After Benjamin Harrison unexpectedly defeated Blaine for the presidential nomination at the 1888 Republican National Convention , Roosevelt gave stump speeches in the Midwest in support of Harrison . On the insistence of Henry Cabot Lodge , President Harrison appointed Roosevelt to the United States Civil Service Commission , where he served until 1895 . While many of his predecessors had approached the office as a sinecure , Roosevelt vigorously fought the spoilsmen and demanded enforcement of civil service laws . The '' New York Sun '' then described Roosevelt as " irrepressible , belligerent , and enthusiastic " . Roosevelt frequently clashed with Postmaster General John Wanamaker , who handed out numerous patronage positions to Harrison supporters , and Roosevelt 's attempt to force out several postal workers damaged Harrison politically . Despite Roosevelt 's support for Harrison 's reelection bid in the presidential election of 1892 , the eventual winner , Grover Cleveland , reappointed him to the same post . Roosevelt 's close friend and biographer , Joseph Bucklin Bishop , described his assault on the spoils system : In 1894 , a group of reform Republicans approached Roosevelt about running for Mayor of New York again ; he declined , mostly due to his wife 's resistance to being removed from the Washington social set . Soon after he declined , he realized that he had missed an opportunity to reinvigorate a dormant political career . He retreated to the Dakotas for a time ; his wife Edith regretted her role in the decision and vowed that there would be no repeat of it
1888 Republican National Convention
1888 Republican National Convention
Theodore Roosevelt