the apex of his international prestige. That was on New Year’s Day, 1907, when TR, who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize, threw open the doors of the White House to the American people and shook 8,150 hands. One visitor remarked afterward, “You go to the White House, you shake hands with Roosevelt and hear him talk—and then you go home to wring the personality out of your clothes.”
Theodore Rex
The most eagerly awaited presidential biography in years, Theodore Rex is a sequel to Edmund Morris’s classic bestseller The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It begins by following the new President (still the youngest in American history) as he comes down from Mount Marcy, New York, to take his emergency oath of office in Buffalo, one hundred years ago.
Colonel Roosevelt
This biography by Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, marks the completion of a trilogy sure to stand as definitive. Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine? Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, this masterwork recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt begins at the apex of his international prestige. That was on New Year’s Day, 1907, when TR, who had just won the Nobel Peace Prize, threw open the doors of the White House to the American people and shook 8,150 hands. One visitor remarked afterward, “You go to the White House, you shake hands with Roosevelt and hear him talk—and then you go home to wring the personality out of your clothes.”
Theodore Rex
The most eagerly awaited presidential biography in years, Theodore Rex is a sequel to Edmund Morris’s classic bestseller The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It begins by following the new President (still the youngest in American history) as he comes down from Mount Marcy, New York, to take his emergency oath of office in Buffalo, one hundred years ago.
Colonel Roosevelt
This biography by Edmund Morris, the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning author of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex, marks the completion of a trilogy sure to stand as definitive. Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. What other president has written forty books, hunted lions, founded a third political party, survived an assassin’s bullet, and explored an unknown river longer than the Rhine? Packed with more adventure, variety, drama, humor, and tragedy than a big novel, yet documented down to the smallest fact, this masterwork recounts the last decade of perhaps the most amazing life in American history.
2528 pages, Hardcover
First published November 23, 2010
110 people are currently reading
29763 people want to read
About the author
Edmund Morris
14 books1,016 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name
Edmund Morris was a writer best known for his biographies of United States presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Morris received his early education in Kenya after which he attended Rhodes University in South Africa. He worked as an advertising copywriter in London before emigrating to the United States in 1968.
His biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1980. After spending 14 years as President Reagan's authorized biographer, he published the national bestseller Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan in 1999.
Morris's other books include Theodore Rex, the second in a projected three-volume chronicle of the life of Theodore Roosevelt, and Beethoven: The Universal Composer. Mr. Morris wrote extensively on travel and the arts for such publications as The New Yorker, the New York Times, and Harper's Magazine.
Edmund Morris lived in New York City and Kent, Connecticut with his wife and fellow biographer, Sylvia Jukes Morris.
Morris died on May 24, 2019 at a hospital in Kent, from a stroke at the age of 78.
Edmund Morris was a writer best known for his biographies of United States presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Morris received his early education in Kenya after which he attended Rhodes University in South Africa. He worked as an advertising copywriter in London before emigrating to the United States in 1968.
His biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award in 1980. After spending 14 years as President Reagan's authorized biographer, he published the national bestseller Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan in 1999.
Morris's other books include Theodore Rex, the second in a projected three-volume chronicle of the life of Theodore Roosevelt, and Beethoven: The Universal Composer. Mr. Morris wrote extensively on travel and the arts for such publications as The New Yorker, the New York Times, and Harper's Magazine.
Edmund Morris lived in New York City and Kent, Connecticut with his wife and fellow biographer, Sylvia Jukes Morris.
Morris died on May 24, 2019 at a hospital in Kent, from a stroke at the age of 78.
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December 23, 2014
Despite taking almost two years to finish this massive trilogy, it was well worth the time spent.
Theodore Roosevelt is without a doubt, using modern parlance, the most BAMF who ever lived. That's a technical term. Accomplished in just about every field, from literary to historical, political, military, ecological, and numerous others. He was without a doubt the most energetic and widely accomplished person to live in an era full of such men. Just reading about his legendary drive makes me tired.
The man's physical prowess, mastery of pain and courage, were legendary. Giving a 90 minute speech while bleeding from an assassin's bullet, finishing a hunt despite having been thrown from his horse and breaking his arm, taking naked swims in winter in the Potomac river while President, going blind in one eye from boxing while President... the litany is endless. Despite his glorification of manly virtues and war, presiding over an era of peace during his Presidency, and even winning the Nobel Peace prize. Writing definitive works on nature, establishing national parks, pushing through the Panama Canal, addressing live more than a million people over the course of a presidential campaign... the list goes on and on.
Theodore Roosevelt is without a doubt, using modern parlance, the most BAMF who ever lived. That's a technical term. Accomplished in just about every field, from literary to historical, political, military, ecological, and numerous others. He was without a doubt the most energetic and widely accomplished person to live in an era full of such men. Just reading about his legendary drive makes me tired.
The man's physical prowess, mastery of pain and courage, were legendary. Giving a 90 minute speech while bleeding from an assassin's bullet, finishing a hunt despite having been thrown from his horse and breaking his arm, taking naked swims in winter in the Potomac river while President, going blind in one eye from boxing while President... the litany is endless. Despite his glorification of manly virtues and war, presiding over an era of peace during his Presidency, and even winning the Nobel Peace prize. Writing definitive works on nature, establishing national parks, pushing through the Panama Canal, addressing live more than a million people over the course of a presidential campaign... the list goes on and on.
December 17, 2017
Why I thought it a good idea to read a 3-part biography on Theodore Roosevelt, I’ll never know...but it was a good idea
September 20, 2019
This 3 volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt is worth taking the time to read. It took me close to three years to read all of them; over 2500 pages around 800 pages each. He is arguably the greatest president in American history. He was accomplished in just about every field, from literary to historical, political, military, ecological, and others. I started with the 3rd book, "Colonel Roosevelt" and enjoyed it so much I decided to read the other two.
The first, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is about his early upbringing, setting up his ranch in South Dakota, leading the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War, entering politics as an assemblyman for New York to Governor of New York and McKinley's vice president. The writing about the politics here, and as president in "Theodore Rex" drags on too much and I skimmed a lot of that.
"Theodore Rex" starts following the assassination attempt of President McKinley where Theodore not knowing if he would die, is with his family camping in the Adirondack Mts. He is quickly rushed to Buffalo to be sworn in as President as McKinley’s vice president. He dealt with labor and racial strife, the Russo-Japanese conflict, and the politics of building the Panama Canal. He read extensively as well as wrote many books, and still had time for his family.
"Colonel Roosevelt" begins right after he leaves the white house, with a prologue recounting what TR called his “journey into the Pleistocene”—a yearlong safari through East Africa, collecting specimens for the Smithsonian. It details clearly the killing of many animals. Yet there can be no denying that TR passionately loved and understood every living thing that came his way. He failed 1912 attempt at his 3rd presidential bid in the Bull Moose Party. Following the election, TR takes his next trip to the wild, and unexplored River of Doubt deep in the Amazon rain forest, with very brutal conditions of heat, humidity, insects, Indians who never saw white men, and a 625 mile uncharted river to find the Amazon. He got sick and nearly died on the trip.
Edmund Morris has done a great job in showing who Teddy Roosevelt really is; probably our greatest president, showing his love of family, a great environmentalist ahead of his time, as well as not hiding his faults and blemishes. Glad I spent all three years (not at once!) reading these books.
The first, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is about his early upbringing, setting up his ranch in South Dakota, leading the Rough Riders in the Spanish American War, entering politics as an assemblyman for New York to Governor of New York and McKinley's vice president. The writing about the politics here, and as president in "Theodore Rex" drags on too much and I skimmed a lot of that.
"Theodore Rex" starts following the assassination attempt of President McKinley where Theodore not knowing if he would die, is with his family camping in the Adirondack Mts. He is quickly rushed to Buffalo to be sworn in as President as McKinley’s vice president. He dealt with labor and racial strife, the Russo-Japanese conflict, and the politics of building the Panama Canal. He read extensively as well as wrote many books, and still had time for his family.
"Colonel Roosevelt" begins right after he leaves the white house, with a prologue recounting what TR called his “journey into the Pleistocene”—a yearlong safari through East Africa, collecting specimens for the Smithsonian. It details clearly the killing of many animals. Yet there can be no denying that TR passionately loved and understood every living thing that came his way. He failed 1912 attempt at his 3rd presidential bid in the Bull Moose Party. Following the election, TR takes his next trip to the wild, and unexplored River of Doubt deep in the Amazon rain forest, with very brutal conditions of heat, humidity, insects, Indians who never saw white men, and a 625 mile uncharted river to find the Amazon. He got sick and nearly died on the trip.
Edmund Morris has done a great job in showing who Teddy Roosevelt really is; probably our greatest president, showing his love of family, a great environmentalist ahead of his time, as well as not hiding his faults and blemishes. Glad I spent all three years (not at once!) reading these books.
January 5, 2021
Whipped through this trilogy in five months.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt: 5 stars. Flawless. Added to the short list of those books I want my children to read as they approach adulthood.
Theodore Rex: 2.5-3 stars. Writing (or "creating") Reagan's official biography appears to have killed the wonder in Morris. That's the only way I can account for how bland this is. The details are good, but written poorly.
Colonel Roosevelt: 4+ stars. Morris' redemption.
For me personally, required reading to appreciate why Theodore Roosevelt is on Mt. Rushmore.
No doubt 1-volume biographies could get the job done. And many likely do. However, I don't know what details of his life I would want to have removed.... if anything, I still want more. Give me 15-20 years, and I'll probably go single volume rather than re-read this trilogy. Except for the first volume.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt: 5 stars. Flawless. Added to the short list of those books I want my children to read as they approach adulthood.
Theodore Rex: 2.5-3 stars. Writing (or "creating") Reagan's official biography appears to have killed the wonder in Morris. That's the only way I can account for how bland this is. The details are good, but written poorly.
Colonel Roosevelt: 4+ stars. Morris' redemption.
For me personally, required reading to appreciate why Theodore Roosevelt is on Mt. Rushmore.
No doubt 1-volume biographies could get the job done. And many likely do. However, I don't know what details of his life I would want to have removed.... if anything, I still want more. Give me 15-20 years, and I'll probably go single volume rather than re-read this trilogy. Except for the first volume.
February 7, 2014
Excellent biography of one of America's greatest Presidents.
August 15, 2017
Took quite a while to read all three, but it was well worth it. TR was a fascinating character, both in his brilliance and his flaws.
July 25, 2019
One of best presidential biographies I have read. One of a kind man.
August 16, 2025
I would say that this trilogy is more than the sum of its parts when all is said and done. While no individual volume gets the highest marks from me (though, in all honesty, volume 1 is probably a 5 star read), together they form a monumental odyssey of one of the most exceptional American lives in our history.
TR is one of those presidents that has absolutely no shortage of books available about him, so choosing one to use as a starting point was a bit of a challenge. This trilogy, however, proved to be exactly what I was looking for. Any one of these books can be picked up and read individually, yet when read as a whole the picture of Teddy these paint is gargantuan.
Volume 1 probably remains the best of the three , in my view. This volume covers the span of time from Teddy’s birth to the death of William McKinley, and thus Teddy’s ascension to the presidency. If you were to only read one volume of this trilogy, i would have to recommend it being this one, since a lot of the defining details of TR are established here, along with the character building that carries into volumes 2 and 3. As a portrait of an American life, this volume is exceptional. The back cover speaks of the book covering “7 lives” that all fuse together to form the future president, and taking this framework allows Morris to spend respectable time on all of the myriad aspects of Teddy’s life. Heavy focus is placed on the literary output and interest in nature, the former being something that I feel people under-discuss when talking about TR. People wanna say Alexander Hamilton wrote like he was running out of time but I think they should take a look here as well. The man wrote like a maniac, at breakneck speed, and generally the quality was at worst “passable” (with a handful of exceptions that just sucked). Of course, his most impactful piece of writing is his Naval War of 1812 which would go on to shapes US naval policy before during and after his administration.
In this first volume, we are also told one of my favorite stories related to any president. While out west, Teddy was going down a river with some acquaintances, and they had to “dock” for the night, tying their boat off on a tree and taking shelter. The next morning, they awoke to discover that their boat had been stolen. Teddy, as any rational man would do, figured that the only appropriate course of action was to BUILD ANOTHER BOAT AND CHASE DOWN THE THIEVES! He did that! And he caught them! And brought them back to the face justice! The man was crazy!!
Volume 2 was, unfortunately, the weakest of the three. It focuses only on the years of TR’s presidency (1901-1909) and falls into the realm of getting too into the minutiae of certain policy decisions. While I respect and understand this, it does grind the readability of the book to a halt at times, bombarding the reader with overly detailed sections. It teetered on reminding me of Amity Shlaes’ Calving Coolidge biography, which is generally an association you should seek to avoid. Nevertheless, these segments never fully overstay their welcome, and there are other, more readable ones that balance them out. The strength of this volume is when it introduces William Howard Taft as a key player in the narrative and begins to explore his and Roosevelt’s relationship. This is stuff I personally find very interesting, and the book does a great job and fleshing these two out for this.
Volume 3 is where I find myself torn. I rated it highly right after finishing it because of the emotional state it put me in, but having had some time to sit with it, I find some level of issue. At a certain point, the book seems to turn more into a small history of the First World War and almost a mini biography of Woodrow Wilson. While these segments are interesting in vacuum, they do come across as almost superfluous padding to allow the book to keep going. TR himself didn’t really have that much to do with the war, until his kids enlisted. THAT part the book also spends a good amount of time on, and I can appreciate that because lit’s far more relevant. I just think that a bit too much time is spent on the war prior to the US entrance and TR having a personal stake in it.
That said, this volume does have a lot of good segments. The election of 1912 and the establishment of the Progressive Party really shines here, giving a view into a decision that objectively is one of TR’s worst and most ego driven. He knew for most of the election that he didn’t have a shot at winning, yet he stayed on to prove a point? Objectively very stupid on his part and it resulted in one of the worst US presidents taking the White House (Wilson). I also greatly enjoyed his trip down the River of Doubt, and I look forward to reading the book of the same name about that trip to find out even more about it.
All of this to say, despite no one volume being fully perfect, this trilogy as a cohesive unit offers a sweeping look at one of our nation’s greatest and most fascinating presidents, and I would highly recommend.
TR is one of those presidents that has absolutely no shortage of books available about him, so choosing one to use as a starting point was a bit of a challenge. This trilogy, however, proved to be exactly what I was looking for. Any one of these books can be picked up and read individually, yet when read as a whole the picture of Teddy these paint is gargantuan.
Volume 1 probably remains the best of the three , in my view. This volume covers the span of time from Teddy’s birth to the death of William McKinley, and thus Teddy’s ascension to the presidency. If you were to only read one volume of this trilogy, i would have to recommend it being this one, since a lot of the defining details of TR are established here, along with the character building that carries into volumes 2 and 3. As a portrait of an American life, this volume is exceptional. The back cover speaks of the book covering “7 lives” that all fuse together to form the future president, and taking this framework allows Morris to spend respectable time on all of the myriad aspects of Teddy’s life. Heavy focus is placed on the literary output and interest in nature, the former being something that I feel people under-discuss when talking about TR. People wanna say Alexander Hamilton wrote like he was running out of time but I think they should take a look here as well. The man wrote like a maniac, at breakneck speed, and generally the quality was at worst “passable” (with a handful of exceptions that just sucked). Of course, his most impactful piece of writing is his Naval War of 1812 which would go on to shapes US naval policy before during and after his administration.
In this first volume, we are also told one of my favorite stories related to any president. While out west, Teddy was going down a river with some acquaintances, and they had to “dock” for the night, tying their boat off on a tree and taking shelter. The next morning, they awoke to discover that their boat had been stolen. Teddy, as any rational man would do, figured that the only appropriate course of action was to BUILD ANOTHER BOAT AND CHASE DOWN THE THIEVES! He did that! And he caught them! And brought them back to the face justice! The man was crazy!!
Volume 2 was, unfortunately, the weakest of the three. It focuses only on the years of TR’s presidency (1901-1909) and falls into the realm of getting too into the minutiae of certain policy decisions. While I respect and understand this, it does grind the readability of the book to a halt at times, bombarding the reader with overly detailed sections. It teetered on reminding me of Amity Shlaes’ Calving Coolidge biography, which is generally an association you should seek to avoid. Nevertheless, these segments never fully overstay their welcome, and there are other, more readable ones that balance them out. The strength of this volume is when it introduces William Howard Taft as a key player in the narrative and begins to explore his and Roosevelt’s relationship. This is stuff I personally find very interesting, and the book does a great job and fleshing these two out for this.
Volume 3 is where I find myself torn. I rated it highly right after finishing it because of the emotional state it put me in, but having had some time to sit with it, I find some level of issue. At a certain point, the book seems to turn more into a small history of the First World War and almost a mini biography of Woodrow Wilson. While these segments are interesting in vacuum, they do come across as almost superfluous padding to allow the book to keep going. TR himself didn’t really have that much to do with the war, until his kids enlisted. THAT part the book also spends a good amount of time on, and I can appreciate that because lit’s far more relevant. I just think that a bit too much time is spent on the war prior to the US entrance and TR having a personal stake in it.
That said, this volume does have a lot of good segments. The election of 1912 and the establishment of the Progressive Party really shines here, giving a view into a decision that objectively is one of TR’s worst and most ego driven. He knew for most of the election that he didn’t have a shot at winning, yet he stayed on to prove a point? Objectively very stupid on his part and it resulted in one of the worst US presidents taking the White House (Wilson). I also greatly enjoyed his trip down the River of Doubt, and I look forward to reading the book of the same name about that trip to find out even more about it.
All of this to say, despite no one volume being fully perfect, this trilogy as a cohesive unit offers a sweeping look at one of our nation’s greatest and most fascinating presidents, and I would highly recommend.
January 2, 2022
This is a well packaged three book biography that covers Theodore Roosevelt's pre-presidential (book 1), presidential (book 2), and post-presidential life (book 3).
Book 1 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris charts Roosevelt's early life. It actually wasn't bad. I have an instinctive suspicion of modern Republicans (I've been put off by the recent crop I think) so I fully expected to dislike the guy, but I didn't.
This book covers Roosevelt's early life, from his birth to a well meaning patrician father in New York, to his finding out that he had ascended to the Presidency after the assassination of McKinley (the President who dies because they were poking round his intestines without anaesthetic).
Roosevelt comes across as a sort of centrist patrician type (like Bush Snr.) with a common touch (unlike Bush Snr.), who loved his hunting and fishing as much for the scenery as for the hunting. By today's standards he is hideously patronizing to what he might call the "lesser races" (he seems to assume they should all aspire to being white, even though they would never achieve "caucasian class" for want of a phrase), but he is a product of his time so that shouldn't be all that surprising. It did, however, result in him making some odd decisions though, especially with regard to foreign policy.
All in all it's a balanced biography but I'm left with a couple of thoughts after reading it. Firstly, part of me thinks that he would struggle to get the nomination today (or even possibly be a Bill Clinton style center-right Democrat at a stretch) because of his centrist views. Secondly I don't think he'd have been nominated as Vice-President had people known he would ascend to the Presidency after taking office.
Americans presumably know a lot more about Roosevelt than I do (and so can correct my views on the guy if I'm wrong), but my instinct is that I’m not all that far off about the guy!
Book 2 Theodore Rex
"Theodore Rex," by Edmund Morris, didn't really tell me much new about the Roosevelt philosophy (Morris had already established he was a centrist Republican whose most obvious "Republican Characteristic" was his "world stage interventionism" in an earlier book), but it did tell me what happened during the Roosevelt presidency, which was interesting.
The one grumble I would have with the book would be that it applied an overly positive gloss to some of the things that occurred in his presidency. As an example, I believe that America had problems in both Cuba and the Philippines, but both were glossed over. The only real reference to them in the book focused on him bringing Taft back from the Philippines to serve as his Secretary of War. I'm not sure about anyone else but I sometimes wished the author went on the attack with Roosevelt more, because I might have got a more rounded view of this interesting President.
Book 3 Colonel Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th American President and the youngest person to assume that office (JFK is the youngest to be voted into the position). Edmund Morris has written a three part biography of his life. The first book examines the 42 years till he assumed the Presidency. The second book looks at the 7.5 years he was in office. This book looks at the 10 years after he left the White House.
The series is an interesting group of books. You'll learn a lot about one of the four occupants of Mount Rushmore, and discover why he induced love (amongst his supporters) and loathing (amongst his opponents -and members of his own party) in this book in particular.
As I said, this book looks at the 10 years after he left the Presidency. Anyone who knows something about Teddy Roosevelt will probably know that he went on a safari, and then made an abortive run for the presidency 4years after he left office. Both those areas are covered in detail here.
What people probably won't realise is that he tried to live a positively heroic (and packed) life after leaving the Oval Office. When he wasn't discovering the origins of rivers in Brazil or shooting animals for the Smithsonian, he was an iconoclastic politician, journalist and author who was predicting the start of WWI (and the consequential need to re-arm) long before most other American politicians realised there was a problem. His iconoclasm split his party and might have cost it the Presidential Elections in 1912 and 1916.
Morris thoroughly covers all these aspects of a "man called Roosevelt" in the series. This book is as interesting as either of its' predecessors because you'll see what sort of man (and character) it takes to split a party and return to it later. You'll learn what he did, how he thought, why he behaved as he did in the later stages of this book, and understand the sort of man who was prepared to send all his sons to war.
In short read this book if you want to understand one of the great American leaders of the the 20th Century, and comprehend how a man can be both war hawk and social liberal at the same time.
Book 1 The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris charts Roosevelt's early life. It actually wasn't bad. I have an instinctive suspicion of modern Republicans (I've been put off by the recent crop I think) so I fully expected to dislike the guy, but I didn't.
This book covers Roosevelt's early life, from his birth to a well meaning patrician father in New York, to his finding out that he had ascended to the Presidency after the assassination of McKinley (the President who dies because they were poking round his intestines without anaesthetic).
Roosevelt comes across as a sort of centrist patrician type (like Bush Snr.) with a common touch (unlike Bush Snr.), who loved his hunting and fishing as much for the scenery as for the hunting. By today's standards he is hideously patronizing to what he might call the "lesser races" (he seems to assume they should all aspire to being white, even though they would never achieve "caucasian class" for want of a phrase), but he is a product of his time so that shouldn't be all that surprising. It did, however, result in him making some odd decisions though, especially with regard to foreign policy.
All in all it's a balanced biography but I'm left with a couple of thoughts after reading it. Firstly, part of me thinks that he would struggle to get the nomination today (or even possibly be a Bill Clinton style center-right Democrat at a stretch) because of his centrist views. Secondly I don't think he'd have been nominated as Vice-President had people known he would ascend to the Presidency after taking office.
Americans presumably know a lot more about Roosevelt than I do (and so can correct my views on the guy if I'm wrong), but my instinct is that I’m not all that far off about the guy!
Book 2 Theodore Rex
"Theodore Rex," by Edmund Morris, didn't really tell me much new about the Roosevelt philosophy (Morris had already established he was a centrist Republican whose most obvious "Republican Characteristic" was his "world stage interventionism" in an earlier book), but it did tell me what happened during the Roosevelt presidency, which was interesting.
The one grumble I would have with the book would be that it applied an overly positive gloss to some of the things that occurred in his presidency. As an example, I believe that America had problems in both Cuba and the Philippines, but both were glossed over. The only real reference to them in the book focused on him bringing Taft back from the Philippines to serve as his Secretary of War. I'm not sure about anyone else but I sometimes wished the author went on the attack with Roosevelt more, because I might have got a more rounded view of this interesting President.
Book 3 Colonel Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th American President and the youngest person to assume that office (JFK is the youngest to be voted into the position). Edmund Morris has written a three part biography of his life. The first book examines the 42 years till he assumed the Presidency. The second book looks at the 7.5 years he was in office. This book looks at the 10 years after he left the White House.
The series is an interesting group of books. You'll learn a lot about one of the four occupants of Mount Rushmore, and discover why he induced love (amongst his supporters) and loathing (amongst his opponents -and members of his own party) in this book in particular.
As I said, this book looks at the 10 years after he left the Presidency. Anyone who knows something about Teddy Roosevelt will probably know that he went on a safari, and then made an abortive run for the presidency 4years after he left office. Both those areas are covered in detail here.
What people probably won't realise is that he tried to live a positively heroic (and packed) life after leaving the Oval Office. When he wasn't discovering the origins of rivers in Brazil or shooting animals for the Smithsonian, he was an iconoclastic politician, journalist and author who was predicting the start of WWI (and the consequential need to re-arm) long before most other American politicians realised there was a problem. His iconoclasm split his party and might have cost it the Presidential Elections in 1912 and 1916.
Morris thoroughly covers all these aspects of a "man called Roosevelt" in the series. This book is as interesting as either of its' predecessors because you'll see what sort of man (and character) it takes to split a party and return to it later. You'll learn what he did, how he thought, why he behaved as he did in the later stages of this book, and understand the sort of man who was prepared to send all his sons to war.
In short read this book if you want to understand one of the great American leaders of the the 20th Century, and comprehend how a man can be both war hawk and social liberal at the same time.
September 27, 2021
Grandiozinio žmogaus grandiozinė biografija.
June 4, 2023
It’s a lot of reading. But that’s not Mr Morris’s fault…it’s Mr Roosevelts. He lived an extraordinary life that requires 2000+ pages.
September 1, 2023
Incredible read, I actually didn’t know it was a series until about halfway through ‘Rise..’ I was excited to continue two more books on my favorite president. Theodore Rex has a chapter or two that gets a bit sluggish, but that’s only due to the fact that government decisions seem to be sluggish already. Colonel certainly brings to light some of the issues that I was unaware of post presidency for Teddy and was interesting to learn about them.
Would recommend to almost anyone if they have the time. The books are dense but full of incredible detail. It was a great read for the summer after I had been struggling to find a good history book.
Would recommend to almost anyone if they have the time. The books are dense but full of incredible detail. It was a great read for the summer after I had been struggling to find a good history book.
May 11, 2021
Now I can understand why Theodore Roosevelt’s face was carved on Mt. Rushmore. He was one of Americas great Presidents indeed. He was a brilliant guy who loved to challenge himself. He had a knack for foreign policy and dealing with all types of people. He had his flaws – no one is perfect - but what he did during his life before, during and after his presidency was just a series of amazing accomplishments.
January 1, 2019
Like his writing style
August 20, 2020
A completely fantastic biography of one simply amazing American. I was unable to put a volume down without finishing it.
September 6, 2020
Was pretty good especially regarding his rise in politics. He was a really good man and President.
April 27, 2022
Wish I could add stars... I cannot recommend this trilogy more enthusiastically. So well written, I was hooked from the first paragraph.
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April 9, 2023to-read
August 10, 2025
I love history, and especially biographies of the U.S. Presidents. This trilogy is one of the best political biographies I’ve read, grounded in solid research. I did not know much about TR, other than My Dad was named after him. His whole personality is larger-than-life, and I understand now why my grandparents wanted to name their child after him. From his sickly childhood, his nonstop drive for self-improvement, his time in the Badlands, the Navy, the Rough Riders, and his rise through politics—all the way through his president terms and the great changes he made for our country is an incredible story. I was blown away by the larger-than-life power of this man. His "Man in the Arena" poster hangs in my husband's office and one that he quotes often. I believe my Dad had to have been proud to be named after him.
I highly recommend if you're into American history, political figures, or just love a good real-life story.
Extra: after reading, we found a series on Amazon Prime: Theodore Roosevelt, the ride to the whitehouse. A TV Mini Series, 2022, Executive Producer, Leonardo DiCaprio. It is well worth watching if you don't have time to read this incredibly long trilogy.
I highly recommend if you're into American history, political figures, or just love a good real-life story.
Extra: after reading, we found a series on Amazon Prime: Theodore Roosevelt, the ride to the whitehouse. A TV Mini Series, 2022, Executive Producer, Leonardo DiCaprio. It is well worth watching if you don't have time to read this incredibly long trilogy.
November 23, 2015
Finished first in trilogy "The Rise of Theodore Rex"
Details his childhood, travels to Europe, his time at Harvard 1877-. His ill health as a child.
He was an assemblyman for New York in 1882
Civil Service Commission in 1889
Reform Police Commissioner 1895, Served as president, 3 other commissioners: Andrews, Parker (enemy), and Grant.
Assistant Secretary at Naval War College 1897
Spanish War over Cuba. Famous Rough Riders 1898
Governor of New York 2 years
Vice President to McKinley's second term elected 1900. Term began 1901. He was 43 years old. McKinley was assassinated on Sept 6, 1901.
end of first book of trilogy
Platt-state party chair of New York? begrudging relationship with Roosevelt. Hanna- Republican chair, ran McKinleys campaigns. Senator. Hated Roosevelt.
Details his childhood, travels to Europe, his time at Harvard 1877-. His ill health as a child.
He was an assemblyman for New York in 1882
Civil Service Commission in 1889
Reform Police Commissioner 1895, Served as president, 3 other commissioners: Andrews, Parker (enemy), and Grant.
Assistant Secretary at Naval War College 1897
Spanish War over Cuba. Famous Rough Riders 1898
Governor of New York 2 years
Vice President to McKinley's second term elected 1900. Term began 1901. He was 43 years old. McKinley was assassinated on Sept 6, 1901.
end of first book of trilogy
Platt-state party chair of New York? begrudging relationship with Roosevelt. Hanna- Republican chair, ran McKinleys campaigns. Senator. Hated Roosevelt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 23, 2015MEME, HAVE YOU READ ANYTHING GOOD LATELY THAT IS NOT FANTASY OR YA?
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July 4, 2015NICE
February 25, 2016
I found this autobiography on Theodore Roosevelt very entertaining and interesting.
April 27, 2016
I'm so excited to read the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 29, 2016Read and rated the three volumes separately.
October 1, 2020
the best biography of Theodore Roosevelt out of the 4 or 5 that I have read.
The 1st volume being the best.
The 1st volume being the best.
September 9, 2024
Excellent read of our American history. On to book 2.
November 4, 2024
Beautifully written. As a fly on the wall to one of the most interesting men in American history, I feel as though I have lived his life.
August 8, 2017
Excellent! Love Teddy even more than before.
December 22, 2017
Interesting to find out so much about this great man.
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