Eleanor Alexander Butler Roosevelt

A photograph of Eleanor Butler Alexander Roosevelt

Library of Congress

Quick Facts

Significance:

Wife of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Mother of 4 children, Red Cross Volunteer, First Lady of Puerto Rico and Philippines, Philanthropist. Author. Photographer.

Place of Birth:

New York City

Date of Birth:

December 26, 1888

Place of Death:

Oyster Bay, NY

Date of Death:

May 29, 1960

Place of Burial:

Oyster Bay, NY

Cemetery Name:

Youngs Memorial Cemetery

Eleanor Butler Alexander Roosevelt was the wife of Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and mother to their four children. Eleanor grew up as on only child to a prominent lawyer, Henry Addison Alexander, and his wife, Grace Green. She was a quiet and reserved child but always selfless. An accomplished adult, Eleanor threw herself into war efforts during WWI and WWII as well as continued to lead a philanthropic life outside war time. In her later years, she pursued photography and wrote a book, The Day Before Yesterday, where she spoke about her life with Ted Jr., and the Roosevelt family. She lived in the Old Orchard House on the Sagamore Hill property until her death in 1960.

Eleanor Butler Alexander was born into wealth in 1888. Growing up in upper class society, she was polite and well-educated but always had an altruistic attitude. She had a reputation for her quiet and reserved nature, but that changed upon meeting the Roosevelts. In her memoir, she wrote about her early memories with the family. Especially those that took place at Sagamore Hill, including a picnic she took with the extended Roosevelt family:

When the idea of a picnic was first discussed, Eleanor had assumed it would involve dainty sandwiches eaten under the shade of a large tree. Instead, once confirmed, the family raced to the Cold Spring Harbor shoreline along the Sagamore Hill property, and rushed to find the best boats to travel in. This led to Ted Jr. taking off without her, and her having to travel in a leaking boat with one of his younger cousins. After two hours of rowing in the hot sun with mosquitos biting, they reached another strikingly similar shoreline to the one they had left, and rather than eat dainty sandwiches, lunch was boiled oysters. Upon their return, Eleanor assumed that there would be complaints from the heat and lack of food choices, but she was surprised when the family had instead declared it to be “one of the best picnics we ever had.”

Despite the Roosevelt antics, Eleanor Bulter Alexander married Theodore Roosevelt Jr. on June 10, 1910. They had three children before the outbreak of WWI, which included their daughter Grace, and two sons, Theodore III, and Cornelius Van Schaack. Once the United States joined WWI and Theodore Jr. left to go abroad with the army, Eleanor made some difficult decisions. She wrote, “I would be a terrible wrench to leave my 3 children, but Ted might need me more than they.” She decided to sail to France to be with Ted Jr. and volunteer with the YMCA. During that time, she wrote, “for we knew we would have to work at least nine hours a day and probably more at times.” Eleanor stayed in her aunt’s home in Paris which allowed Ted Jr., and his siblings, Kermit, Archie, Quentin, Ethel, and her husband Dr. Derby, to meet up throughout the war.

During the war, her father-in-law, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote to her saying, “I hear of you continually, and really the admiration expressed for what the boys have done is no stronger than the tributes paid you for your administrative ability, judgment, tact, decision of character, unselfishness, and ability to accomplish results. I doubt if I have ever known of such hearty and universal commendation being expressed for difficult work of a kind peculiarly apt to produce friction.”

After the conclusion of WWI and upon their return, they had their third son, Quentin Roosevelt II, who they named after his uncle who died in the war.

In the following years, Ted Jr. became the governor of Puerto Rico where Eleanor started the Needlework Relief Fund under the Bureau of Commerce and Industry to help Puerto Rican needlewomen make a living wage. She traveled, took professional photography, wrote articles, and went on speaking tours. During WWII, she again followed Ted Jr. to Europe and volunteered for American Red Cross. In June 1942, she established and ran the Red Cross club in Tidworth, England.

In 1938, the Old Orchard House on the Sagamore Hill property was completed after being designed by her, Ted Jr. and their architect son-in-law. She lived there until her death in 1960. She is buried at the Youngs Memorial Cemetery in Oyster Bay, NY with her in-laws.