Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States and father of Alice Roosevelt once said "I can be president of the United States, or I can attend to Alice." Alice Roosevelt set a precedent for all first children that came after her for her unexpected celebrity as she was prominent both politically and socially.
Alice Roosevelt's mother died two days after giving birth to her, the same day Teddy Roosevelt's mother died. Unable to cope with his grief, he headed off to the Dakota Territory to heal and Alice was raised by her aunt for the next three years. As she grew up, Alice faced problems with her stepmother and with the distance her father kept between them.
Once her father's political career picked up speed, so too did Alice's fame. She was outspoken and according to one of her biographers, "a female caricature of her father's most criticized traits." She had her own car, bet on races, had a pet snake, and went out in public alone. But in accordance with such outlandish behavior, she also brought intelligence, a keen grasp of social protocol, and various brushes with royal's and society's most famous players leading to her being nicknamed "Princess Alice" by the press.
She married Cincinnati Representative Nicholas Longworth, a man 14 years her senior and known to be a chaser of women and whiskey, in the White House on February 17, 1906. As the marriage continued so too did Longworth's affairs and Alice grew unsure of whether he truly loved her or if he valued her power more. At the age of 40, Alice had a daughter, Paulina, whom Nicholas cared for deeply who, as it later was revealed, was not his child. Alice had had an affair with Senator William Borah of Idaho. Borah would die nine years after Longworth and Paulina would pass in her 30s from a toxic combination of medication and alcohol.
To add to her already large list of unique behavior, Alice criticized her cousin Franklin Roosevelt publicly, denigrating his foreign affairs, specifically the New Deal.
Alice would die on February 20, 1980, at the age of 96. She lives on as an icon of her time, fiercely outspoken, witty, and undeniably herself, most exemplified in her famous throw pillow that stated: "If you can't say something good about someone, sit right here by me."
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alice-Roosevelt-Longworth
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/books/review/Mallon-t.html
https://daily.jstor.org/alice-roosevelt-the-original-famous-first-kid/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/18/AR2007101801956.html?noredirect=on
Cathy, I enjoyed your blog post a lot. It was fun to read about an interesting figure in history who we did not have time to talk about in class. I leaned about a person I would not know much about if it were not for your post.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I learned much about Alice Roosevelt from this article, and to know about the life of the original "First Kid" is exciting to me as I wonder what my children will live like (just kidding!!). Anyways, I think it's really interesting that such a publicized figure as herself chose from a young age to defy all expectations of a woman and of a political celebrity at the time. Her comment on her own cousin/president's actions is loud and controversial for her time, but it is cool that she spoke her mind regardless. I'm glad that in some manner I was able to learn of such an outspoken role model for girls everywhere, and I am especially honored to be one of those girls now. :)
ReplyDeleteAlice Roosevelt is a very surprising person! I think it's so cool that she was the original "first kid", as she was a bit of a celebrity and socially outspoken, something we associate with first kids now. I also think it's an interesting connection to how scrutinized first kids can be, as she was seen as outlandish for her unladylike behavior. But I love how that didn't stop her from speaking her beliefs and standing up for herself. Her marriage and the scandal behind that was also an interesting addition that I'd love to learn more about. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThats an Icon. Thank you for your post. I geiunly did not know about this but now that I do I realize how incredible this is. She was a rebel and lived such an interesting life
ReplyDeleteThis is really well written and I love the humor you put into the post. It's always interesting to hear and learn about these people that pushed the U.S. further towards modern times. What were Alice's political views? Did she and her father ever get close? What were her values?
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