Mornings
on Horseback
A Biography
David McCullough
Simon and Schuster:
445 pp., $16, paperback
We know not the rich or famous
But if we did, they’d blame us
For their failings and their downs
And credit selves for all their crowns
Though we may never prove it’s true
Their circles don’t include our friends
Or those within our working crew
We are not of means, but ends
While they must find some work to do
This biography of Theodore Roosevelt is not a garden-variety
glorification of a famous man, but the detailed insight of a family destined
for greatness in the face of extremes.
The extremes include wealth and power, but also extreme of insulation
from deprivation and carefully choreographed social contact with only the top
rung of the social ladder.
Much of the book is drawn from the literally thousands of
letters written to and by the Roosevelts and the detail is both exquisite and,
at times, excruciating. McCullough
has painstakingly researched the background of Teddy Roosevelt and has spent
much of the book uncovering the fascinating roots of his father, also Teddy
Roosevelt. McCullough has not
taken the path of other biographers of Roosevelt, but instead carved this
full-bodied description from wood of his own choosing. His choices include the strengths and
weaknesses of reality and the resulting sculpture is a worthy piece.
Some of the early days of the Teddy we thought we knew are
wrapped tightly in the body of his family and especially his father who,
although already wealthy through family, gains more through his knowledge of
the upper social class in 19th Century America. Teddy Senior had manifold resources of
money and position and he used it to protect and educate his family and not
merely his children. He was wealthy
enough to buy his way out of the Civil War as many of his station did and yet
writes of wishing he had served.
That may remind you of a recent candidate for president who spoke
wistfully for his support of the Vietnam War while he got three deferments to
avoid it. Like Governor Romney, Roosevelt
was kept apart from those who served, but hired them and fired them. The public school system was not for
people of his stature; not even private schools would do, but Roosevelt hired
tutors who educated and traveled with the family. In fact, the social fiber of his life was so strong that he
was able to travel in Europe for a year meeting up from time to time with his
peers and their families. He even
had a winter on the Nile and chartered a ship for his entourage while
underwriting the ships of eight of his peers and their families and their many
servants and staff so they could meet socially from time to time on the river. McCullough describes a chilling scene in
Italy where the senior Theodore Roosevelt happens upon a group of starving
women and children. The Roosevelts
purchase cake and break it into crumbs to feed to the hapless Italians and
absolutely chortle and delight in watching them grovel on their hands and knees
feeding on the cake “like chickens.” It is a stark reminder that having wealth and social position
is no guarantee of grace or humanity.
There are still other episodes that demonstrate that even in
the late 19th Century, that wealth was no guarantee of health. The elder Theodore died painfully with
stomach cancer and was given ether to reduce the pain. His wife Mittie (the younger Theodore’s
mother) died from typhoid fever due to poor hygiene whether from their own
practices or their cooks is unknown.
Within eleven hours, Alice, young Theodore’s wife died of Bright’s
disease after he rushed back from his political position in Albany. Bright’s
disease was a general term for kidney failure at the time. Through most of the youth of the
younger Teddy, he suffered from asthma and was given special attention so that
the family might get through the many episodes. David McCullough did the research to determine that
virtually all his attacks began on Friday nights thus supporting the thesis
that young Roosevelt was psychosomatic and yet the family and especially his father
cared for him for hours on end and self prescribed “cures” such as cigars to
ease the attacks. The family also
endured countless outdoor challenges to get the young Theodore to fresh air.
Having lost his wife and mother, the younger Teddy was drawn
more fully into his political work.
He depended increasingly on his sister Anna, “Bamie” within the
family. His only child was raised
by Anna. In his early days, even
in the New York legislature, Teddy was seen as a dandy who dressed impeccably,
but had a weak voice, a prissy appearance and was ineffective in dealing with
ordinary people. A few, however,
noted his ability to analyze and to present cogent arguments despite his
appearance. They saw him build
into a leader that others did not see at the time.
It is unclear that his self analysis or perhaps simply a
feeling that he needed to become more physically capable led to his intense
training and travel to the Badlands of the Dakotas, but this where we first see
the Teddy that became famous for his physical exploits and toughness. All this was despite his “dude”
fashion. He gained weight in
muscle and gained physical endurance.
In essence, he became what he first attempted to portray in posed
photographs. He invested in cattle
and became a “ranchman” rather than a cowboy and yet he worked as hard and long
as any of the help. There is an
interesting tidbit from his days in the field when one of his hired hands
offered Teddy a stray calf he had roped.
Roosevelt fired him on the spot saying that anybody that would steal for
him would soon steal from him. Overall, he lost money on cattle, but learned and grew
tremendously in a period of about three years. He also reprimanded and nearly fired a cowboy who had the
temerity to call him “Theodore.”
Social position outranked money in the eyes of Roosevelt. While in the Dakota Badlands, he became
a social and business associate of Marquis de Mores of France who also invested
in the cattle business and built a slaughterhouse in the Badlands to change the
practice of shipping cattle to Chicago for slaughter. Social standing seemed to outweigh all other factors in
business as well as social decisions.
In that regard, the elder and younger Theodore were alike. Even his associations while at Harvard
were not with the wealthy, but only the well positioned wealthy of the lot.
McCullough spends little ink on what other authors dwell
upon in Roosevelt’s prime national political life. That is available nearly everywhere, but if you want a
detailed view of how the phenomenon of Teddy Roosevelt was formed and matured,
you will find this a valuable study of the times and persons that surrounded
Teddy Roosevelt. If you want to
know more intimate details of his family life, his upbringing and social
status, then this book is essential.
Peace,
George Giacoppe
30 June 2013
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