The Rough Rider and the Professor: Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and the Friendship that Changed American History

Evoking the political intrigue of the Gilded Age, The Rough Rider and the Professor chronicles  the extraordinary thirty-five-year friendship between President  Theodore Roosevelt and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts.

Theodore  Roosevelt was a uniquely gifted figure. A man of great intellect and  physicality, the New York patrician captured the imagination of the  American people with his engaging personality and determination to give  all citizens regardless of race, color, or creed the opportunity to  achieve the American dream.

While Roosevelt employed his  abilities to rise from unknown New York legislator to become the  youngest man ever to assume the presidency in 1901, that rapid success  would not have occurred without the assistance of the powerful New  Englander, Henry Cabot Lodge.

Eight years older than Roosevelt,  from a prominent Massachusetts family, Lodge, was one of the most  calculating, combative politicians of his age. From 1884 to 1919 Lodge  and Roosevelt encouraged one another to mine the greatness that lay  within each of them. As both men climbed the ladders of power, Lodge,  focused on dominating the political landscape of Massachusetts, served  as the future president’s confidant and mentor, advising him on  political strategy while helping him obtain positions in government that  would eventually lead to the White House.

Despite the love and  respect that existed between the two men, their relationship eventually  came under strain. Following Roosevelt's ascension to the presidency, T.  R.’s desire to expand the social safety net—while attempting to broaden  the appeal of the Republican Party—clashed with his older friend's more  conservative, partisan point of view. Those tensions finally culminated  in 1912. Lodge's refusal to support the former president's independent  bid for a third presidential term led to a political break-up that was  only repaired by each man's hatred for the policies of Woodrow Wilson.

Despite their political  disagreements, Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge remained  devoted friends until the Rough Rider took his final breath on January  6, 1919.