All the Presidents Wives 24

Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt

Born:

August 6, 1861, in Norwich, Connecticut

Died:

September 30, 1948, in Oyster Bay, New York

Father:

Charles Carow

Mother:

Gertrude Tyler Carow

Ancestry:

English

Siblings:

one sister, Emily Carow (immortalized by Alice Roosevelt who named her snake, "Emily Spinach" after her)

Physical Description:

5' 7" tall, 125 pounds (her weight increased after she left the White House, much to her horror), with blue-grey eyes and dark brown hair, which tended to be very fine and hard to manage. She held herself extremely well, had good features, but tended to be on the stern side. Her manner had a calming effect on her active family—"eye of a hurricane"—but she could be aloof and at times, even haughty.

Religion:

Episcopalian

Education:

Due to Charles Carow’s poor business sense and the overspending by Edith’s mother, there weren’t sufficient funds to provide Edith with the education normal for a girl of her family’s position. Martha Bullock Roosevelt (Theodore's mother) made it possible for her young "Edie" to attend classes given by her sister-in-law. At age ten, Edie attended classes at Miss Comstock's School where her strong moral sense was bolstered and as well as her love for literature, especially poetry and Shakespeare. Science and math were omitted but she learned to love flowers and was able to name all varieties, even wildflowers.

Husband:

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
Courtship and Marriage: Edith met Theodore and his family at the age of four and grew up with the Roosevelt children; she was friends with Roosevelt's sister, Corrine. By the time she was sixteen, Theodore Roosevelt had taken notice of her. He proposed many times but at some point in 1878, they quarreled and coolness grew between them. (The quarrel may have had to do with Theodore’s father’s warning about Charles Carow.) Edie was heartbroken at the news of Theodore’s engagement to Alice Hathaway Lee but hid it well. She bragged about dancing at their wedding in October of 1880. Her father’s died in 1883 and her mother’s moved to Europe (where she resided with Edith’s sister Emily for the rest of her life, much to Edith’s relief), while Edie remained in the U.S. She attended Alice Hathaway Rooselt’s funeral in February 1884 but made it a point to avoid her old flame. Nevertheless, in September 1885, the romance rekindled.

Theodore proposed and Edith accepted on November 17, 1885. Edith sailed early the next year to help her mother settle in Italy, and Theodore agreed to join her in Europe. They were married on December 2, 1886 at St. George’s Church in London and honeymooned in France. They returned to America early in 1887.

Age at Marriage:

25 years, 118 days

Personality:

Intelligent, widely read, with a great interest in nature, literature and family life. Edith Roosevelt was the opposite, in nature, from her ebullient and outgoing husband: she was reserved, even aloof, and could use her manner to indicate her disapproval. She was calm and soothing in manner, tactful in conversation but forceful if threatened in any way. She had high standards of morals and would refuse to receive anyone who did not meet those standards. She did not believe in equality between the sexes and believed that a woman’s role was as wife and mother. She was religious and deplored a double standard for men and women. She liked riding and taking nature walks but all within reason. She would prefer to curl up with a book. Her reserved manner could make her a fearsome figure.

Children:

1. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1887-1944)
2. Kermit Roosevelt (1889-1943)
3. Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby (1891-1977)
4. Archibald Bullock Roosevelt (1894-1979)
5. Quentin Roosevelt (1897-1918)

Years before the White House: The first two challenges facing the young Edith Roosevelt were a young stepdaughter, Alice, and establishing herself as mistress of a new home, Sagamore Hill. She did both very well, contrary to reports by Alice Roosevelt Longworth. In 1889, they moved to Washington when Benjamin Harrison appointed Theodore Roosevelt Civil Commissioner. They made friends there, and Edith learned a about life in the capitol. Due to Theodore’s career the family moved often, but Edith always thought of Sagamore Hill as their "home". She loved the Governor’s House in Albany and enjoyed being the Governor’s wife. She was heartbroken to see that life disappear when her husband was nominated for the Vice Presidency on the 1900 ticket with William McKinley.

First Lady:

September 14, 1901-March 4 1909. After the departure of Ida McKinley for Ohio following William McKinley’s assassination, Edith and her family waited a few days before moving into the White House. She found it cramped and stuffy and made immediate plans to make the second floor inaccessible to the public. She wanted her children to have as normal a life as possible. She would study Caroline Harrison’s plans for an enlarged White House and make plans of her own for the 1902 renovation. She ran the White House herself, and officially changed the name from the Executive Mansion to the White House. She would study newspapers and articles she felt her husband should be aware of. Edith also underscored her husband’s tendency to talk too long by tapping the table with her finger, causing his flow of words to cease. She recognized the importance of the role the First Lady and established a First Ladies’ Gallery on the ground level. She also followed up on Caroline Harrison’s interest in the White House china by creating a China Room. Most importantly, she hired a social secretary, Belle Hagner, who was added to the official White House payroll. The Office of the First Lady was created. Edith had little interest in clothes (unlike Ida McKinley) and as one reporter snidely said, "Looks like she dresses on a yearly budget of $3000," which Edith took as a compliment. She found the White House antiquated and in 1902, she had the firm of the McKim, Mead and White draw up house prints to restore the White House to its 18th Century style. The Roosevelts moved out for six months. Edith kept abreast of the changes from Sagamore Hill. A west wing was added, the front foyer improved and the East Wing was restored to its Federal style appearance. She also added a tennis court and found time to approve a new china pattern. After Theodore’s election in 1904, Edith Roosevelt continued to improve the White House. Edith allowed her office to be used by the State Department for secret letters to be passed between the President and Cecil Spring-Rice, a close personal friend and the English ambassador to Russia. This secret correspondence helped in creating a peace treaty between Japan and Russia in 1905. Edith’s help and silence were paramount in this situation. Two decisions he made she particularly deplored: his decision not to run again in 1908 and his friendship with William Howard Taft, whom she considered weak. Her two greatest social occasions were the reception of the Kaiser’s brother, Prince Henry of Prussia and the marriage in 1906 of her stepdaughter, "Princess" Alice. She disliked the public eye and controlled the press by making photos, taken by a photographer she hired, available to them. She barely missed the White House when she left in 1909.

Later Life:

She spent much of the rest of her life at Sagamore Hill. She joined Theodore in 1910 in Europe for the funeral of King Edward III.

She settled back to being a wife, mother, and grandmother— though her grandchildren found her rather formidable. The death of her youngest son in 1918 who served in World War I filled her with grief, but it was nothing compared to the loss of her husband in January 1919. In her later years, she wrote about her family (the Tylers and the Carows), watched her children’s careers grow and spoke out for Herbert Hoover in 1932. She was firmly against Franklin Roosevelt and campaigned against him. The loss of Kermit (her favorite son) in 1943 and Theodore, Jr. in 1944 of a heart attack after D-Day darkened her last years.

Death:

September 30, 1948

Age at Death:

87 years, 45 days

Burial:

Oyster Bay, New York

Legacy:
Though in many ways, Edith Roosevelt was a very traditional 19th Century woman who believed that a woman’s place was in the home, she nonetheless made a great impact on the First Ladyship. She created the Office of the First Lady with its social secretary, restored the White House to its 18th Century style, cut the public off from the private quarters, created the First Ladies Gallery, and created a permanent china collection. Through it all, she remained her own person. She has a great influence on her husband, had a strong moral code, and rarely dabbled in politics. When she did, though, she was highly effective.

Biographies of First Ladies