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Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth
The oldest child of President Roosevelt, and the only child of his first marriage to Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Infant Alice was born only two days before her mother died of Bright's disease, a kidney ailment that had not been diagnosed as it was masked by the pregnancy. Shortly after baby Alice's birth, Theodore Roosevelt retreated to his ranch land in the Badlands of North Dakota. In his grief, and his ranching profession, and by the standards of the day, he could hardly be expected to tend to his infant daughter himself. So Alice's earliest year's were spent living in Cove Neck, in the capable care of her Aunt Bamie, also called "Auntie Bye", TR's older sister. She also spent holiday's with her mother's family, the Lees, of Chestnut Hill, MA. After an appropriate mourning period when TR married his childhood companion and sweetheart, Edith Carrow, Edith insisted that the now 3 year old toddler Alice must come to live with them. Relations were sometimes difficult between stepmother and stepdaughter, perhaps partly because of the tremendous personality differences between the two women. Alice was always outgoing, taking risks and head strong. A somewhat more feminine version of her father. Edith, while a bright and also head strong woman, was more reserved. Alice soon had several siblings. The next child born was Theodore, Jr. Alice and Theodore, Jr. were close as children, and as the oldest, they enjoyed their positions of leadership in the growing family. Alice was good at "mothering" the younger children, but she herself was "allergic to discipline." At the time her father became President, Alice was a teenager. She was cool and spirited and posessed a quick wit. From the time of her "debut" to her death, Alice remained a high profile society figure. Hundreds of Americans sang or listened to the songs, "Alice Blue Gown" and "Alice, Where Art Thou?". Alice became a popular baby name. The color, "Alice Blue" was highly fashionable, a light blue with a hint of gray to match her eyes. Alice married Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati on February 17, 1906, when theirs became a most brilliant White House wedding. She went on to become one of the most outspoken women of the century, dazzling the public when her much sought-after opinion was expressed. More About ALICE LEE ROOSEVELT: 1932-Wrote "Crowded
Hours," her autobiography, after her husband's death About NICHOLAS LONGWORTH: Harvard University,
Cincinnati Law School
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