Theodore Roosevelt Sr. | |
---|---|
Born |
New York City, New York |
September 22, 1831
Died | February 9, 1878 New York City, New York |
(aged 46)
Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
Employer | Roosevelt and Son |
Spouse(s) |
Martha Stewart Bulloch (m. 1853–78; his death) |
Children | Anna, Theodore Jr., Elliott, and Corinne |
Parent(s) |
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt Margaret Barnhill |
Relatives | See Roosevelt family |
Theodore "Thee" Roosevelt Sr. (September 22, 1831 – February 9, 1878) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was also the father of President Theodore Roosevelt and the paternal grandfather of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He was a fourth-generation Dutch New Yorker and participant in the Roosevelt family business of plate-glass importing, Roosevelt & Son.
Theodore Sr. helped found the New York City Children's Aid Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and the New York Children's Orthopedic Hospital. A participant in the dazzling New York society life, he was described by one historian as a man of both "good works and good times." In December 1877, he was nominated to be Collector of the Port of New York but was rejected by the U.S. Senate.
Theodore Sr. was born in New York City to businessman Cornelius Van Schaak "C.V.S." Roosevelt (1794–1871) and Margaret Barnhill (1799–1861). His four elder brothers were Silas, James, Cornelius Jr., and Robert. Thee's younger brother William died at the age of one.
Thee married Martha Stewart "Mittie" Bulloch (1835–1884) of Roswell, Georgia on December 22, 1853. She was the younger daughter of Major James Stephens Bulloch (1793–1849) and Martha P. "Patsy" Stewart (1799–1864). Mittie was also a sister of Civil War Confederate veteran Irvine Stephens Bulloch (1842–1898) and half-sister of Civil War Confederate veteran James Dunwoody Bulloch (1823–1901). They married at her family's historic mansion, Bulloch Hall in Roswell. Thee and Mittie had four children; Anna ("Bamie") (1855–1931), Theodore Jr. (1858–1919), Elliott (1860–1894), and Corinne (1861–1933).