A partnership of fire and discipline: Theodore Roosevelt energized the country, George B. Cortelyou organized it.

"Cortelyou is The Crown meets The West Wing, but it’s real - and almost no one knows the story. At the height of American chaos - presidential assassinations, monopolies, financial collapse - one man quietly held the system together: George B. Cortelyou. He rose from postal clerk to the nerve center of the White House, serving three presidents without ever chasing fame. While others grabbed headlines, he built the modern presidency. It’s about quiet power, moral restraint, and the kind of leadership we’re desperate for today. And yes - it really happened."

Under Theodore Roosevelt, Cortelyou held roles now split among a dozen modern officials: chief of staff, press secretary, scheduler, speech writer, campaign chair, Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Postmaster General, Secretary of the Treasury, and national crisis manager. In a chaotic political world fueled by ego, greed and corruption, Cortelyou’s weapon was competence.”