17. Roosevelt found the vice presidency a powerless position and chafed in it
Although Roosevelt initially announced that he would not accept nomination to serve as McKinley’s running mate in 1900, he was persuaded to accept it after political maneuvering by Platt at the Republican Convention assured he won unanimously. Once he had the nomination in hand he campaigned tirelessly for the Republican ticket. He barnstormed by train, visited 23 states, and made nearly 500 individual appearances. His war record was stressed by the campaign, and he exhibited the vigor of his reputation, spoke with exuberance, and connected with the common man and the middle class as one of them, though in truth he was a man of privilege and wealth.
He took office as Vice President of the United States in March, 1901, with the full knowledge that it was a position of little power and influence. He had taken such positions before, which were little more than sinecures, and had made them influential through the force of his own personality. He tried to do the same in Washington but found that it was impossible due to the definition of office in the Constitution. As vice president, he presided over the Senate, the only prescribed duty of the office, for just a few days. His only other activity was in giving speeches at various events across the country, an activity which bored him until September.
