When Theodore Roosevelt was about five, frail and suffering from severe asthma, his wealthy and devoted parents provided the best medical treatment money could buy. In the early 1860s, one of his medically approved treatments was smoking big black cigars (for a five year old with asthma!) and copious amounts of black coffee. As an adult, Theodore never smoked anything, but he did become a mega coffee drinker. One of his sons noted that when TR was President, he drank a gallon of coffee every day – supplemented by four heaping spoons of sugar in every cup!

Between the caffeine and the sugar, TR was perpetually wired! More than just about anything, Theodore Roosevelt was energy personified. He required little sleep, read a book-a-day, traversed the country more than any other President up to that time, exhausted two-at-a-time stenographers with his correspondence, found time to take his wife rowing, his kids camping – and never missed a deadline.

Author, historian and political cartoonist Rick Marschall, is more than just an admirer of Theodore Roosevelt. He is an extremely knowledgeable maven on his favorite subject! His latest effort, The Most Interesting American is a biography of TR’s reputation, reputation being how other people perceived him. A very interesting way of looking at a very interesting American. 

During his relatively short on-paper lifetime (he died at only sixty), he likely died of extreme old age, having packed at least three or more full concurrent lifetimes into those years. And since such a multi-faceted individual presents different faces on his prism, Marschall divides the essence of Roosevelt into enough stand-alone chapters to be books in of themselves, and pepper every presidential TR library: the president, the politician; the sportsman; the conservationist; the family man, etc., etc.

Each section contains prescient annotated commentary from Marschall, followed by comments and excerpts from people who knew him personally. The quotes come from casual to close to lifetime friendships with hundreds (and maybe thousands) of people, many of whom achieved high prominence themselves. Prominent people usually get to know other prominent people.  

And very high on the list of TR’s many admirable qualities, is the one well known in his own time, but usually overlooked a hundred years after his death: his intelligence. He surely must rank very highly among presidents of exceptional intellect. His gift of remembering names and faces, and even small minutiae of their lives or past conversation, is an asset to every politician. His photographic memory of the details (to include multi-lines of poetry) from his book-a-day reading habit was extraordinary. But perhaps the biggest part of his true intellect-cum-intelligence was the scope, variety and broadness of his interests and abilities. He could navigate between mediating labor disputes and foreign wars, and became a master of the end-run – the alternative that usually makes winners of both sides. 

His personal companions were from every sort throughout his life. From outdoorsmen to Ivy League scholars, to poets, policemen and social reformers, to aristocrats and Kings. And children of all ages.

He could discuss a Supreme Court decision, the second act of Macbeth, the history of Lithuania, and the best way to skin a moose – and he could do it all knowledgeably … before dessert. 

And, according to Marschall, TR was very straightforward in evaluating his own abilities, and believed himself to have average skills. OK, perhaps a bit better than average, but surely not exceptional. As a writer, he had a nifty way with the vernacular that poured out of him like Niagara. But many writers were better. As a natural-scientist, he could likely have his own television series today, but career opportunities in the late nineteenth century were limited. And TR’s oversized personality might succumb to the boredom of day-after-day scientific research. As an outdoorsman, he was a mediocre rider and marksman. Even as a politician, in rarefied company, he knew that with politics, the events are usually in control – not the “man in the arena.” Theodore Roosevelt also self-evaluated one of his most important qualities: the one that resonated with the electorate: “sincerity.” And he was a sincere man. His belief that his abilities were average was not false modesty; TR was neither modest, nor false. He was very intelligent and insightful. 

If he had any quality that might be less desirable, it could be his “preachy” side. Marschall, the compiler of the excerpts and quotes, spends a hefty amount of space on TR’s morals, faith, religion and example-setting. Not that it is untrue or insincere. But morals, faith and religion are like garlic in the salad dressing: a little is fine…too much, not so fine. People tend to weary of crusaders, and after a while, said crusaders seem to be tilting at windmills. 

But overall, Rick Marschall has produced a masterpiece of observations by TR’s own contemporaries. Some, like his family members, were private and circumspect in their comments. Some, like John Hay, bridged the decades between knowing Lincoln and knowing TR, and loved them both. Some like Bill Sewell, his earliest guide to the great outdoors. Some like John Muir and John Burroughs, were the naturalists who considered TR their pal. Some were like Archie Butt, his Military Aide whose glances into the personal TR were private letters, never meant to be seen by the general public. There were a slew of newspaper reporters who followed his career for years. And even President Woodrow Wilson, his antagonist and rival, commented about Theodore Roosevelt’s lovable side! And dozens and dozens of people whose names are lost to history, but have left their marks anyway. 

The Most Interesting American is a joy for the Theodore fan, and a treasure for the Theodore scholar! Ask yourself: Who do I want to sit next to at a dinner party??!! The Most Interesting American!!! Available online!

The Most Interesting American

Rick Marschall

Post Hill Press, 2023

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1637586327