Today in 1897, Theodore Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Serving in the position for one year, Roosevelt was instrumental in preparing for war with Spain by planning naval strategies and ensuring George Dewey was named commander of the Asiatic Squadron.

Once war had been declared, Roosevelt resigned. He wrote, “I had preached, with all the fervor and zeal I possessed, our duty to intervene in Cuba…and from the beginning I had determined that, if a war came…I was going to the front.”

In spring of 1898, Roosevelt become Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry Regiment; better known as the "Rough Riders."

In remembrance of Roosevelt, an honorary rank of Colonel in the North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders was created during the 1961 Dakota Territory Centennial to acknowledge other North Dakotans who had achieved national recognition in their field.

Written by Christina Sunwall

Sources:
North Dakota State Government: Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award- http://www.governor.state.nd.us/awards/
Roosevelt, Theodore. The Rough Riders (New York: P. F. Collier & Son; 1899)
The Theodore Roosevelt Association- http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/

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