Corinne Alsop Cole (born Corinne Douglas Robinson; July 2, 1886 – June 23, 1971) was an American politician who served two terms as a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

Early life

Corinne Robinson was born on July 2, 1886, in

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

. She was the daughter of Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (1861–1933) and

Douglas Robinson Jr. Douglas Robinson Jr. (January 3, 1855 – September 12, 1918) was an American businessman who was married to Corinne Roosevelt, a sister of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and an aunt of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Early life Robinson was b ...

(1855–1918).Brogan, Hugh and Mosley, Charles ''American Presidential Families'' October 1993, page 568 She was one of four children born to her parents, including future New York State Senator

Theodore Douglas Robinson Theodore Douglas Robinson (April 28, 1883 – April 10, 1934) was an American politician from New York who served as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy from November 1924 to 1929. He was a member of the Roosevelt family through his mother and was ...

(1883–1934). Her maternal grandparents were Theodore Roosevelt Sr., a businessman and philanthropist, and socialite Martha (née Bulloch) Roosevelt. Her paternal grandparents were Douglas Robinson, Sr. and Frances Monroe. Her great-grandfather was

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

, a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from New York and the nephew of President

. She enjoyed a childhood of privilege and grew up on her parents'

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

estate. Travel and horseback rides were part of Corinne's childhood. Like her cousin

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

, she attended Allenswood Academy, a private finishing school in Wimbledon, England, under the tutelage of Marie Souvestre. Although she enjoyed the school itself, she found Souvestre abrasive and threatening. Upon her return to the states, she participated in the wedding of Franklin and Eleanor, being a

bridesmaid Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Tradi ...

to Eleanor.

Career

She was elected to the

in 1924, serving two terms, from 1924 to 1927 and from 1931 to 1933 and was a leader in the Republican Party of the state. Corinne frequently spoke to large crowds and was highly effective and influential due to her stature, position and intelligence. On June 10, 1936, Alsop addressed the

1936 Republican National Convention The 1936 Republican National Convention was held June 9–12 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio. It nominated Governor Alfred Landon of Kansas for president and Frank Knox of Illinois for vice president. The convention supported many ...

, seconding the nomination of Kansas Governor Alfred M. Landon.

Relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt

During Franklin D. Roosevelt's tenure in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

, Corinne was a frequent guest. Though as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

she disagreed politically with her cousin, she and Eleanor Roosevelt remained close throughout their lives. Mrs. Alsop's trips to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

caused other family tensions. While in D.C., Alsop was often asked by both Eleanor and Alice, a leader in Washington society, to stay at her home. Mrs. Alsop's decision was usually made based on who had asked her first.

Personal life

In 1909, Corinne Douglas Robinson was married to Joseph Wright Alsop IV (1876–1953). He was descended from a family that was long prominent in politics, including Continental Congressman

John Alsop John Alsop Jr. (1724 – November 22, 1794) was an American merchant and politician from New York City. As a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, he signed the 1774 Continental Association. Early life Alsop wa ...

, Richard Alsop,

John Alsop King John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. Life John Alsop King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. Senator Rufus King ( ...

, and his father, Dr. Joseph Wright Alsop III, the Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor of Connecticut in 1891. Alsop also served in the Connecticut General Assembly along with Corinne. Together, they had four children: * Joseph Wright Alsop V (1910–1989), who married Susan Mary Jay Patten (1918–2004), the daughter of Ambassador Peter Augustus Jay and a descendant of the first Chief Justice of the United States

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the f ...

, in 1961. * Corinne Roosevelt Alsop (1912–1997), who married Percy Chubb II of Chubb Insurance in 1932. * Stewart Johonnot Oliver Alsop (1914–1974), who married Patricia Barnard "Tish" Hankey (1926-2012) in 1944. * John deKoven Alsop (1915–2000), who also served in the Connecticut General Assembly and unsuccessfully ran for Governorship of Connecticut several times, and who married Augusta McLane Robinson (1924–2015) in 1947. Joseph Wright Alsop IV died in March 1953 and she married a second time to

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

magnate, Francis W. Cole in 1956. This marriage was to last ten years with Francis dying in 1966 and Corinne herself in 1971 at 84 in

Avon, Connecticut Avon ( ) is a town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 18,932. History Avon was settled in 1645 and was originally a part of neighboring Farmington. ...

Descendants

Through her son Stewart, she was the grandmother of six grandchildren: Joseph Wright Alsop VI; Ian Alsop; Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop, a children's book author; Stewart Alsop II, an investor and pundit; Richard Nicholas Alsop, a missionary with FamilyLife; and Andrew Alsop. Through her daughter Corinne, she was the grandmother of six:

Hendon Chubb Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Grea ...

, founder of the

Chubb Fellowship The Chubb Fellowship is a fellowship based and administered through Timothy Dwight College, one of Yale University's twelve residential colleges, and is one of Yale's highest honors for a visiting lecturer. In 1936, Hendon Chubb established a fund ...

; Percy Chubb III, president of the Victoria Foundation; Joseph Chubb; James Chubb; Caldecot Chubb, a film producer; and Corinne Chubb Zimmermann. Through her son John, she was the grandmother of three, John deKoven Alsop, Mary Alsop Culver, and Augusta Alsop.

References

External links

*
Time magazine entry for marriage to Francis Cole
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Corinne Alsop 1886 births 1971 deaths Roosevelt family Bulloch family Schuyler family People from Orange, New Jersey Women state legislators in Connecticut Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Alsop family