Episode 1: Man of Merit
In a world ruled by patronage and privilege, a young postal clerk with unique skills, integrity, and tireless work ethic, catches the attention of powerful men in Washington DC - beginning a rise through the machinery of American power, not by connections, but by merit.
Episode 2: Assassination
Now Private Secretary to President McKinley, Cortelyou proves indispensable during the Spanish-American War. But his resolve is truly tested when McKinley is shot by an assassin at the World’s Fair in Buffalo, NY. As the country reels, Cortelyou holds the government - and the grieving First Lady - together.
Episode 3: Architect
With Roosevelt’s sudden rise to the presidency, Cortelyou becomes the stabilizing force behind the most energetic administration in history. From modernizing the White House to managing the southern backlash after the president dines with Black leader Booker T. Washington.
Episode 4: Public Interest
Roosevelt takes on JP Morgan and America’s most powerful monopoly in the Supreme Court. Cortelyou is tapped to build a new arm of government from scratch - to regulate big business. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt spends several days camping in the wild with famed conservationist John Muir.
Episode 5: Pay to Play
Cortelyou reluctantly agrees to manage Roosevelt’s 1904 reelection campaign. Though a man of deep integrity, he becomes the subject of press smears for accepting donations from big business. The accusations cut deeply, threatening to stain the career of a man who always avoided the spotlight.
Episode 6: Ellis Island
Cortelyou, once a postal clerk, is now appointed Postmaster General and takes to modernize a vast, aging system. He streamlines operations, champions the use of automobiles, and mentors a struggling young clerk in need of second chances. Meanwhile, Lilly Cortelyou and Edith Roosevelt’s shared concerns over immigration policy come to a head when Edith’s visit to Ellis Island exposes the invasive questioning of women arrivals by male staff.
Episode 7: President Cortelyou
As the economy wobbles under the weight of reckless speculation and unchecked corporate trusts, a full-blown panic erupts on Wall Street in October 1907. A run on the banks spreads nationwide. There’s no Federal Reserve, no deposit insurance—just fear and collapsing confidence. Cortelyou, now Secretary of the Treasury, meets with J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and other financial titans.
As Roosevelt prepares to leave the office, Cortelyou's national profile has quietly grown. Rumors swirl that he could be the next President of the United States - especially with the open support of J.P. Morgan.