days of his life, he was able to rise meteorically to the governorship of New York and from there to the Oval Office, from whence he inaugurated the Square Deal, instituted the National Park System, and won the Nobel Peace Prize. Around the time TR was fending off asthma attacks, a young Italian was reeling under similar blows. Within the space of three years, he lost his entire family—a wife and two sons—and like his American counterpart, he refused to admit defeat. As an altar boy, he had nearly