Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City to a prosperous family. After graduating from Harvard University in 1880, he served in the New York state assembly from 1882 until 1884. He then retired briefly to a ranch in the Dakota Territory but returned to New York City in 1886 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor. In 1889 he became a civil service commissioner, and in 1895 he became president of the New York City Board of Police Commissioners. Following his appointment as assistant secretary of the Navy in 1897, Roosevelt organized and led the Rough Riders cavalry unit in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. After the war, Roosevelt was elected governor of New York. In 1900 he was elected vice president and then assumed the presidency when William McKinley was assassinated in 1901. During his presidency, Roosevelt supported a policy of unrestricted trade in China and began construction of the Panama Canal. His foreign policy was summarized by his motto, “Walk softly and carry a big stick.” In 1904 he was re-elected to the presidency and in 1906 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping negotiate the end of the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt also worked to conserve natural resources, and he helped establish the national park system. In 1912 he ran as the Progressive Party candidate for president, but he lost the election to Woodrow Wilson.
