Theodore Roosevelt And The Amazon Expedition
Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesTheodore Roosevelt pointing at the part of Brazil that he explored on his expedition.
Despite a hard-fought race, Theodore Roosevelt lost his third bid for the presidency in 1912 to the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson. Disappointed and at loose ends, Roosevelt decided to embark on a speaking tour in South America.
Once there, he heard about an opportunity to explore an uncharted river in Brazil called the River of Doubt — and grabbed at it with both hands. According to HISTORY, the 55-year-old former president called the Brazilian expedition his “last chance to be a boy.” He knew it would be risky, but he characteristically welcomed the danger.
“If it is necessary for me to leave my bones in South America,” Theodore Roosevelt claimed, “I am quite ready to do so.”
Library of CongressTheodore Roosevelt in Brazil. 1913.
In the end, Roosevelt almost did leave his bones in South America. Illness haunted the expedition, the men were stalked by mosquitos — and indigenous warriors — and the river’s swirling rapids were perilous. At one point, the former president was struck by a fever so bad that he believed it would kill him. But though he urged the others to leave him behind, Roosevelt’s son, Kermit, refused to abandon his father.
“I knew his determination,” Roosevelt later wrote, noting that he feared that Kermit would stay with him and perish in the jungle. “So there was only one thing for me to do, and that was come out myself.”
In the end, Roosevelt and his expedition successfully charted the River of Doubt — renamed the Roosevelt River — and Roosevelt and his son triumphantly returned to the United States.
But Teddy Roosevelt’s days were numbered. After fighting death at every turn, in childhood, in war, and during his presidency, the former president finally died on Jan. 6, 1919. He passed away in his sleep, leading Woodrow Wilson’s vice president Thomas R. Marshall to quip: “Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.”
After reading about Theodore Roosevelt’s many brushes with death, see how the president inspired the creation of America’s most popular toy — the Teddy Bear. Or, discover the tragic but inspiring story of Theodore Roosevelt’s youngest son, Quentin Roosevelt.
