As a president Theodore Roosevelt was a strong leader and ruled with an iron fist. Not only did he conquer the frontier but he went on to conquer other countries. Roosevelt started out life as a born leader. When he was a child he overcame his sickness by physical exercise and rugged outdoor activities. He went to college at Harvard and after graduating he went straight into politics. Starting his career as the president of the New York Board of Police Commissioners, and later went on to Washington as an assistant secretary of the navy. Then he became a Rough Rider during the Spanish-American War. Afterwards, he returned home he went on to become the Governor of New York and Vice President of the United States in 1900. Roosevelt then became President in 1901 when William McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt held office until 1908 where William Taft took his place. Roosevelts main concern when he was a president was the rapid business consolidations taking place in the American economy. He and the Justice Department took on JP Morgan, the owner of Transcontinental Railroads. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court as Northern Securities v. US(1904). The court held that the stock transactions constituted an illegal combination in restraint of interstate commerce. Roosevelt was considered a "trustbuster" after that case. Later in 1906, in response to public pressure for greater government intervention into businesses, he and Congress passed the Hepburn Act. This Act says that railroads can only charge the amount that is set by the government, and that the government was able to inspect financial records. The Pure Food and Drug Act, which brought about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was next. This act says that all foods and drugs had to be tested and approved by a government official before they went onto the market. The Meat Inspection Act, empowered the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ...
