After the campaign , Roosevelt took office as vice president in March 1901 . The office of Vice President was a powerless sinecure and did not suit Roosevelt 's aggressive temperament . Roosevelt 's six months as Vice President were uneventful , and Roosevelt presided over the Senate for a mere four days before it adjourned . On September 2 , 1901 , Roosevelt first publicized an aphorism that thrilled his supporters at the Minnesota State Fair : " Speak softly and carry a big stick , and you will go far . " On September 6 , 1901 , President McKinley was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo , New York when he was shot by Leon Czolgosz . Roosevelt was vacationing in Vermont , and traveled to Buffalo to visit McKinley in the hospital . It appeared that McKinley would recover , so Roosevelt resumed his vacation in the Adirondacks . When McKinley 's condition worsened , Roosevelt again traveled to Buffalo . McKinley died on September 14 , and Roosevelt was informed while he was in North Creek ; he continued on to Buffalo and was sworn in as the nation 's 26th president at the Ansley Wilcox House
was shot
Assassination of William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt