Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

Theodore Roosevelt was often seen as the conservationist president as he was one of the few who saw natural resources as something to protect and cherish, when many still regarded them as inexhaustible. Ironically, he was a hunter who advocated for the wilderness. Nonetheless, he displayed sorrow for the loss of species and habitat in many of his books. During his presidency, he used his authority to protect wildlife and public lands by creating the United States Forest Service (USFS) and established 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments by enabling the 1906 American Antiquities Act. America owes nearly 200 million acres of national forest and parkland to his foresight and today there are 6 national parks dedicated to him.