Theodore Roosevelt Family Tree: The Story Behind America's Rough Rider President

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858–1919), born 27 October 1858 in New York City, and died 6 January 1919 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, was the 26th President of the United States (1901–1909) — youngest ever to assume the office (at 42); Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1906).

The Family's Roots: A Dutch-American Aristocratic Family in New York

The Roosevelt family is Dutch-American Protestant in New York.

His Parents

Father: Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (1831–1878) — businessman, philanthropist.

Mother: Martha "Mittie" Bulloch Roosevelt (1835–1884) — Georgia-born; Confederate sympathiser.

His Siblings

Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt Cowles (1855–1931) — eldest sister.

Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt (1860–1894) — younger brother; father of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (1861–1933) — youngest sister.

His First Wife: Alice Hathaway Lee

Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt (1861–1884) — Boston debutante. Married TR on 27 October 1880 (his 22nd birthday). Died 14 February 1884 of Bright's disease — same day TR's mother died.

Their Daughter

Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (1884–1980) — daughter; married Speaker Nicholas Longworth.

His Second Wife: Edith Carow

Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt (1861–1948) — childhood friend. Married TR on 2 December 1886 in London.

Their Children

Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt III (1887–1944) — Brigadier General; D-Day Medal of Honor.

Kermit Roosevelt (1889–1943) — explorer.

Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby (1891–1977) — daughter.

Archibald "Archie" Roosevelt (1894–1979) — Colonel.

Quentin Roosevelt (1897–1918) — Army pilot; killed in action WWI, July 1918.

The Roosevelt Family Tree at a Glance

Father: Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (1831–1878).

Mother: Martha "Mittie" Bulloch (1835–1884).

Siblings: Anna "Bamie" (1855–1931); Elliott (1860–1894) — Eleanor Roosevelt's father; Corinne (1861–1933).

First Wife: Alice Hathaway Lee (1861–1884; m. 27 October 1880, d. 14 February 1884 — same day as TR's mother).

Daughter (Alice): Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (1884–1980).

Second Wife: Edith Carow (1861–1948; m. 2 December 1886).

Children (Edith): Ted III (1887–1944); Kermit (1889–1943); Ethel (1891–1977); Archibald (1894–1979); Quentin (1897–1918 — KIA WWI).

Niece: Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) — daughter of Elliott; married FDR.

Theodore Roosevelt:

  • Born 27 October 1858, NYC
  • Harvard College (1880); Columbia Law School (incomplete)
  • New York State Assembly 1882–1884
  • Dakota cattle rancher 1884–1886 after Alice/Mittie deaths
  • New York City Police Commissioner 1895–1897
  • Assistant Secretary of the Navy: 1897–1898
  • Rough Riders Lt. Col., Battle of San Juan Heights (Cuba): 1898
  • Governor of New York: 1899–1900
  • Vice President: 4 March 1901 — 14 September 1901
  • 26th President of the United States: 14 September 1901 (after McKinley assassination) — 4 March 1909
  • Nobel Peace Prize: 1906 — Russo-Japanese War mediation
  • Panama Canal, conservation (Forest Service, National Parks), trust-busting
  • 1912 Bull Moose third-party run (lost)
  • Died: 6 January 1919, Oyster Bay — pulmonary embolism at 60

What the Roosevelt Family Story Teaches Us

A philanthropist father. A Confederate-sympathiser mother. A brother whose daughter Eleanor would marry FDR. A first wife and his mother lost on the same day in 1884. A second marriage that produced 5 children, one of whom died in WWI. A career that became the most-consequential U.S. presidency of its era.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the TR story carries the same lesson. Some careers carry tragic loss into the most-energetic presidency in American memory.

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