Tadd Roosevelt

Not to be confused with Ted Roosevelt.
Tadd Roosevelt
Tadd (middle) in Bicester, England with sister Helen (right) and uncle Franklin (left) in January 1889
Born
James Roosevelt Roosevelt Jr.

(1879-08-20)August 20, 1879
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 7, 1958(1958-06-07) (aged 78)
New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationGroton School
Alma materHarvard University
Parent(s)James Roosevelt Roosevelt
Helen Schermerhorn Astor
RelativesSee Astor family and Roosevelt family

James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (August 20, 1879 – June 7, 1958), also called Taddy,[1] was an American heir and member of the Roosevelt and Astor families.

Early life

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James Roosevelt Roosevelt Jr. was born on August 20, 1879. He was the son of diplomat James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt (1854–1927) of the Roosevelt family and Helen Schermerhorn (née Astor) Roosevelt (1855–1893) of the Astor family. He had one sister, Helen Rebecca Roosevelt (1881–1962).

Among his large and prominent family were uncles Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who was three years younger than Tadd), who later became President of the United States, and Colonel John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV, who died during the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Tadd's paternal grandparents were businessman James Roosevelt I and Rebecca Brien (née Howland) Roosevelt, while his maternal grandparents were businessman William Backhouse Astor Jr. and socialite Caroline (née Schermerhorn) Astor, who was known as the "Mrs. Astor".

He and Franklin both attended Groton School and Harvard University, with Tadd being ahead of Franklin. Their kinship led to Franklin often being mockingly referred to as "Uncle Frank" while the two attended Groton together.[2]

Career

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Upon his mother's death in 1893, Tadd inherited $1,500,000 (equivalent to approximately $50,866,667 in 2023 dollars).[3]

Personal life

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On June 14, 1900, while still a student at Harvard, Roosevelt married 19-year-old Sadie Messinger (c. 1880–1940) without the consent of his father Rosey. Upon learning of the wedding, Rosey traveled from Hyde Park and brought Tadd home.[4] A frequent sight at the Haymarket Dance Hall, Sadie was known by "Dutch Sadie" and "Sadie of the Tenderloin."[5] (Sadie is described in some accounts as a prostitute;[6] Winston Groom described her as a "hooker and sometime dancehall girl."[7]) Rosey unsuccessfully attempted to have the marriage annuled,[5] and both the Roosevelt and Astor families viewed the union as disgraceful.[5] Rosey ultimately disowned Tadd;[7] after the public scandal, which was reported in newspapers at the time, the father had a heart attack,[6][5] which FDR blamed on Tadd's marriage.[5] In October 1900, FDR wrote to Sara Roosevelt, "One can never again consider him a true Roosevelt. It would be well for him not only to parts unknown, but to stay there and begin life anew."[5]

In 1907, Tadd was arrested for speeding on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.[8] He lived in Florida for a time.[7] In February 1917, Tadd was again arrested in Florida, and a local court in Volusia County reportedly ordered him to stay in Florida "pending a settlement of a divorce suit."[9] In 1911, he reportedly lived in Daytona under the name "M. S. King"; the New York Times reported in 1917 that the Roosevelt family had prevailed in achieving a separation, in which Sadie was to receive a $10,000 (equivalent to $237,818 in 2023 dollars) annual income.[9] A court soon granted $625 (equivalent to $14,864 in 2023 dollars) per month alimony to Sadie, pending settlement of the divorce. At the time, Tadd was reported to be the Floridian paying the highest income taxes, having a $12,000,000 fortune (equivalent to $285,381,818 in 2023 dollars).[10]

Later years and death

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By October 1921, Tadd and Sadie were reportedly no longer living together.[11] However, they remained married until her death[12] in 1940.[5] Biographer Jean Edward Smith writes that Tadd and Sadie remained together until her death.[5] They had no children.[12]

After returning to New York, Tadd Roosevelt supported himself as an auto repairman.[7] He reportedly did not use his large inheritance and was estranged from his family, communicating only to tell the Astor family that his money should be given to the Salvation Army upon his death.[7]

Roosevelt died in Manhattan on June 7, 1958.[13] A recluse in his later years, his fortune was donated to the Salvation Army,[2] which received some $5 million.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Hazel Rowley, Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage (2011), pp. 19, 27-28.
  2. ^ a b Cook, Blanche Wiesen (1993). Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume 1: The Early Years, 1884–1933. Penguin. p. 162. ISBN 9781101567463. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Court Disposes of an Astor Fund.; Provisions as to It in Mrs. Roosevelt's Will Held to be Inoperative" (PDF). The New York Times. 25 May 1894. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  4. ^ "BOY MILLIONAIRE WEDS | James R. Roosevelt Jr.'s Step Without His Father's Consent: Ceremony Was Performed by an Alderman at the City Hall—Taken Home by His Parent" (PDF). New York Times. October 19, 1900.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Jean Edward Smith, FDR (2008), p. 35.
  6. ^ a b Geoffrey C. Ward, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (Alfred A. Knopf: 2014), pp. 67-69.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Groom, Winston (2018). The Allies: Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, and the Unlikely Alliance That Won World War II. National Geographic Books. p. 111. ISBN 9781426219665. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  8. ^ "J.R. ROOSEVELT ARRESTED. Youth Who Says He Is President's Nephew Held for Auto Speeding" (PDF). The New York Times. November 11, 1907. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b "J.R. Roosevelt Arrested; Put Under $50,000 Bond to Stay in Florida Pending Divorce Suit" (PDF). New York Times. February 24, 1917.
  10. ^ "J.R. Roosevelt Must Pay; Court Grants $625 a Month to Wife Pending Settlement of Suit" (PDF). New York Times. March 3, 1917.
  11. ^ "Mrs. J.R. Roosevelt Jr. Accused of Slander; Mrs. Schultz of Lynbrook, L.I., Itemizes Four Occasions and Sues for $40,000" (PDF). New York Times. October 1, 1921.
  12. ^ a b Birmingham, Stephen (2016). America's Secret Aristocracy. Open Road Media. p. 155. ISBN 9781504041072. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Roosevelt Genealogy". www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved 23 February 2019.

Further reading

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  • Moffat, R. Burnham The Barclays of New york: who they are and who they are not,-and some other Barclays (1904)
  • Black, Conrad Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom (2005)
  • Panchyk, Richard Franklin Delano Roosevelt for Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities (2007)
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