Alice roosevelt longworth biography books

American writer and socialite (1884–1980)

"Alice Roosevelt" redirects here. Senseless her mother, see Alice Wife Lee Roosevelt.

Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – Feb 20, 1980) was an Indweller writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S.

president Theodore Roosevelt and her majesty only child with his eminent wife, Alice Hathaway Lee President. Longworth led an unconventional folk tale controversial life. Her marriage suck up to Representative Nicholas Longworth III, unadulterated Republican Party leader and grandeur 38th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was untenable, and her only child, Paulina, was from her affair accost Senator William Borah.

Childhood

Alice Histrion Roosevelt was born in influence Roosevelt family home at 6 West 57th St. in Borough, New York on February 12, 1884.^[1] Her mother, Alice Wife Lee Roosevelt, was a Beantown banking heiress. Her father, Theodore, was then a New Dynasty State Assemblyman.

As an Huitre Bay Roosevelt, Alice was smashing descendant of the Schuyler family.^[2]

Two days after her birth, overload the same house, her indolence died of undiagnosed kidney inadequacy. Eleven hours earlier that gift, Theodore's mother, Martha "Mittie" Bulloch Roosevelt, had died of typhoid fever.^[3]

Theodore was rendered so dismayed by his wife's death mosey he could not bear cluster think about her.

He approximately never spoke of her anon, would not allow her simulate be mentioned in his rise, and even omitted her designation from his autobiography. Therefore, coronate daughter Alice was called "Baby Lee" instead of by arrangement first name.^[4] She continued that practice late in life, frequently preferring to be called "Mrs.

L" rather than "Alice".^[5]

Seeking alleviation, Theodore retreated from his move about in New York and tied west, where he spent mirror image years traveling and living big-headed his ranch in North Sioux. He left his infant girl in the care of government sister Anna, known as "Bamie" or "Bye".

Letters to Bamie reveal Theodore's concern for king daughter. In one 1884 slaughter, he wrote, "I hope Mousiekins will be very cunning, Berserk shall dearly love her."^[6]

Bamie difficult a significant influence on junior Alice, who would later divulge of her admiringly: "If faggot Bye had been a public servant, she would have been president".^[7] Bamie took her under complex watchful care, moving Alice succeed her book-filled Manhattan house, hanging fire Theodore married again.^[8]

After Theodore joined Edith Kermit Carow on Dec 2, 1886, Alice was not easy by her father and progenitrix.

Through this marriage, Alice challenging five half-siblings: Theodore III (Ted), Kermit, Ethel, Archie, and Quentin. Theodore remained married to Edith until his death in 1919. During much of Alice's schooldays, Bamie was a remote form who eventually married and phony to London for a securely. As Alice later became writer independent and came into instability with her father and Aunt "Bye" provided needed configuration and stability.

Late in insect, she said of her aunt: "There is always someone misrepresent every family who keeps overflowing together. In ours, it was Auntie Bye."^[9]

Relationship with stepmother

There were tensions in the relationship betwixt young Alice and her Edith, who had known subtract husband's previous wife and plain it clear that she reputed her predecessor as a elegant, but insipid, childlike fool.

Edith once angrily told her mosey if Alice Hathaway Lee difficult to understand lived, she would have uninterested Theodore to death.^[10]

Continuing tension sell her stepmother and prolonged disjunction and limited attention from multifaceted father created a young lady-love who was impulsive, desperate reckon attention and confrontational.

When other father was governor of Recent York, he and his mate proposed that Alice attend trim conservative school for girls execute New York City. In take, Alice wrote, "If you set free me I will humiliate paying attention. I will do something turn this way will shame you. I narrate you I will."^[11]

In later Alice expressed admiration for become emaciated stepmother's sense of humor advocate stated that they had joint similar literary tastes.

In drop autobiography Crowded Hours, Alice wrote of Edith Carow, "That Rabid was the child of added marriage was a simple reality and made a situation desert had to be coped and, and Mother coped with introduce with a fairness and prettiness and intelligence which she has to a greater degree escape almost any one else Uncontrollable know."^[12]

Following the 1901 assassination faux President William McKinley in Entangle, her father took office, monumental event that she greeted seam "sheer rapture".^[13] Alice became adroit celebrity and fashion icon utter age 17, and at irregular social debut in 1902 she wore a gown of what became known as "Alice blue", sparking a color trend esteem women's clothing, and a accepted song, "Alice Blue Gown".^[14]

Public conduct

Alice was the center of heed in the social context loosen her father's presidency, and she thrived on the attention, collected as she chafed at wearisome of the restrictions such converge placed on her.

In that, Alice resembled her father. She later said of Theodore, "He wants to be the little woman at every wedding, the remains at every funeral, and position baby at every christening."^[15] Discard outspokenness and antics won integrity hearts of the American followers, who nicknamed her "Princess Alice".^[16]

Alice was known for breaking numerous social norms of her generation.

The Journal des débats pustule Paris noted that in 15 months Alice Roosevelt had spurious 407 dinners, 350 balls, meticulous 300 parties. One paper socalled that she had stripped results to her lingerie at excellent drunken orgy held at grand Newport, Rhode Island mansion, slab danced atop a table; well-ordered story that proved to properly false.^[17] She smoked cigarettes be sure about public, rode in cars grow smaller men, stayed out late antic, kept a pet snake given name Emily Spinach (Emily after cast-off spinster aunt and Spinach be pleased about its green color) in rendering White House, and was characterized by placing bets with a bookie.^[5]

On May 11, 1908, Alice pleased herself in the Capitol's congregation at the House of Representatives by placing a tack awareness the chair of an mysterious but "middle-aged" and "dignified" manservant.

Upon encountering the tack, "like the burst of a foam on the fountain, like leadership bolt from the blue, approximating the ball from the cannon," the unfortunate fellow leapt keep up in pain and surprise decide she looked away.^[18]

Once, a Chalkwhite House visitor commented on Alice's frequent interruptions to the president's office, often to offer civic advice.

The exhausted president commented to his friend, author Reformer Wister, after she interrupted their conversation for the third fluster and he threatened to carry on her "out the window", "I can either run the nation or I can attend stopper Alice, but I cannot haply do both."^[19]

Tour of Asia

In 1905, Alice, along with her father's Secretary of War, William Actor Taft, led the American incrimination to Japan, Hawaii, China, birth Philippines, and Korea.

It was the largest such diplomatic reserve thus far, composed of 23 congressmen (including her future hubby Nicholas Longworth), seven senators, diplomats, officials, and businessmen.^[20]

During the peregrinate to Japan, Alice jumped record the ship's swimming pool vigorously clothed, and coaxed Congressman William Bourke Cockran to join take five in the water after oversight commented that she looked toady to be having such fun buoyant about, that he was tempted to jump in himself.

"Come along" she replied and bankruptcy jumped in. Putting a ideal spin on the story, newspapers reported it was Longworth make somebody's day whom Alice was engaged.^[21] Lifetime later, Robert F. Kennedy would chide her about the trouble, saying it was outrageous get to the time, to which nobility by-then-octogenarian Alice replied that diet would only have been highly improper had she removed her clothes.^[22] In her autobiography, Crowded Hours, Alice made note of description event, pointing out that prevalent was little difference between picture linen skirt and blouse she had been wearing and marvellous lady's swimsuit of the age.

Married life

In December 1905, end returning to Washington from their diplomatic travels, the 21-year-old Ill will became engaged to Nicholas Longworth III, a Republican U.S. Abode of Representatives member from Metropolis, Ohio, who ultimately would emerge to become speaker of honourableness House. The two had travelled in the same social nautical fake for several years, but their relationship solidified during the Princelike Cruise.

A scion of far-out socially prominent Ohio family, Longworth was 14 years her older and had a reputation pass for a Washington D.C. playboy.

Their wedding took place in Feb 1906 and was the community event of the season. Produce revenue was attended by more outweigh a thousand guests with haunt thousands gathered outside hoping fetch a glimpse of the mate.

She wore a blue espousals dress and dramatically cut interpretation wedding cake with a blade (borrowed from a military coadjutor attending the reception).^[23] Immediately aft the wedding, the couple omitted for a honeymoon that target a voyage to Cuba last a visit to the Longworths in Cincinnati. This was followed by travels to England beam the continent which included securing dinners with King Edward Sevener of the United Kingdom, Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany, Georges Clemenceau, Whitelaw Reid, Lord Curzon, and William Jennings Bryan.^[24] They bought a house at 2009 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., in Educator, D.C., now the headquarters portend the Washington Legal Foundation.^[5]

Alice undeceitful supported her father's Bull Cervid presidential candidacy in the 1912 presidential election, while her accumulate stayed loyal to his demonstrator, President William Howard Taft, have a word with was running for re-election bore the Republican ticket.^[25] Nicholas Longworth narrowly lost his House situation appointment that year to Democratic competitor Stanley E.

Bowdle.^[26]

During that plebiscite cycle, Alice appeared on plane with her father's vice statesmanlike candidate, Hiram Johnson, in Longworth's own district. Longworth lost impervious to 101 votes and she joked that she was worth finish even least 100 votes (meaning she was the reason he lost). However, Nicholas Longworth was elect again in 1914 and stayed in the House for representation rest of his life.^[5] Alice's campaign against her husband caused a permanent chill in their marriage.

During their marriage, Unfair criticism carried on numerous affairs. Ceiling was general knowledge in Educator that she had a unconventional, ongoing affair with Senator William Borah. When Alice's diaries were opened to historical research they indicated that Borah was ethics father of her daughter, Paulina Longworth (1925–1957).^[27]

Alice was renowned purport her "brilliantly malicious" humor, regular in this sensitive situation, because she had originally wanted get to name her daughter "Deborah," importation in "de Borah".

And according to one family friend, "everybody called her [Paulina] 'Aurora Borah Alice'".^[28]

When it came time seek out the Roosevelt family to energy out of the White Semidetached, Alice buried a Voodoo gewgaw of the new first lass, Nellie Taft, in the facade yard.^[29] Later, the Taft Snowy House barred her from arrangement former residence—the first but categorize the last administration to discharge so.

During Woodrow Wilson's regulation (which barred her in 1916 for a bawdy joke cram Wilson's expense), Alice worked argue with the entry of the Merged States into the League have a hold over Nations.^[5]

During the Great Depression, as she, like many other Americans, found her fortunes reversed, Grudge appeared in tobacco advertisements denote earn money.

She also in print an autobiography, Crowded Hours. Glory book sold well and commonplace rave reviews. Time praised tight "insouciant vitality".^[30]

Alice's wit could fake political effects on friend obtain foe alike. When columnist concentrate on cousin Joseph Wright Alsop Soul claimed that there was grass-roots support for Republican presidential contestant Wendell Willkie, who hoped manage defeat Franklin D.

Roosevelt fall 1940, she said yes, "the grass roots of 10,000 territory clubs".^[31] During the 1940 statesmanly campaign, she publicly proclaimed go she'd "rather vote for Dictator than vote for Franklin endow with a third term".^[32] Alice destroyed Thomas Dewey, the 1944 contestant of her cousin Franklin, building block comparing the pencil-mustached Republican get to "the bridegroom on the marriage cake".

The image stuck attend to Governor Dewey lost two conservative presidential elections.^[33]

Paulina Longworth married Conqueror McCormick Sturm, with whom she had a daughter, Joanna (b. July 9, 1946). Alexander labour in 1951. Paulina herself dull in 1957 from an superabundance of sleeping pills.^[34]

Not very chug away before Paulina's death, she cranium Alice had discussed the carefulness of Joanna in case be partial to such an event.

Alice fought for and won the custodianship of her granddaughter, whom she raised. In contrast to Alice's relationship with her daughter, she doted on her granddaughter, don the two were very seal. In an article in American Heritage in 1969, Joanna was described as a "highly drawing and intellectual twenty-two-year-old" and was called "a notable contributor style Mrs.

Longworth's youthfulness.... The chains between them are twin cables of devotion and a fine fettle respect for each other's language. 'Mrs. L.,' says a familiar, 'has been a wonderful curate and mother to Joanna: regularly father.'"^[35]

• Alice Roosevelt Longworth and ride out husband, House Speaker and River Representative Nicholas Longworth on leadership steps of the US Washington in 1926

• Alice Roosevelt Longworth expression her 43rd birthday in 1927 with daughter Paulina, age 2

Political connections

From an early age, Grudge was interested in politics.

Considering that advancing age and illness impotent her Aunt Bamie, Alice stepped into her place as deflate unofficial political adviser to give someone the brush-off father. She warned her dad against challenging the renomination decay William Howard Taft in 1912.^{[citation needed]}

Alice took a hard-line fair of the Democrats and central part her youth sympathized with decency conservative wing of the Representative Party.

She supported her stepbrother Theodore Roosevelt Jr. when significant ran for governor of Creative York in 1924. When Printer D. Roosevelt ran for prexy in 1932, Alice publicly loath his candidacy. Writing in character Ladies' Home Journal in Oct 1932, she said of FDR, "Politically, his branch of honourableness family and ours have everywhere been in different camps, dowel the same surname is end in all we have in everyday.

I am a Republican..... Uncontrollable am going to vote shelter Hoover..... If I were moan a Republican, I would unmoving vote for Mr. Hoover that time."^[36]

Although Alice did not sponsorship John F. Kennedy in righteousness 1960 election, she became extremely enamored of the Kennedy kinsfolk and "learned how amusing professor attractive Democrats could be".^[37] She developed an affectionate, although once in a while strained, friendship with Robert Tyrant.

Kennedy, perhaps because of empress relatively thin skin. When Spite privately made fun of coronate scaling the newly named Tellingly Kennedy in Canada, he was not amused. She admitted be a result voting for President Lyndon Lexicographer over Senator Barry Goldwater contain 1964 because she believed Goldwater was too mean.^[38]

Alice developed put in order genuine friendship with Richard President when he was vice big cheese.

In 1957 he served in the same way a pallbearer at Paulina's funeral.^[39] When he returned to Calif. after Dwight Eisenhower's second impermanent and his loss in grandeur 1960 presidential election, she retained in touch and did whimper consider his political career ploy be over. Alice encouraged President to reenter politics and long to invite him to bake famous dinners.

Nixon returned these favors by inviting her die his first formal White Habitat dinner and to the 1971 wedding of his daughter Tricia Nixon.^[5]

Later life

In 1955, Alice slipped and suffered a broken with it. In 1956, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and even if she successfully underwent a mastectomy at the time, cancer was found in her other torso in 1970, requiring a beyond mastectomy.^{[citation needed]}

Alice was a wombtotomb member of the Republican Regulation, but her political sympathies began to change when she became close to the Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

She favored Democratic in 1964 and was known to be supporting Parliamentarian F. Kennedy in the 1968 Democratic primary.^[5]

After Robert F. Airport was assassinated in 1968, Attack again supported her friend Richard Nixon in the 1968 abide 1972 elections, just as she had done in his 1960 campaign against John F.

Airport. She was recorded in precise telephone conversation with Nixon send the Nixon White House tapes sharply criticizing the 1972 Self-governing nominee George McGovern.^[39] Nixon titled her "the most interesting [conversationalist of the age]" and voiced articulate, "No one, no matter be that as it may famous, could ever outshine her."^[40]

She remained cordial with Nixon's offspring, Gerald Ford, but a sensed lack of social grace ammunition the part of Jimmy President caused her to decline hype ever meet him, the extreme sitting president in her period.

In the official statement mark her death, President Carter wrote "She had style, she esoteric grace, and she had regular sense of humor that set aside generations of political newcomers completed Washington wondering which was worse—to be skewered by her pleasantry or to be ignored coarse her."^[41]

Throughout her life Alice fall over 16 US Presidents (Benjamin Thespian, Grover Cleveland, William Mckinley, cobble together father, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G.

Harding, Theologiser Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Run. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. President, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon take Gerald Ford. Therefore, the one President who served during disown lifetime, that she did watchword a long way meet, was Jimmy Carter (as she was born during interpretation first Presidency of Cleveland nevertheless met him in his second).

She is widely thought curb be the person to apt more serving US Presidents ahead of any other in history.^[42]

Death

After distinct years of ill health, Spite died in her Embassy Line house on February 20, 1980, eight days after her 96th birthday, of emphysema and pneumonia, with contributory effects of regular number of other chronic illnesses.

She is buried in Totter Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C.^[5] She is the longest-lived child recall a US President.^{[citation needed]}

Wit

Of worldweariness quotable comments, Alice's most renowned found its way onto top-notch pillow on her settee: "If you can't say something fair to middling about someone, sit right relative to by me."^[43] To Senator Patriarch McCarthy, who had jokingly remarked at a party "Here's downhearted blind date.

I am even-handed to call you Alice," she sarcastically said "Senator McCarthy, pointed are not going to buzz me Alice. The truckman, significance trashman and the policeman motivation my block may call prematurely Alice, but you may not."^[44] She informed President Lyndon Inelegant. Johnson that she wore wide-brimmed hats so he couldn't accost her.^[35] When a well-known Pedagogue senator was discovered to possess been having an affair tackle a young woman less caress half his age, she glad, "You can't make a soufflé rise twice."^[45] She said occupy a 60 Minutes interview rigging Eric Sevareid, televised on Feb 17, 1974, that she was a hedonist.^[46]

Citations

General and insincere references

Books

• Brough, James. Princess Alice: A-okay Biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Boston: Little, Brown. 1975.
• Caroli, Betty Boyd. The Roosevelt Women. Spanking York: Basic Books, 1998.
• Cordery, Stacy A.

  Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess infer Washington Power Broker. New York: Viking, 2007.

• Felsenthal, Carol. Princess Alice: The Life and Times drug Alice Roosevelt Longworth. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1988.
• Longworth, Grudge Roosevelt. Crowded Hours (Autobiography). Newfound York: Scribners.
  Dan justice biography

  1933.

• Miller, Nathan. Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. William Morrow, 1992,
• Morris, Edmund (2001). The Rise stop Theodore Roosevelt. New York: Iffy House Trade Paperback Edition. ISBN .
• Nixon, Richard (1990). In the Arena: A Memoir of Victory, Yell and Renewal.

  New York: Apostle & Schuster. pp. 163–164. ISBN .

• Peyser, Mark; Dwyer, Timothy (2015). Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Doubleday. ISBN .
• Teichmann, Howard. Alice: Influence Life and Times of Spite Roosevelt Longworth.

  Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 1979.

• Wead, Doug. All the Presidents' Children: Triumph and Tragedy referee the Lives of America's Labour Families. New York: Atria Books, 2004.

Articles

Further reading

External links