The youngest person to become president of the United States was Theodore Roosevelt, who took the oath of office at the age of 42 years and 322 days. Roosevelt became president after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901.
The Requirement to be President
The U.S. Constitution sets out three primary requirements for someone to be eligible to become president of the United States:
- They must be a natural born citizen of the United States.
- They must be at least 35 years old.
- They must have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years.
There is no maximum age limit for the presidency. The founders wanted to ensure that the president was mature and experienced enough for the demands of the office. But they did not want to exclude younger candidates who may be capable of serving effectively.
The youngest person elected president was John F. Kennedy, who was 43 years old when he took office in 1961 after winning the 1960 election. But Theodore Roosevelt became president at a younger age since he ascended to the presidency due to the death of the incumbent.
Theodore Roosevelt’s Early Life and Career
Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858 in New York City. As a young man, he suffered from poor health and was afflicted with asthma. Despite his physical limitations, he embraced an active outdoor lifestyle.
After graduating from Harvard College in 1880, Roosevelt attended Columbia Law School. However, he dropped out after one year to pursue a career in politics. At age 23, Roosevelt won election to the New York State Assembly as a member of the Republican Party.
Over the next few years, Roosevelt gained notoriety as a reformer within the Republican Party. He advocated for rooting out political corruption and limiting the power of party bosses. As a delegate at the Republican National Convention in 1884, he supported the presidential nomination of Senator George F. Edmunds over frontrunner James G. Blaine.
In 1886, Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of New York City. But his reputation continued to grow within Republican circles. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison rewarded Roosevelt for his loyalty by appointing him to the U.S. Civil Service Commission.
Service as Assistant Secretary of the Navy
When William McKinley won the presidency in 1896, he selected Roosevelt to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. As assistant secretary, Roosevelt worked to modernize and expand the Navy into a global force.
When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Roosevelt resigned from his desk job to form the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. This unit would be forever nicknamed the “Rough Riders.” Roosevelt served as lieutenant colonel of the Rough Riders and gained national fame for leading the charge up Kettle Hill during the Battle of San Juan Hill.
Election as Governor and Vice President
Riding the wave of his war hero status, Roosevelt was elected Governor of New York in 1898. As governor, Roosevelt continued to battle corruption and pushed for moderate reforms. He was reelected governor in 1900.
At the 1900 Republican convention, Roosevelt reluctantly agreed to serve as William McKinley’s running mate. McKinley defeated Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan in November. At age 42, Roosevelt became the youngest vice president up to that point in U.S. history.
Ascending to the Presidency
Roosevelt had served just six months as vice president when President McKinley was assassinated in September 1901. At age 42 years and 322 days, Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president. He remains the youngest person to ever hold the office.
Upon taking office, Roosevelt vowed to continue McKinley’s policies and not rock the boat too much. But he quickly demonstrated that he would govern in his own right. He referred to the presidency as a “bully pulpit” from which to fight for his reform agenda.
Key Domestic Policies
During his presidency, Roosevelt pushed for a number of key domestic policies:
- Antitrust: Roosevelt used federal power under the Sherman Antitrust Act to break up major monopolies and combinations in restraint of trade. His administration filed lawsuits against railroad, beef, and oil monopolies.
- Conservation: Roosevelt set aside over 125 million acres of federal land for conservation. He established national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges. He also enacted the Newlands Reclamation Act to fund irrigation projects.
- Consumer protection: Roosevelt’s administration enacted new federal oversight of the food, livestock, and pharmaceutical industries. The Meat Inspection Act and Pure Food and Drug Act created modern federal standards for health and safety.
- Labor relations: Roosevelt took a balanced approach to relations between labor and business. He supported arbitration and negotiation during strikes. He became the first president to publicly support labor unions, but also criticized their excesses.
Overall, Roosevelt ushered in a period where the federal government took on a larger role in regulating the economy and advancing the public welfare.
Foreign Policy
In foreign affairs, Roosevelt asserted America’s growing role as a global power. He oversaw the construction of the Panama Canal that greatly expanded trade and military capacities. He brokered an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, earning a Nobel Peace Prize. And he sent the Great White Fleet on a 43,000 mile journey around the world as a demonstration of American naval power.
But most significantly, Roosevelt developed the foreign policy philosophy of “speak softly and carry a big stick.” He built up American military power in order to negotiate peacefully but forcefully with foreign powers. This philosophy helped lay the groundwork for American intervention in Latin America and the Pacific over the next century.
Election in His Own Right
In 1904, Roosevelt easily won the Republican nomination for president in his own right. He selected Charles Fairbanks as his running mate. Roosevelt went on to defeat Democratic challenger Alton Parker in a landslide victory in the November election.
Roosevelt received nearly 56% of the popular vote and an electoral college landslide of 336 to 140. At age 46 years 61 days, he became the youngest person ever to win election as president. That record still stands today.
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Electoral Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Theodore Roosevelt (Republican) | 7,628,461 | 336 |
| Alton Parker (Democrat) | 5,083,880 | 140 |
Second Term Agenda
Despite his landslide victory, Roosevelt promised to continue his moderate agenda and not radically overhaul society. He told voters in 1904:
My aim will be to continue unswervingly the policy . . . in accordance with the principles embodied in the platform upon which I was elected.
Roosevelt sought to continue his agenda of trust-busting, conservation, increasing the regulatory power of the federal government, and cautious foreign policy. However, he did not pursue any sweeping new domestic programs in his second term.
Life After the Presidency
Roosevelt chose not to run for another term in 1908. He had served nearly two full terms and believed that was enough. Roosevelt supported William Howard Taft as his successor and Taft went on to win the 1908 election.
After leaving office, Roosevelt embarked on an African safari and tour of Europe. He returned to American politics in 1912 and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination from Taft. Roosevelt then launched an independent bid for president under the Progressive or “Bull Moose” Party.
Roosevelt soundly beat Taft in the popular vote during the 1912 election. But he finished second behind Democrat Woodrow Wilson who won both the popular vote and the electoral college. Roosevelt considered his second place finish a vindication of his progressive policies which would later be adopted by Wilson.
Roosevelt repaired his relationship with the Republican Party after 1912. He criticized Wilson’s foreign policy as overly idealistic. When World War I broke out, Roosevelt advocated for preparedness and aid for the Allies. He considered running for president again in 1920 but died in 1919 at the age of 60.
Roosevelt’s face was later enshrined on Mount Rushmore along with Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln in recognition of his legacy as one of America’s greatest presidents. Theodore Roosevelt remains the model of a vigorous, masculine, and youthful president governing actively in the national interest.
Conclusion
In summary, Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest person ever to assume the U.S. presidency when he took office at age 42 after McKinley’s assassination. He was also the youngest to be elected in his own right in 1904 at age 46.
Roosevelt ushered in a more active federal government on both domestic and foreign policy matters. He broke up monopolies, took on trusts, conserved wilderness lands, expanded the Navy, and asserted American interests globally. Roosevelt remains a model for vigorous executive leadership today.