Quentin Roosevelt II (November 4, 1919 – December 21, 1948) was the fourth child and youngest son of
Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt III and
Eleanor Butler Alexander. He was the
namesake
A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...
of his uncle
Quentin Roosevelt I, who was
killed in action
Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
in 1918 during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. His elder brothers were
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veterans
Theodore Roosevelt IV and
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III. He was a grandson of President
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 ...
.
Life
Quentin Roosevelt II was born on November 4, 1919, 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 ...
, less than one year after the death of his grandfather, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th
president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
.
Roosevelt published a paper through the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...
in 1934, describing a new species of
fossil pronghorn that he and a boyhood friend, Joseph W. Burden, had found in a cave in southern Arizona.
He attended
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
, where he wrote his senior thesis on some Nakhi (
Naxi) manuscripts he had collected while visiting Western China at the border of Tibet.
''Life'' magazine published images from his journey, which he made at the age of 19.
Military career
He graduated from
Groton School
Groton School is a Private school, private, college-preparatory school, college-preparatory, day school, day and boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, United States. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcop ...
followed by
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...
in 1941 and soon after joined the Army.
World War II
Roosevelt served in the
1st Infantry Division, alongside his father. He served as an artillery officer in the unit.
In 1942, he was seriously wounded by machine gun fire from a German aircraft but survived, and returned to service within a year.
During the war, he fought in the
Battle of Kasserine Pass
The Battle of Kasserine Pass took place from 19-24 February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, a gap in the Grand Dorsal chain of the Atlas Mountains in west central Tunisia. It was a part of the Tunisian campaign of World War II.
The Axis forces, led b ...
(February 1943). Roosevelt was among the first wave of soldiers to land at
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors of the amphibious assault component of Operation Overlord during the Second World War.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies of World War II, Allies invaded German military administration in occupied Fra ...
while his father landed with the first wave at
Utah Beach on
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
.
Roosevelt earned the
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...
,
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
, and
French Croix de Guerre
The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during Worl ...
for his war service. He was promoted to
major
Major most commonly refers to:
* Major (rank), a military rank
* Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits
* People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames
* Major and minor in musi ...
by the end of war and left active service.
Death
While serving as the Director of the
China National Aviation Corporation, he was killed in a plane crash in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
, on December 21, 1948. He was 29. His
C-54 plane crashed on a mountain on
Basalt Island, near
Sai Kung. All 35 on board were killed instantly. There is no clear record of recovery or disposition of his remains, but they are believed to have been left on Basalt Island.
Family
On April 12, 1944, he married Frances Blanche Webb, an American Red Cross worker, at
Blandford Forum
Blandford Forum ( ) is a market town in Dorset, England, on the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour, north-west of Poole. It had a population of 10,355 at the United Kingdom 2021 census, 2021 census.
The town is notable for its Georgian archit ...
. They had three daughters: Alexandra,
Susan Roosevelt Weld, and
Anna C. Roosevelt, a noted archaeologist specializing in Amazonia, who won a
MacArthur Fellowship
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...
. Alexandra married Ronald W. Dworkin. Susan graduated from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
with a JD and PhD, and was married to former Massachusetts Governor
William Weld
William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...
; they had five children: David Minot Weld, Ethel Derby Weld, Mary B. Weld, Quentin Roosevelt Weld, and Frances Wylie Weld.
"The Weld's of Harvard Yard"
''Harvard Magazine'', Craig A. Lambert
Military awards
Roosevelt's decorations and awards include:
Works
"Buddhism"
''Life'', Jan 8, 1940
References
External links
* Associated Press
(December 22, 1948) ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', p. 8.
Hong Kong's Roosevelt Connection - Basalt Island's Air Crash
Aviation Safety Network, Accident description, N8342C
''(accessed 2015-04-05)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Quentin, II
1919 births
1948 deaths
People from Oyster Bay (town), New York
Military personnel from New York (state)
Quentin Roosevelt II
Schuyler family
Harvard College alumni
American people of Dutch descent
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Hong Kong
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Recipients of the Silver Star
20th-century American politicians
Groton School alumni
United States Army personnel of World War II
United States Army officers
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1948