Tadd Roosevelt
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox person James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (August 20, 1879 – June 7, 1958), also called Taddy,<ref name=Rowley>Hazel Rowley, Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage (2011), pp. 19, 27-28.</ref> was an American heir and member of the Roosevelt and Astor families.
Early life
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.<ref name="Cook1993"/>
Career
Upon his mother's death in 1893, Tadd inherited $1,500,000 (equivalent to approximately $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollars).<ref name="AstorEstate1894">Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
On June 14, 1900, while still a student at Harvard, Roosevelt married 19-year-old Sadie Messinger (Template:Circa–1940) without the consent of his father Rosey. (In his biography on Franklin Roosevelt, Geoffrey C. Ward states that Messinger was "at least 25 years-old."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>) Upon learning of the wedding, Rosey traveled from Hyde Park and brought Tadd home.<ref name="boymillionaireweds">Template:Cite news</ref> A frequent sight at the Haymarket Dance Hall, Sadie was known by "Dutch Sadie" and "Sadie of the Tenderloin."<ref name=Smith>Jean Edward Smith, FDR (2008), p. 35.</ref> (Sadie is described in some accounts as a prostitute;<ref name=Ward6769>Geoffrey C. Ward, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (Alfred A. Knopf: 2014), pp. 67-69.</ref> Winston Groom described her as a "hooker and sometime dancehall girl."<ref name="Groom2018">Template:Cite book</ref>) Rosey unsuccessfully attempted to have the marriage annulled,<ref name=Smith/> and both the Roosevelt and Astor families viewed the union as disgraceful.<ref name=Smith/> Rosey ultimately disowned Tadd;<ref name="Groom2018"/> after the public scandal, which was reported in newspapers at the time, the father had a heart attack,<ref name=Ward6769/><ref name=Smith/> which FDR blamed on Tadd's marriage.<ref name=Smith/> 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."<ref name=Smith/>
In 1907, Tadd was arrested for speeding on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.<ref name="1907Arrest">Template:Cite news</ref> He lived in Florida for a time.<ref name="Groom2018"/> 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."<ref name="arrested">Template:Cite news</ref> 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 $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollars) annual income.<ref name="arrested"/> A court soon granted $625 (equivalent to $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year 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 $Template:Inflation in Template:Inflation-year dollars).<ref name="mustpay">Template:Cite news</ref>
Later years and death
By October 1921, Tadd and Sadie were reportedly no longer living together.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, they remained married until her death<ref name="Birmingham2016">Template:Cite book</ref> in 1940.<ref name=Smith/> Biographer Jean Edward Smith writes that Tadd and Sadie remained together until her death.<ref name=Smith/> They had no children.<ref name="Birmingham2016"/>
After returning to New York, Tadd Roosevelt supported himself as an auto repairman.<ref name="Groom2018"/> 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.<ref name="Groom2018"/>
Roosevelt died in Manhattan on June 7, 1958.<ref name="marist">Template:Cite web</ref> A recluse in his later years, his fortune was donated to the Salvation Army,<ref name="Cook1993">Template:Cite book</ref> which received some $5 million.<ref name="Groom2018"/>
References
Further reading
- 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)