Alice Roosevelt, the eldest daughter of president Theodore Roosevelt, was a prominent socialite and famous author of her time. During the time of her father's presidency she became known as a rule breaker during a time in American history were women were under heavy pressure to conform. She was known to stay out late partying, ride in cars with men, smoke cigarettes in public, kept a pet snake name Emily Spinach, and was even seen by some to be placing bets with a bookie (someone who takes bets). Her actions sold papers all around the country. Roosevelt encouraged other young women to follow in her footsteps long before the flapper era (1920's) where women tried to break this idea of what was "acceptable behavior" for them.
 |
| Portrait of Alice Roosevelt in 1901 when she was 17 |
A White House visitor once commented on Alice's frequent interruptions in the Oval Office, often to offer he own political advice to her father. The president said to his friend after her third interruption to their conversation and threatening to throw her out the window, "I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both." Alice was the center of attention in during her father's presidency, and she thrived on the attention she received, even as she became more annoyed at some of the restrictions such attention placed on her. In this way, Alice resembled her father. She later said of him, "He wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening."
Just like her father, Alice began as a progressive Republican but over time became an isolationist and a conservative. During the 1952 election she supported Taft over Eisenhower even though he was the son of her father’s 1912 opponent. In the 1960s she shifted her direction and supported Lyndon Johnson (36th US president), the civil rights movement and eventually feminism and even gay rights.
It's interesting how strong of a character Alice was as well as how similar she was to her father. It's amazing how strongly she held to her ideals, to the point where she didn't support a fellow Roosevelt, FDR , when he was running for president. She stuck to her morals very strongly and continued to display her anti New Deal ideals and opened her home to others of the same mindset. Even in a more conservative time, Alice was able to be progressive in ways not seen until later eras.
ReplyDeleteSource : http://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Family-and-Friends/Alice-Lee-Roosevelt-Longworth.aspx
Belen, thank you for providing some interesting information about this influential historical figure. In particular, I liked how you explained Alice's role in expanding the rights of women through her actions which were considered unacceptable at the time and her advice to her father on important issues. Something I was wondering about is why Alice's political views changed so often. Might this have been a result of the encouragement her father gave her to share her views during his presidency?
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting how important of a role Alice played in foreign affairs and government in general. As you mentioned, this seems more typical of members of a royal family, as opposed to the president's daughter. I do not think today, that even the first lady plays such a large role in actual politics as it appears Alice did. I am curious to know if Roosevelt ever actually took into account her opinion when making decisions.
ReplyDeleteI find it quite interesting that Alice Roosevelt was allowed to behave so outside of the set social norms of the time, without any repercussions. It seems that her parents only allowed her to continue with her antics because she was so dearly loved by the public. She was also one of the first First Daughters to act as an ambassador, despite her seemingly childish antics. Alice Roosevelt was incredibly interesting character, that lived a life full of action. She wrote newspaper columns, and helped sway some important political decisions, like the decision to stay neutral in WW2.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Family-and-Friends/Alice-Lee-Roosevelt-Longworth.aspx
The research done for this is interesting and relevant, inserting a bit of humor to relate to the subject. One thing I noticed was that you said she was a popular writer, however, there are no works mentioned. She wrote two books, "Crowded Hours", and "Mrs. L". As a writer she recounted her life as the president's daughter, behind the colorful personality that was her father. She describes her childhood memories as well as times at home as her father was in office. She herself was an attention seeker, taking after her father. Describing these two novels could have increased the level of detail in your post. Otherwise, great information about the relevant ambitious daughter of Teddy Roosevelt.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that Alice Roosevelt was the first true socialite and celebrity in the White House besides the president. The way she was able to conjure up support for Teddy Roosevelt was able to help increase his popularity as he began to thrive as president. She was able to gather support for her father across the world, especially when she went on the "Imperial Cruise." This was a diplomatic tour for the US in establishing stronger foreign relations, and it was successful in part because Alice Roosevelt was there to rally interest by the public of nations like Japan, China, and Cuba. She was only the first of many socialites with high status that conjured the attention of millions of people. Besides just with her father, she continued to support the Republican party into the sixties, where she was a significant supporter of the Kennedys and she went against FDR in his presidential bit in 1932.
ReplyDeleteSource:
http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/alice.html
Belen, I thought your article was very interesting. I like how you addressed a topic that is not often covered in the textbook. I really liked that you included the fact that her pet snake was named "Emily Spinach". I thought it was cool how although Alice Roosevelt was very open and against social norms at that time- Roosevelt used his daughter's negative media presence to further his own political campaign. I also was wondering why her behavior was not stopped by her parents- especially since they were so out of what women at that time were expected to do.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the website, http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/alice.html, I found that when interviewed in a 1974 edition of 60 minutes, Alice Roosevelt told the reporter that she was a hedonist. Hedonism refers to the ideology that one's goal in life should be to pursue pleasure and happiness, as these are the most important things in human existence. I think this is so unique; and very modern in comparison to the decade she grew up in.
This is a very engaging article that provides a clear look into what Alice Roosevelt was like and what kind of role she played in her father's presidency. Generally, people are very focused on only the political matters in which the president is involved; however, there is also importance in presidents' personal matters. Much of the American public is often fascinated by certain people who are turned into celebrities for various reasons. In this scenario, Alice Roosevelt became a celebrity, and her father used her status to help his presidency, which does seem like an effective way to appeal to, or at least distract, the public. Alice Roosevelt is another example of a woman in the White House, who although not the first lady, did attempt to use her close relationship with the president to share her voice. In a way, she reminds me a little bit of Edith Wilson, who took on a large role and helped Woodrow Wilson make important decisions as president. Throughout this period of time, women did not really have much of a say in politics, so the few women who were somehow linked to the president were representing many women, whether they kept that in mind or not. I think it is cool how Alice would try to offer her own opinions about political matters to her father. She made sure she had a voice, and I think it is important to have women like Alice in the White House to enable more women to feel like there is someone of this status who is also working to make the progress many of them are looking for.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/alice.html
http://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/edith-wilson