Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt

Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt

Roosevelt and his three children (from left to right), Hall, Eleanor, and Elliott Jr. in 1892
Born (1860-02-28)February 28, 1860
Died August 14, 1894(1894-08-14) (aged 34)
Cause of death seizure
Education St Paul's School
Known for Brother of Theodore and father of Eleanor Roosevelt
Religion Dutch Reformed
Spouse(s) Anna Rebecca Hall
(m. 1883—1892; her death)
Children
Parent(s) Theodore Roosevelt, Sr.
Martha Stewart Bulloch
Relatives See Roosevelt family

Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt[1] (February 28, 1860 – August 14, 1894) was an American socialite.[2] He was the father of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and the brother of US President Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (1858–1919). Elliott and Theodore were of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts. Eleanor later married their Hyde Park distant cousin and future US President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945).

Youth

Elliott was the third of the four children of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. (1831–1878) and Martha Stewart "Mittie" Bulloch (1835–1884). In addition to elder brother Theodore Jr., he had a younger sister named Corinne (1861–1933) and an elder sister named Anna (1855–1931), who was known as "Bamie". Mittie's brothers Irvine (1842–1898) and James (1823–1901) were Civil War Confederate veterans who accompanied Elliott when he left Europe in 1892 to admit himself into an asylum in Virginia.[3] Elliott had a competitive relationship with his older brother. At a young age, Elliott was academically more successful than Theodore; however, he was eventually surpassed by his older brother. This competition would continue into the next generation with their own daughters. Elliott enrolled at St Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire in September 1875. He performed well academically though had to soon withdraw and return home after unexpectedly falling ill.[4] Elliott maintained a charming and winsome personality all his life, which masked a growing drinking problem that started at a young age.

Marriage and exile

Elliott was Theodore's best man on October 27, 1880, on Theodore's first marriage to Alice Hathaway Lee. In 1883,[5] Elliott married Anna Rebecca Hall (1863—1892), the eldest daughter of Valentine Gill Hall, Jr. and Mary Livingston Ludlow, on December 1, 1883, in Calvary Church in Gramercy Park, New York City.[6] They had three children:

After this point, Elliott Sr. developed a "casual drinking" problem, which soon became alcoholism, an affliction to which his son Hall later succumbed.

Due to his drinking problem, Elliott was exiled to Abingdon, Virginia, where he would constantly write letters, mostly to Eleanor. Eleanor later recalled that on his many horseback riding expeditions with the young children in Virginia, he became attached to "one girl in particular of whom I was jealous." On occasion, he would, to the jubilation of Eleanor, return home for a few days. Theodore Roosevelt became the conservator for his spendthrift brother.

Death

At the age of 34, Elliott attempted suicide by jumping out a window; he survived the initial fall, but suffered a seizure and died a few days later. At the time of his death, his alcoholism had escalated such that he was consuming numerous bottles of Champagne and brandy each day. [7]

Katy Mann

Elliott fathered a son with Catherine "Katy" Mann {1862-1941},[8] a young servant girl employed by Anna. His brother sent a detective who specialized in likenesses to look at the child and subsequently the Roosevelts settled out of court for $10,000. The sum was placed in a trust, but according to the Manns the child never received a dime, the money having apparently been looted by Katy's lawyers. There was some correspondence between Eleanor Roosevelt and her half-brother Elliott Roosevelt Mann (c. 1891—1976).[9][10][11]

Ancestry

[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TR Center - Elliot Roosevelt". Theodore Roosevelt Center. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ Beasley, Maurine Hoffman (2001). The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Walter E. and Gary L. McKay (2012) "James D. Bulloch; Secret Agent and Mastermind of the Confederate Navy" Jefferson, NC: McFarland, p. 264
  4. ↑ Miller, Nathan (1992). Theodore Roosevelt, A Life. William Morrow and Company Inc.
  5. ↑ Spinzia, Raymond E. "Elliott Roosevelt, Sr. – A Spiral Into Darkness: the Influences" (PDF). The Freeholder. Retrieved July 2010.
  6. ↑ "First Lady Biography: Eleanor Roosevelt". National First Ladies' Library. The National First Ladies' Library. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Burns, Ken, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, Public Broadcasting Service, Episode 1 (2015)
  8. ↑ Genealogy
  9. ↑ H. W. Brands, T.R. The Last Romantic
  10. ↑ Jean Edward Smith, FDR (2007), New York: Random House, 2007, p. 42: "Whatever happened to the funds, there is no doubt that Elliott Roosevelt Mann was Eleanor's half brother."
  11. ↑ Genealogy
  12. ↑ "Barnhill family". melissagenealogy.stormpages.com. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
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