Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the USA. His refusal to kill a bear tied to a tree has meant that he is always associated with the ‘Teddy Bear’ — but Roosevelt hated the name ‘Teddy’ and much preferred to be known by his initials, ‘TR’.  TR was not just a politician. He was one of the most extraordinary personalities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born a very sickly child in 1858 and overcame his disabilities with a wide range of ‘strenuous’ sports, including weight-lifting and boxing, all of which he continued into adult life. He became an all-round man of action. A rancher and cowboy. An adventurer, explorer, lover of nature and conservationist.
He was also a soldier — Colonel Roosevelt led his own company of ‘Rough Riders’ into war against the Spanish. As President he was to win the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering a peace between Japan and Russia. TR served nearly two terms as US President between 1901 and 1909. He was instrumental in the construction of the Panama Canal and the development of the US navy as a truly powerful world fleet. TR ceased to be President in 1909. Following an unsuccessful bid to regain the presidency in 1912 he went on a highly dangerous expedition to Brazil to track the course of a river. This became known as the Roosevelt River or River Teodoro. As a result of this trip TR nearly lost his life. He did recover, but died in his sleep in 1919. As one of his obituarists observed: ‘Death had to take him in his sleep, for if Roosevelt had been awake, there would have been a fight’.