- Tadd Roosevelt
James "Tadd" Roosevelt Roosevelt, Jr. (1879 – 1958) was a member of the
Roosevelt family . He was the son ofJames "Rosy" Roosevelt, Jr who was the much older half-brother of PresidentFranklin Delano Roosevelt . Therefore, Tadd was Franklin's nephew (although Tadd was slightly older than Franklin). He was a descendant of John Jacob Astor through his mother,Helen Schermerhorn Astor . As he was named for his father, Tadd had a sister, Helen, who was named after their mother. Franklin never really cared much for Tadd, who pulled their cousin Alice Roosevelt's hair. However, Franklin and Helen were friendly, and at times they did play with Tadd. Franklin and Tadd also played "Little Princess in the Tower" for atableau after dinner.Both Franklin and Tadd attended
Groton School andHarvard University at the same time. However, Tadd quit Harvard amid scandal.Tadd eventually moved to
New York City , where he married Sadie Messinger, a Hungarian born prostitute with whom he stayed until her death forty years later.Considered a black sheep of the Roosevelt clan, Tadd was disowned by his father, and all relations with the Roosevelt family were ended. He never touched his inheritance from his mother's family (the Astors), bequeathing his estate to the
Salvation Army upon his death in 1958.
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