Biography:

Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York on October 27th, 1858 to Theodore and Martha Bullock Roosevelt. Theodore became a "'naturalist' at age seven, and demonstrated his love for birds and insects by creating 'The Roosevelt Museum of Natural History" with two cousins." At age fourteen, his father bought him a gun and Teddy began to collect and stuff birds and other animals. Later on, Teddy became an active participant in politics and held small government office positions in New York. He joined the army during the Spanish American War and earned the title lieutenant colonel in the First Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (this regiment eventually became known as the Rough Riders). "Roosevelt came home from Cuba a hero" after successfully leading the charge on San Juan hill to end the war. Teddy won his election into the New York State govornor's office as a result of his Spanish American War fame. By 1900, he was the vice-presidential running mate of McKinley, and by 1901 they were sworn into office. McKinley was assassinated, and on September 14th, 1901 Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president. He was re-elected in 1904. His post-presidential years were spent hunting in Africa and exploring the Brazilian wilderness. Roosevelt died at age 60 while at his Long Island house, Sagamore Hill.

Reasons for Travel:

President Roosevelt traveled to Brazil in 1913. Much of the Brazilian tropics were "unexplored wilderness." The river basin Roosevelt was going to explore had never been traveled before by the "white man", did not appear on maps, and no one was sure where it ended. However, Roosevelt was up for the challenge. He wrote "Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die; and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life. Both life and death are part of the same Great Adventure." Roosevelt had also accepted invitations to lecture in Argentina and Brazil over a six week period and decided to join up with his friend Father Zahm after the lectures to explore the Amazon Basin.

Upon discussing his trip Roosevelt said "We have had a hard and somewhat dangerous but successful trip. No less than six weeks were spent...forcing our way down through what seemed a literally endless succession of rapids and cataracts. For forty-eight days we saw no human being. In passing these rapids we lost five of seven canoes...One of our best men lost his life in the rapids. Under the strain one of the men went completely bad...We have put on the map a river about 1500 kilometers in lenght...Until now its upper course has been utterly unknown to every one, and it's lower course...unknown to all cartographers." (from the Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt Brazilian Expedition 1913-1914).

Sources:

Kozar, Richard. Theodore Roosevelt and the Exploration of the Amazon Basin. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001.

Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt Brazilian Expedition 1913-1914

Images from: Through the Brazilian Wilderness and Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt Brazilian Expedition 1913-1914

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A map of Brazil from Roosevelt's book which shows the routes that Roosevelt and his traveling companions took.

On the left is Theodore Roosevelt holding a buck that he hunted.