The death of his first wife and of his beloved mother were at this time
a great blow to him, and leaving his one little daughter with relatives,
he struck out for the great West, where, in the Bad Lands, so called, he
located as ranchman and hunter, filling in his spare hours by studying
and by writing on various outdoor subjects, works which have become
decidedly popular, and which show well his gifts as an author and as an
observer of nature.

While still in great part a successful ranchman, he ran for mayor of New
York and was defeated. He now devoted himself with increased energy to
his literary labors until, soon after, he was appointed by President
Harrison a member of the Civil Service Commission. He served on this
commission with marked ability for six years, when he resigned to become
police commissioner of New York City.

Theodore Roosevelt's work as a police commissioner will not be readily
forgotten. The whole tone of the service was at once raised, and for the
first time in many years the metropolis had "dry" Sundays, when every
saloon in the city was tightly closed. This strict compliance with the
law made him some enemies, but to these he paid no heed, for he was
doing only his duty.

When William McKinley was nominated for the Presidency the first time,
Theodore Roosevelt was one of his most enthusiastic supporters. Upon the
election of McKinley, John D. Long was appointed Secretary of the Navy
and Theodore Roosevelt became the First Assistant Secretary. Ever since
writing his naval history the newly appointed assistant had made a close
study of naval matters, and now he applied himself with vigor to the
duties of his office; and it was primarily through his efforts that when
the war with Spain came, our war-ships and our coast defences were in
much better condition than they had been at any time previous in our
history.

With the outbreak of the war, Theodore Roosevelt resigned. "My duty here
is done," he said. "My place is in the field." And without loss of time
he and his intimate friend, Dr. Leonard Wood, began the organization of
that body of troops which was officially designated as the First United
States Volunteer Cavalry, but which speedily became known everywhere as
the Rough Riders,--a body as unique as the world has ever seen, being
made up of men from all over the Union, but principally from four
Territories, and including hunters, cowboys, soldiers of fortune,
foot-ball and base-ball ch