Hermann Hagedorn (1882-1964) is remembered for his biographies
of Theodore Roosevelt and his work to promote the legacy and
ideals of Roosevelt through his long service to the Theodore
Roosevelt Association. The son of German immigrants, Hagedorn
was born in New York but grew up speaking German at home. He
learned English at the series of private boarding schools he
attended. Eschewing a business career, Hagedorn enrolled at
Harvard. His interests had crystallized around journalism and
writing, and while he was an undergraduate and a board member of
the Harvard Advocate, he happened to meet Theodore Roosevelt,
who stopped by the Advocate office. Hagedorn graduated Phi Beta
Kappa in 1907. The following year he married Dorothy Oakley and
published his first book. From 1910 to 1911 he taught English at
Harvard and then quit to devote himself to writing
professionally. Hagedorn’s friendship with Roosevelt did not
begin until May of 1916, when he accompanied The Outlook
magazine editor, Lawrence F. Abbott, to lunc