William Emlen Roosevelt (April 30, 1857 – May 15, 1930) was a prominent
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
who held a wide range of positions in numerous organizations and was a cousin of
United States President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
. He was president of
Roosevelt & Son, the banking firm founded by his father
James Alfred Roosevelt.
Early life
William Emlen Roosevelt was born to
James Alfred Roosevelt and Elizabeth Norris Emlen.
His maternal grandparents were William Fishbourne Emlen (1786–1866) and Mary Parker Norris (1791–1872) and his paternal grandparents were
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt (1794–1871) and Margaret Barnhill (1799–1861).
Career
He was director of the
Chemical Bank of New York, the Gallatin National Bank, and the Astor National Bank,
and later sat on the boards of the Grand Hanover and the
Bank of New York.
He was president of
Roosevelt Hospital, founded by his distant cousin
James H. Roosevelt.
He was an officer of the
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
for 16 years, major and quartermaster of the First Brigade.
Roosevelt became involved in telecommunications companies, formed the Mexican Telegraph Company and Central and South American Telegraph Company, and was eventually director of the
International Telephone and Telegraph Company.
Theodore Roosevelt and he had a very close relationship as cousins. Emlen was not interested in politics other than to support his cousin's bids for public office, and Theodore, busy with conservation advocacy, had little time to attend to financial matters. Thus, "Cousin Emlen" was Theodore's financial adviser before, during and after his presidency.
Personal life
In 1883, he married Christine Griffin Kean (1858–1936),
a daughter of Col.
John Kean and Lucy ( Halsted) Kean, who was the sister of
John Kean and
Hamilton Fish Kean, both of whom served as United States Senators from New Jersey.
They were the parents of:
* Christine Kean Roosevelt (1884–1913), who married James Etter Shelley (1871–1936),
in 1909.
*
George Emlen Roosevelt (1887–1963), who married Julia Morris Addison (1888–1937), the sister of
James Thayer Addison in 1914. After her death, he married Mildred Cobb Rich (1895–1979).
* Lucy Margaret Roosevelt (1888–1914), who died of
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...
after a trip in South America.
* John Kean Roosevelt (1889–1974), who married Elise Annette Weinacht (1896–1972) in 1916.
*
Philip James Roosevelt (1892–1941), who married his cousin, Jean S. Roosevelt, the daughter of
John Ellis Roosevelt, in 1925.
He also owned the
James Alfred Roosevelt Estate at
Cove Neck in
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County ( ) is a suburban County (United States), county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United St ...
.
Emlen, together with Christine Roosevelt, donated land to establish the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center in
Oyster Bay, New York
The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns that make up Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is ...
in 1923.
Roosevelt died at his home, 804
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...
in New York City, on May 15, 1930, at the age of 73.
His funeral was held at St. Thomas' Church.
See also
*
Roosevelt family
The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady, and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Emlen
1857 births
1930 deaths
Emlen
Schuyler family
American people of Dutch descent
Businesspeople from New York City
American bankers
Quartermasters