James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (August 20, 1879 – June 7, 1958), also called Taddy,Hazel Rowley, ''Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage'' (2011), pp. 19, 27-28. was an American heir and member of the Roosevelt and Astor families.

Early life

James Roosevelt Roosevelt Jr. was born on August 20, 1879. He was the son of diplomat James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt (1854–1927) of the

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 ...

and Helen Schermerhorn (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Astor) Roosevelt (1855–1893) of the

Astor family The Astor family achieved prominence in business sector, business, Socialite, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With Germans, German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to th ...

. He had one sister, Helen Rebecca Roosevelt (1881–1962). Among his large and prominent family were uncles

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

(who was three years younger than Tadd), who later became

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 ...

, and Colonel John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV, who died during the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic''. Tadd's paternal grandparents were businessman

James Roosevelt I James Roosevelt I (July 16, 1828 – December 8, 1900), known as "Squire James", was an American businessman, politician, horse breeder, and the father of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States. Early life Roosevelt was ...

and Rebecca Brien (née Howland) Roosevelt, while his maternal grandparents were businessman William Backhouse Astor Jr. and socialite Caroline (née Schermerhorn) Astor, who was known as ''the'' " Mrs. Astor". He and Franklin both attended

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 ...

and

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 Tadd being ahead of Franklin. Their kinship led to Franklin often being mockingly referred to as "Uncle Frank" while the two attended Groton together.

Career

Upon his mother's death in 1893, Tadd inherited $1,500,000 (equivalent to approximately $ in dollars).

Personal life

On June 14, 1900, while still a student at Harvard, Roosevelt married 19-year-old Sadie Messinger (–1940) without the consent of his father Rosey. (In his biography on Franklin Roosevelt, Geoffrey C. Ward states that Messinger was "at least 25 years-old.") Upon learning of the wedding, Rosey traveled from Hyde Park and brought Tadd home. A frequent sight at the Haymarket Dance Hall, Sadie was known by "Dutch Sadie" and "Sadie of the Tenderloin."Jean Edward Smith, ''FDR'' (2008), p. 35. (Sadie is described in some accounts as a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

;Geoffrey C. Ward, ''The Roosevelts: An Intimate History'' (Alfred A. Knopf: 2014), pp. 67-69. Winston Groom described her as a "hooker and sometime

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

girl.") Rosey unsuccessfully attempted to have the marriage annulled, and both the Roosevelt and Astor families viewed the union as disgraceful. Rosey ultimately disowned Tadd; after the public scandal, which was reported in newspapers at the time, the father had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, which FDR blamed on Tadd's marriage. In October 1900, FDR wrote to Sara Roosevelt, "One can never again consider him a true Roosevelt. It would be well for him not only to parts unknown, but to stay there and begin life anew." In 1907, Tadd was arrested for speeding on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. He lived in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

for a time. In February 1917, Tadd was again arrested in Florida, and a local court in Volusia County reportedly ordered him to stay in Florida "pending a settlement of a divorce suit." In 1911, he reportedly lived in Daytona under the name "M. S. King"; the ''New York Times'' reported in 1917 that the Roosevelt family had prevailed in achieving a separation, in which Sadie was to receive a $10,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars) annual income. A court soon granted $625 (equivalent to $ in dollars) per month alimony to Sadie, pending settlement of the divorce. At the time, Tadd was reported to be the Floridian paying the highest income taxes, having a $12,000,000 fortune (equivalent to $ in dollars).

Later years and death

By October 1921, Tadd and Sadie were reportedly no longer living together. However, they remained married until her death in 1940. Biographer Jean Edward Smith writes that Tadd and Sadie remained together until her death. They had no children. After returning to New York, Tadd Roosevelt supported himself as an auto repairman. He reportedly did not use his large inheritance and was estranged from his family, communicating only to tell the Astor family that his money should be given to the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

upon his death. Roosevelt died in Manhattan on June 7, 1958. A recluse in his later years, his fortune was donated to the Salvation Army, which received some $5 million.

References

External links