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Theodore Roosevelt III

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Casseb (talk | contribs) at 02:51, 20 April 2016 (infobox mislabels son as the V,when son was really the IV). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Theodore Roosevelt IV
Born(1914-06-14)June 14, 1914
New York City
DiedMay 2, 2001(2001-05-02) (aged 86)
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Resting placeNear Somesville, Maine
EducationGroton School
Alma materHarvard University
Spouse(s)Anne Mason Babcock
(m. 1940—2001; her death)
ChildrenTheodore Roosevelt IV
Parent(s)Theodore Roosevelt III
Eleanor Butler Alexander
Relatives
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Navy
Rank Lieutenant Commander
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsAir Medal

Theodore Roosevelt IV (June 14, 1914 – May 2, 2001), commonly known as Theodore Roosevelt III, was a World War II Veteran. He was the eldest son of politician and World War II military leader Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and Eleanor Butler Alexander.

Early years

Theodore IV was born on June 14, 1914. When his grandfather, President Theodore "T.R." Roosevelt, Jr., died in 1919, his father took on the "Junior" last name suffix. As a result, he was known as Theodore, III rather than Theodore IV. [verification needed] He was the second born and the last surviving of four children to Theodore Jr/III and Eleanor Butler Alexander (daughter of Henry Addison Alexander and Grace Green). Theodore III had an older sister, Grace Green Roosevelt (wife of William McMillan) and two younger brothers: Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III and Quentin Roosevelt II.

Following his father Ted and paternal grandfather T.R., Theodore IV went to Groton School and graduated from Harvard in 1936, where he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals and the Owl Club. Roosevelt worked for the DuPont company from 1936 to 1941.

Service in World War II

Following the Roosevelt tradition of military service during times of national emergency, during World War II, Roosevelt was a Navy pilot, serving as a flag lieutenant (ie. an aide to an admiral) in the Pacific theater. For his service as a naval aviator, Theodore IV was awarded the Air Medal. He was promoted to lieutenant on April 1, 1944 and left the Navy as a lieutenant commander.

His father, Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt, Jr., also volunteered for service, participated in the Allied invasion of North Africa and lead soldiers at Utah Beach on D-Day in France before dying of a heart attack a month afterward. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Post-war life

Gravestone of Theodore Roosevelt III

Upon his return from the Pacific Theater, Theodore IV joined the Philadelphia brokerage firm of Montgomery, Scott, becoming a partner in 1952. Appointed by Governor James Duff, Ted served as Secretary of Commerce of Pennsylvania from 1949 to 1951. For many years he was president of the Competitive Enterprise System, Inc., a nonprofit group that promoted free markets in the United States. Roosevelt was a trustee of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) for many years and a generous supporter of the organization. In recent years, he attended TRA Police Awards ceremonies in Boston and Philadelphia as well as TRA annual meetings in Boston and Norfolk, VA. He was an honorary plank owner in the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and a strong supporter of the efforts to preserve the Pine Knot site in Virginia, his grandparents' presidential retreat.

On February 3, 1940, Roosevelt married Anne Mason Babcock (December 3, 1917 — January 29, 2001), daughter of George Wheeler Babcock (May 12, 1879 — November 21, 1950) and Anne Mason Bonnycastle Robinson (January 10, 1886 — February 4, 1923).[1] They had one son, Theodore V (born 1942). Roosevelt died on May 2, 2001 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.[2][3] He and his wife are buried near Somesville, Maine.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://genealogy.kolthammer.org/Bonnycastle-o/p13718.htm
  2. ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/05/us/theodore-roosevelt-iii-brokerage-partner-86.html
  3. ^ "Editors "Theodore Roosevelt III — Obituary," Oyster Bay Enterprise-Pilot (May 11, 2001) Online Edition". Retrieved 2006-06-11.
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