[Congressional Bills 110th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1352 Introduced in House (IH)] 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1352 Honoring Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, for his invaluable contributions to this Nation as a soldier, naturalist, statesman, and public servant on the 150th anniversary of his birth. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 17, 2008 Mr. King of New York submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Honoring Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, for his invaluable contributions to this Nation as a soldier, naturalist, statesman, and public servant on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Whereas Theodore Roosevelt, one of America's greatest presidents, was born on October 27, 1858, in New York City, New York; Whereas at the young age of 23 years, Theodore Roosevelt was elected to the first of 3 terms as a representative in the New York State Assembly, which lasted from 1882 until 1884; Whereas from 1895 until 1897, Theodore Roosevelt served as commissioner of the New York City Police Department; Whereas while serving as assistant secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley from 1897 until 1898, Theodore Roosevelt organized the First United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, popularly known as the ``Rough Riders'', and then served as colonel of this regiment during the Spanish-American War; Whereas from 1898 until 1900, Theodore Roosevelt served as governor of New York; Whereas in 1900, with the reelection of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt was elected as the 25th Vice President; Whereas upon becoming the 26th President the following year, Theodore Roosevelt took an active role in foreign affairs, establishing the United States as a new world power; Whereas as President, Theodore Roosevelt instituted broad reforms at home, particularly with respect to labor, monopolies, and conservation, throughout the duration of his presidency; Whereas Theodore Roosevelt instituted ``Big Stick'' diplomatic efforts by increasing the size of the naval fleet to the second largest fleet in the world by the end of his presidency; Whereas Theodore Roosevelt made great strides in the regulation and oversight of United States commerce, especially in the area of trusts and labor relations, by signing the Department of Commerce and Labor Act of 1903 and the Elkins Act of 1903, which criminalized the railroad industry's practice of extending rebates to valued customers; Whereas Theodore Roosevelt addressed the growing corruption of trusts by bringing lawsuits against 44 such entities during his presidency, earning himself the nickname ``Trust Buster''; Whereas Theodore Roosevelt was a dedicated conservationist, establishing 150 national forests, the first 51 Federal bird reservations, 5 national parks, the first 18 national monuments, the first 4 national game preserves, and the first 21 reclamation projects, which altogether extended Federal protection to nearly 230,000,000 acres of land; Whereas beginning in 1903, Theodore Roosevelt successfully negotiated a treaty with the Government of Panama to create the Panama Canal and remained active in the oversight of the construction from its beginning in 1904 until the end of his presidency; Whereas in 1906, Theodore Roosevelt received the Nobel Peace Prize, the first citizen of the United States to receive such prize, for leading the efforts to end the Russo-Japanese War with a 1905 peace treaty; Whereas in 1906, Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act into law, which established the Food and Drug Administration, and the Meat Inspection Act, which regulated the meat-packing industry; Whereas from 1886 until his death in 1919, Theodore Roosevelt made his home at Sagamore Hill in Oyster Bay, New York, which, in addition to being the home of Theodore Roosevelt and his family, from 1902 to 1908, served as his ``Summer White House''; Whereas on January 16, 2001, Theodore Roosevelt was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for leading a charge up the San Juan Heights in Cuba during the Spanish-American War shortly before the War ended, thereby becoming the first President to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and Whereas October 27, 2008 will be the 150th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt's birth: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) honors Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, for his invaluable contributions to this Nation as a soldier, naturalist, statesman, and public servant on the 150th anniversary of his birth. <all>