First Voters Club

Sepia image of Theodore Roosevelt. Text in white on bottom. 

Still the youngest president in American history at the age of 43, Teddy Roosevelt entered the White House after President McKinley's untimely death on September 14th, 1901. Roosevelt's energetic, reformist, and charismatic style of leadership had been a stark contrast to the stoic, soft-spoken sensibilities of the figures who had preceded him.

"First Voters" clubs sprang up across college campuses throughout the first half of 1904 to help ensure Roosevelt's success on election day later that year. TR won in a landslide victory, thanks in large part to the strong, vocal support of young men across campuses and elsewhere.

In November 1902, Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that had been run down by dogs and lassoed. A cartoon by Clifford Berryman made the incident instantly famous, and Roosevelt was dubbed "Teddy Bear."