William Emlen Roosevelt (April 30, 1857 – May 15, 1930) was a prominent
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
banker
A bank is a financial institution that accepts 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 markets.
Becaus ...
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 of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. 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
Cornelius Van Schaack "C.V.S." Roosevelt (January 30, 1794 – July 17, 1871) was an American businessman from New York City. He was a member of the prominent Roosevelt family and the paternal grandfather of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
Ea ...
(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
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, commonly known as BNY Mellon, is an American investment banking services holding company headquartered in New York City. BNY Mellon was formed from the merger of The Bank of New York and the Mellon Fina ...
.
He was president of
Roosevelt Hospital
Mount Sinai West, opened in 1871 as Roosevelt Hospital, is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Health System.
The 514-bed facility is located in the Midtown West neighborhood of New York City. The f ...
, 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.
Nat ...
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),
the sister of
John Kean and
Hamilton Fish Kean, who both 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
George Emlen Roosevelt (October 13, 1887 – September 4, 1963) a banker and philanthropist, was a first cousin once-removed of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and one of the most prominent railroad financiers of his day, involved in no fewer ...
(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 as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
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 county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead.
Nassau County is situated on western Long Isl ...
.
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 towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore ...
in 1923.
Roosevelt died at his home, 804
Fifth Avenue 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
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Emlen
1857 births
1930 deaths
Emlen
Schuyler family
American people of Dutch descent
Businesspeople from New York City
American bankers
Quartermasters