President Teddy Roosevelt in Georgetown

In our ongoing series of historic photos showing U.S. presidents in Delaware, this week we present this photo we found on the Pinterest page of the Delaware Public Archives. It purports to show President Theodore Roosevelt speaking in Georgetown in the early 1900s.

Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1901 at the age of 42 - the youngest president up until that time - following the assassination of President William McKinley. Coincidentally, McKinley died in Buffalo, N.Y., and Roosevelt was sworn into office in a Buffalo home on Delaware Avenue.

This photo shows an older Roosevelt, probably graying due to the pressures of the office. Roosevelt is often credited with being the father of our national parks system.  He once famously said: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”