James Roosevelt Roosevelt
American diplomat (1854–1927)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Roosevelt "Rosy" Roosevelt (April 27, 1854 – May 7, 1927) was an American diplomat, heir, and the older half-brother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States.[1]
James Roosevelt Roosevelt | |
|---|---|
Roosevelt in 1922 | |
| Born | April 27, 1854 |
| Died | May 7, 1927 (aged 73) Hyde Park, New York, U.S. |
| Other name | Rosy |
| Alma mater | Columbia University (1877) |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Spouses | Helen Schermerhorn Astor
(m. 1878; died 1893)Elizabeth Riley (m. 1914) |
| Children | 2, including Tadd |
| Father | James Roosevelt I |
| Relatives | Roosevelt family |
Early life
James Roosevelt "Rosy" Roosevelt was born on April 27, 1854.[2] He was the son of James Roosevelt I (1828–1900) and his first wife, Rebecca Brien Howland (1831–1876), who were second cousins.[3] When his father died in 1900, the family's estate was split between Rosy and his half-brother, Franklin.[1] Throughout his life he was considered "an aimless if charming member of New York society's sporting set."[4]
Career
Roosevelt graduated with honors from Columbia College in 1877.[5] President Grover Cleveland, who counted Rosy's father as a friend and supporter, appointed him first secretary of the United States legation in Vienna, Austria, and as first secretary of the embassy in London, England.[1][6]
Roosevelt was a trustee of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and a close friend of Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes. He donated more than $250,000 to St. Francis Hospital in New York and also gave substantial funds to the parish of St. James Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, New York.[1]
During World War I, he sold Liberty bonds and war savings stamps from an office he maintained in New York's Post Office Building.[5]
Personal life
On November 18, 1878, Roosevelt married Helen Schermerhorn Astor (1855–1893), the second daughter of businessman William Backhouse Astor Jr. (1829–1892) and socialite Caroline Webster Schermerhorn (1830–1908).[7][8] Together, Roosevelt and Helen had two children:
- James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (1879–1958), who married Sadie Messinger (c. 1880–1940)
- Helen Rebecca Roosevelt (1881–1962), who in 1904 married Theodore Douglas Robinson (1883–1934), the eldest nephew of President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)[9]
After his first wife's death in 1893, Roosevelt married Elizabeth Riley on August 7, 1914.[1] On May 7, 1927, Roosevelt died at his Hyde Park home as a result of complications related to bronchitis and asthma, according to news reports at the time. His second wife died in 1948.[1]
