what did theodore roosevelt do that brought him to national prominence?
President of the United States
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 The first recorded use of the phrase occurs in a private letter from Roosevelt ( then governor of New York ) to Henry L. Sprague , dated January 26 , 1900 . Roosevelt wrote , in a bout of happiness after forcing New York 's Republican committee to pull support away from a corrupt financial adviser : 

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 In the late 1940s , Democrats in New York and throughout the country courted Roosevelt for political office . 

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 Roosevelt would go on to be elected Vice President later that year , and subsequently used the aphorism publicly in an address to the Minnesota State Fair , entitled " National Duties " , on September 2 , 1901 . : 

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 Four days later , President William McKinley was shot by an assassin ; his death a further eight days later elevated Roosevelt to the presidency . 

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 Summer 1949 brought an unwanted distraction for Robinson . In July , he was called to testify before the United States House of Representatives ' Committee on Un @-@ American Activities ( HUAC ) concerning statements made that April by black athlete and actor Paul Robeson . Robinson was reluctant to testify , but he eventually agreed to do so , fearing it might negatively affect his career if he declined . 
