James Roosevelt I

James Roosevelt I
James Roosevelt I
	1885 portrait of James Roosevelt at Springwood in Hyde Park, New York
Born	July 16, 1828; Hyde Park, New York, U.S.
Died	December 8, 1900 (aged 72); New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Union College, Harvard University
Occupation	Businessman
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	; Rebecca Brien Howland (m. 1853; died 1876) ; Sara Ann Delano (m. 1880)
Children	James Roosevelt Roosevelt; Franklin D. Roosevelt;
Parents	Isaac Daniel Roosevelt; Mary Rebecca Aspinwall;
Relatives	See Roosevelt family

James Roosevelt I (July 16, 1828 – December 8, 1900), known as "Squire James",^[1] was an American businessman, politician, horse breeder, and the father of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States.

Early life

Roosevelt was born on July 16, 1828, in Hyde Park, New York, to businessman Isaac Daniel Roosevelt and Mary Rebecca Aspinwall, sister of William Henry Aspinwall, both half-first cousins of First Lady Elizabeth Monroe. Isaac's parents were businessman and politician Jacobus Roosevelt III and Catherine Welles. James' maternal grandparents were John Aspinwall and Susan Howland.

In 1847, James Roosevelt graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York.

Career

After obtaining a law degree from Harvard University, Roosevelt joined the law firm of Benjamin D. Silliman, the latter arranging Roosevelt serve on the founding board of directors to the company's client, the Consolidated Coal Company of Maryland. Doug Wead wrote that Roosevelt applied the skills he learned from watching the growth of this company to his own enterprise.^[2]

Roosevelt's business interests were primarily in coal and transportation. He was vice president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway and president of the Southern Railway Security Company.

During an 1853 trip to London shortly after his marriage, Roosevelt called upon United States Minister to the United Kingdom James Buchanan and accepted an invitation by Buchanan to serve as the minister's secretary at the embassy. Conrad Black wrote that this began the tradition of members of the Hyde Park Roosevelt family being affiliated with Democratic presidents.^[3]

Following the 1863 death of his father, Roosevelt inherited both his wealth and status as patriarch of the family. Roosevelt purchased an estate on which he bestowed the name "Springwood". In 1871, Roosevelt was elected town supervisor of Hyde Park and was pursued as a potential candidate for the New York state assembly or senate or Congress, requests that he turned down despite having an interest in politics.^[3]

In the 1880s, Roosevelt donated to the New York gubernatorial campaign of Grover Cleveland and Cleveland's presidential campaign two years later.^[4] After the 1884 United States presidential election, in which Cleveland was elected president,^[5] the Roosevelt family regularly met with the Clevelands in visits to the White House. Roosevelt was seen by the press as a possible appointee for a diplomatic post within the Cleveland administration, though he turned down these rumors. Roosevelt did contribute to his eldest son James being appointed to the post of First Secretary of the United States Legation in Vienna.^[4]

Personal life

Following graduation from Union College in 1847, Roosevelt traveled through Western Europe and the Holy Land before matriculating at Harvard Law School in 1849.^[6] In 1853, he married his second cousin, Rebecca Brien Howland, the sister of Meredith Howland. They had one son the next year, James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt, who married Helen Schermerhorn Astor. 1875 saw Rebecca's health falter as she demonstrated symptoms of heart disease and she was advised by doctors to stop climbing stairs, leading James to install elevators for her to use in both Springwood and their New York home. In August 1876, the couple traveled on James' yacht for a cruise to Long Island Sound, during which Rebecca experienced a massive heart attack when the pair were underway and died a short time afterward.^[7]

Four years after Rebecca's death, he met a sixth cousin named Sara Ann Delano, daughter of opium merchant Warren Delano Jr., at a party celebrating the graduation of his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt Jr. from Harvard University. James and Sara were married on October 7, 1880, and became the parents of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1882, who married Eleanor Roosevelt. James reportedly was a caring father to Franklin, but his recurring heart problems eventually made him an invalid. Franklin reacted by becoming fiercely protective of his father.

By the autumn of 1900, Roosevelt's health declined further after his yacht exploded and sank. The exploits of his grandson Tadd, which included dropping out of Harvard prior to a disappearance that was proceeded by mocking from the press, also served to disillusion James.^[8] James died twenty years after he married Sara and left the bulk of his estate to her, and a modest inheritance to Franklin.^[9] He is buried at the churchyard at St. James Episcopal Church in Hyde Park; his grave is flanked by those of his wives.

In popular culture

Roosevelt is voiced by John Lithgow in The Roosevelts, a 2014 documentary series by Ken Burns.

Legacy

In 1927, Franklin and Sara Roosevelt donated money to the town of Hyde Park for the construction of a new library, named after James, and still in use today.

References

^ Miller, Nathan (1992). Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-06784-7.
^ Wead, Doug (2005). The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders. Atria. pp. 139-142. ISBN 978-0743497268.
^ ^a ^b Black, Conrad (2003). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. PublicAffairs. pp. 6-11. ISBN 978-1586481841.
^ ^a ^b Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. p. 22. ISBN 978-0812970494.
^ Leip, David. "1884 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 27, 2008., "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
^ Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. p. 5. ISBN 978-0812970494.
^ Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0812970494.
^ Black, Conrad (2003). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. PublicAffairs. pp. 27. ISBN 978-1586481841.
^ Brands, H.W. (2008). Traitor to his Class. New York, NY: Doubleday. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-385-51958-8.

External links

Media related to James Roosevelt, Sr. at Wikimedia Commons

[Miller-1] Miller, Nathan (1992). Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-06784-7.

[Wead139-2] Wead, Doug (2005). The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders. Atria. pp. 139-142. ISBN 978-0743497268.

[Black6-3] Black, Conrad (2003). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. PublicAffairs. pp. 6-11. ISBN 978-1586481841.

[Smith22-4] Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. p. 22. ISBN 978-0812970494.

[5] Leip, David. "1884 Presidential Election Results". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved January 27, 2008., "Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved January 27, 2008.

[Smith5-6] Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. p. 5. ISBN 978-0812970494.

[Smith9-7] Smith, Jean Edward (2008). FDR. Random House. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0812970494.

[Black27-8] Black, Conrad (2003). Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. PublicAffairs. pp. 27. ISBN 978-1586481841.

[Brands-9] Brands, H.W. (2008). Traitor to his Class. New York, NY: Doubleday. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-385-51958-8.

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v t e Franklin D. Roosevelt
32nd President of the United States (1933–1945) 44th Governor of New York (1929–1932) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913–1920) New York State Senator (1911–1913)
Presidency (timeline)	Transition Inaugurations (1st 2nd 3rd 4th) First and second terms Third and fourth terms Foreign policy New Deal overview New Deal coalition First 100 days Second New Deal Federal Emergency Relief Administration Civilian Conservation Corps Agricultural Adjustment Act Emergency Banking Act Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Tennessee Valley Authority National Labor Relations Act of 1935 National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 Public Works Administration National Recovery Administration Works Progress Administration National Youth Administration Social Security Act Aid to Families with Dependent Children Communications Act of 1934 Federal Communications Commission Securities and Exchange Commission Monetary gold ownership Gold Reserve Act Silver seizure Record on civil rights Defense industry non-discrimination Fair Employment Practice Committee Indian Reorganization Act Executive Orders 9066, 9102 War Relocation Authority Japanese American internment German-American internment Italian-American internment Brownlow Committee Executive Office of the President G.I. Bill of Rights Cullen–Harrison Act Roerich Pact Four Freedoms Four Freedoms Monument Black Cabinet Jefferson's Birthday holiday Jefferson Memorial Judicial Court-Packing Bill Cannabis policy Federal Judicial appointments Supreme Court Harlan F. Stone Supreme Court nomination Wiley Rutledge Supreme Court nomination Cabinet "Brain Trust" March of Dimes Modern Oval Office Official car Criticism Executive Orders Presidential Proclamations
Presidential foreign policy	Banana Wars U.S. occupation of Nicaragua, 1912–1933 U.S. occupation of Haiti, 1915–1934 Good Neighbor Policy (1933–1945) Montevideo Convention (1933) Second London Naval Treaty (1936) ABCD line (1940) Export Control Act Four Policemen Destroyers-for-bases deal Lend-Lease 1940 Selective Service Act Hull note Atlantic Charter (1941) Military history of the United States during World War II Home front during World War II Combined Munitions Assignments Board War Production Board Declaration by United Nations (1942) Dumbarton Oaks Conference World War II conferences Quebec Agreement Europe first Morgenthau Plan support
Presidential speeches	1932 Acceptance speech Commonwealth Club Address Madison Square Garden speech "Four Freedoms" Day of Infamy speech Arsenal of Democracy "...is fear itself" Fireside chats "Look to Norway" Quarantine Speech "The More Abundant Life" State of the Union Address (1934 1938 1939 1940 1941 (Four Freedoms) 1944 (Second Bill of Rights) 1945)
Other events	Early life, education, career Warm Springs Institute Governorship of New York Business Plot Assassination attempt
Elections	1928 New York state election 1930 Democratic National Convention, 1920 1924 1932 1936 1940 1944 1920 United States presidential election 1932 theme song 1936 1940 1944
Life and homes	Early life and education Groton School Springwood birthplace, home, and gravesite Adams House FDR Suite Campobello home Paralytic illness Top Cottage Little White House, Warm Springs, Georgia
Legacy	Bibliography Statues Presidential Library and Museum Roosevelt Institute Roosevelt Institute Campus Network Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Roosevelt Island Four Freedoms Park White House Roosevelt Room Roosevelt Institute for American Studies USS Franklin D. Roosevelt USS Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award Four Freedoms paintings Unfinished portrait U.S. Postage stamps Roosevelt dime I'd Rather Be Right 1937 musical Films The Roosevelt Story 1947 Sunrise at Campobello 1960 Eleanor and Franklin 1976, The White House Years 1977 Backstairs at the White House 1979 miniseries World War II: When Lions Roared 1997 miniseries Warm Springs 2005 Hyde Park on Hudson 2012 The Roosevelts 2014 documentary The First Lady 2022 miniseries FDR 2023 miniseries Other namesakes
Family (Roosevelt • Delano)	Eleanor Roosevelt (wife) Anna Roosevelt Halsted (daughter) James Roosevelt II (son) Elliott Roosevelt (son) Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. (son) John Aspinwall Roosevelt II (son) James Roosevelt I (father) Sara Ann Delano (mother) James Roosevelt Roosevelt (half-brother) Isaac Roosevelt (grandfather) Warren Delano Jr. (grandfather) Fala (family dog) Major (family dog)
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