James Roosevelt Roosevelt

Who was James Roosevelt Roosevelt?

James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt was an American diplomat and the older half-brother of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was the son of James Roosevelt I and his first wife, Rebecca Brien Howland, who were second cousins. When his father died in 1900, the estate was split between both Rosey and Franklin.

Roosevelt served as Secretary of the United States Legation in Vienna and as Secretary of the Embassy in London.

On November 18, 1878, he married Helen Schermerhorn Astor, the second daughter of businessman William Backhouse Astor, Jr. and socialite Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn. Helen's brother Colonel John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV perished on the RMS Titanic and was the richest passenger on board. Roosevelt and Helen had two children:

James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt, Jr.

Helen Rebecca Roosevelt

After Helen's death, Roosevelt married Elizabeth Riley in 1914. She died in 1948. Since he and Franklin had never been particularly close, Franklin found himself surprisingly saddened by Rosey's death.