Letters to His Children

Written by Theodore Roosevelt

Narrated by LibriVox Community

The strong, vigorous, exalted character of a doting father who loved playing with his children and their pets, even while serving as the President of the United States, stands revealed in this selection of letters he wrote his children throughout their school years. They shed light on the cheerful man who remained throughout his life as pure and gentle as the soul of a child, plus many little reveals that there were squirrels nesting in the presidential bedroom, rats in the basement, and children's pranks that damaged the White House artwork! Many of these letters are considered valuable guides for youth in all ranks of life, notably those on the relative merits of civil and military careers, and the proper proportions of sport and study. Only a short time before he died, Teddy Roosevelt said "I would rather have this book published than anything that has ever been written about me." ~ Summary by Michele Fry

NOTE: Roosevelt gave titles to all his letters, and all letters in this audio collection are recorded in sequential order with their titles. Most are too short to be published as separate audio files, thus several have been combined in most cases.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was an American politician, naturalist, military man, author, and the youngest president of the United States. Known for his larger-than-life persona, Roosevelt is credited with forming the Rough Riders, trust-busting large American companies including Standard Oil, expanding the system of national parks and forests, and negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. A prolific author, Roosevelt’s topics ranged from foreign policy to the natural world to personal memoirs. Among his most recognized works are The Rough Riders, The Winning of the West, and his Autobiography. In addition to a legacy of written works, Roosevelt is immortalized along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln on Mount Rushmore, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honour by President Bill Clinton for his charge up San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War, and was given the title of Chief Scout Citizen by the Boy Scouts of America. Roosevelt died suddenly at his home, Sagamore Hill, on January 5, 1919. Roosevelt, along with his niece Eleanor and his cousin Franklin D., is the subject of the 2014 Ken Burns documentary The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.