Theodore Roosevelt. From hunter to United States president. Theodore Roosevelt was born in 1858. Teddy, as his friends called him, was a frail child, prone to illness, asthma attacks, and physical weakness. Yet, despite his poor health, he was a passionate lover of wildlife. Inspired by the works of James Audubon, William Bartram, and Alexander Wilson, as well as the adventure novels of Mayne Reid about boy hunters and the writings of Frank Forester, as a teenager Theodore became deeply interested in naturalism and decided to dedicate himself to taxidermy. This, of course, did little to help his asthma, so his father insisted he take up outdoor sports. The choice was obvious: Teddy chose hunting. His passion for hunting was remarkable. He took pride in shooting large numbers of birds and other wildlife, collecting impressive trophies—some of which he, as a naturalist, referred to as "specimens." But for Roosevelt, hunting wild animals and collecting their hides and horns was always a
Post: 28 January 02:16
