Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt (August 6, 1861 - September 30, 1948) was the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt and served as First Lady of the during his presidency from 1901 to 1909. Edith grew up next to Theodore Roosevelt and was his first
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt (August 6, 1861 - September 30, 1948) was the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt and served as First Lady of the during his presidency from 1901 to 1909. Edith grew up next to Theodore Roosevelt and was his first real playmate outside his immediate family. A quiet girl who loved books, she was often Roosevelt's companion for summer outings at Oyster Bay, Long Island; but this ended when he entered Harvard College. Although she attended his wedding to Alice Hathaway Lee in 1880, their lives ran separately until 1885. He proposed to Edith in 1885 and she accepted, but for appearance's sake the young widower delayed the announcement. After William McKinley's assassination, Mrs. Roosevelt assumed her new duties as First Lady with characteristic dignity. She meant to guard the privacy of a family that attracted everyone's interest, and she tried to keep reporters outside her domain. As First Lady, her first "symbolic" activity was to throw open the windows to let in sunlight and fresh air while dissipating the "dark, musty" atmosphere. She converted the traditional weekly levees to musicales, remodeled the White House at a cost of $475,000 into what the president described as "a simple and dignified dwelling for the head of a republic." During 's administration, the White House was unmistakably the social center of the land. Beyond the formal occasions, smaller parties brought together distinguished men and women from varied walks of life. Their marriage produced five children; four boys and one girl. After her husband's death in 1919, she traveled abroad but always returned to Sagamore Hill as her home. She died in 1948, at the age of 87 and is interred next to her husband in Youngs Memorial Cemetery near Oyster Bay, New York. Photographed by uncredited photographer August 9, 1904.
Size: 3234px × 4200px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, ., 1904, 20th, america, american, bw, carow, century, edith, famous, female, figure, government, historic, historical, history, important, kermit, ladies, lady, notable, people, person, personalities, personality, photo, photograph, politics, presidency, president, presidential, roosevelt, states, teddy, theodore, united, usa, wife, wives, woman, women
