Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. was the paramount trailblazer who gave the Progressive Era its name.
Famous for his strenuous lifestyle, swashbuckling and exuberant personality, our 26th president was a statesman honored by the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War; an author of 18 books (including a four volume history entitled The Winning of the West), a warrior who in the Spanish-American War led the legendary charge of the Rough Riders up the San Juan hill in Cuba; and a learned naturalist who explored remote regions of South America and Africa.
But Roosevelt's biggest claim to lasting fame was his bold leadership as the youngest President of the United States.
Deeply socially-conscious and furious at the greed and deceitful practices of big business leaders, Roosevelt fired his first barrage at what were then called "the robber barons" shortly after his inauguration in 1901. He delivered a 20,000-word speech to Congress calling for laws to curb the power of large corporations.
He pressed forward with his populist crusade by supporting organized labor, promoting federal regulations to protect consumers, and launching 40 antitrust suits to break up major railroad companies and Standard Oil.

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