Roosevelt, Edith Carow (1861-1948), was the second wife of Theodore Roosevelt, who served as president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. While first lady, she had to manage both her White House social duties and a large family of six children. She skillfully handled both jobs.
Mrs. Roosevelt, whose maiden name was Edith Kermit Carow, was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on Aug. 6, 1861. She grew up in New York City. She was born into a family that had become wealthy from a shipping business.
While growing up in New York City, Edith Carow was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt and his sister Corinne. Theodore married Alice Hathaway Lee in 1880, but she died in 1884. After Alice’s death, Edith and Theodore renewed their acquaintanceship. They married on Dec. 2, 1886. The couple had five children between 1887 and 1897. The children were, in order of birth, Theodore, Jr.; Kermit; Ethel Carow; Archibald Bulloch; and Quentin. In addition, Theodore had another child, Alice, with his first wife in 1884. Edith Roosevelt raised Alice along with her own children.
When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, the family’s six children ranged in age from 3 to 17. The presence of so many children made the White House a lively place. In addition, President Roosevelt enjoyed playing with his children at home. Edith Roosevelt was generally in charge of disciplining the children.
Edith Roosevelt also made organizational changes in the operations of the White House. She arranged to have the family’s living quarters moved so the family would have more privacy. She was the first president’s wife to hire, with federal funds, a White House social secretary to help with social functions. She also greatly expanded the White House china collection.
Mrs. Roosevelt lived almost 30 years after her husband’s death in 1919. She traveled widely after his death and spent her later years at the family home in Oyster Bay, New York. She died on Sept. 30, 1948.
See also Roosevelt, Theodore .
