For a political memorabilia collector, Teddy Roosevelt is an attractive and ideal subject. I certainly do not specialize in TR collecting, but I am pleased to have a quite few nice TR pieces in my collection.
Teddy was a great progressive Republican. He served as New York City Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Governor of New York, Vice President under William McKinley, he helped found the "Bull Moose" party in 1912, and he became President upon the assassination of President McKinley.
One of his more colorful roles was that of head of the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish-American War in 1898. The "Rough Riders" were the 1st U.S. Voluntary Calvary unit. They were raised in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War. Their most famous battle was the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba.
The Spanish-American war was a conflict between Spain and the United States fought in Cuba. In 1898, Americans grew angry at the reports of Spanish atrocities in Cuba, and after the mysterious sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, President McKinley intervened. Unfortunately, the war began a policy of American foreign intervention which has lasted to the present.
Above is a great photo of TR in his "Rough Rider" attire.
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