James Roosevelt, Sr.

Infobox Person
name = James Roosevelt, Sr.


image_size = 220px
caption = c. 1899
birth_date = birth date|1828|7|16|mf=y
birth_place = Hyde Park, New York, U.S.
death_date = death date and age|1900|12|8|1828|7|16|mf=y
death_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
occupation = Business, Relative
spouse = Rebecca Howland and Sara Delano
parents = Isaac Roosevelt (1790-1863) and Mary Rebecca Aspinwall (1809-1886)
children = James "Rosy" Roosevelt, Jr. and Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Jan 30, 1882 - Apr 12, 1945)

James Roosevelt, Sr. (July 16 1828 – December 8 1900) was a businessman and father of the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was born in Hyde Park, New York to Isaac Roosevelt (1790–1863) and his wife Mary Rebecca Aspinwall (1809–1886).

Family

Roosevelt's father Isaac Roosevelt was a fourth-generation descendant of Nicholas Roosevelt (1658-1742), who was also a sixth-generation ancestor of Theodore Roosevelt. His wife Mary Aspinwall was a sixth-generation descendant of Rebecca Stoughton, sister of William Stoughton, judge and prosecutor during the Salem Witch Trials.

Business

Roosevelt's business interests were primarily in coal and transportation. He was vice president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway, and president of the Southern Railway Security Company. James was a tall, slender and wealthy man with considerable society connections, an eligible bachelor by any standard. In 1853, he married his first cousin once removed Rebecca Howland (1831–1876). They had a son, James "Rosy" Roosevelt, Jr (1854–1927). James became a widower in 1876.

Marriage

Four years later, at a party celebrating graduation of his cousin Theodore Roosevelt from Harvard University, he met a very distant relative Sara Delano, they were married on October 7, 1880 and became parents of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. James was reportedly a good father to Franklin, however his recurring heart problems eventually turned him into an invalid. Franklin reacted by becoming fiercely protective of his father. James died twenty years after he married Sara. His estate was given to his sons.

References