Theodore Roosevelt IV ( ) (June 14, 1914 – May 2, 2001), also known as Theodore III, was an American banker, government official, and veteran of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He was a grandson of President
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 ...
through his father, Brig. Gen.
Theodore Roosevelt III
Theodore Roosevelt IV ( ) (June 14, 1914 – May 2, 2001), also known as Theodore III, was an American banker, government official, and veteran of World War II. He was a grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt through his father, Brig. Gen. The ...
.
His name suffix varies since President Roosevelt's father was
Theodore Roosevelt Sr., though the same-named son did not commonly use a "Jr." name suffix.
Early life
Roosevelt was born on June 14, 1914 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
He was the second born and the last surviving of four children to
Theodore Jr. and
Eleanor Butler Alexander. Theodore had an older sister,
Grace Green Roosevelt, who married William McMillan, and two younger brothers,
Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III and
Quentin Roosevelt II
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 of his uncle Quentin Roosevelt I, who was killed in acti ...
. Following his father, Ted, and paternal grandfather, T. R., Theodore went to
Groton School and graduated from
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in 1936, where he was a member of the
Hasty Pudding Theatricals
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, known informally simply as The Pudding, is a theatrical student society at Harvard University, known for its burlesque crossdressing musicals. The Hasty Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the United S ...
and the
Owl Club
The Owl Club of Cape Town, South Africa (formed in 1894), is a social meeting place for all those with an interest in the arts and sciences. The monthly meetings include an evening of fellowship, fine dining, stimulating conversation, talks by ac ...
.
While at Harvard, Roosevelt played for the
Harvard Crimson men's soccer
The Harvard Crimson men's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of Harvard University. The team is a member of the Ivy League of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The Crimson fielded their first varsity team in 1905, ...
team, and was named a second-team All American in 1934.
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. As an
Oyster Bay Roosevelt, Ted was a descendant of the
Schuyler family. His maternal grandparents are Henry Addison Alexander and Grace Green.
Career
After graduating from Harvard, Roosevelt worked for the
DuPont
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
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 volunteered as a Navy pilot, serving as a flag lieutenant (i.e. an aide to an admiral) in the Pacific theater. For his service as a naval aviator, Theodore was awarded the
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
. He was promoted to lieutenant on April 1, 1944 and left the Navy as a lieutenant commander.
Post-war life
![T roosevelt III grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/T_roosevelt_III_grave.JPG)
Upon his return from the Pacific Theater, Theodore joined the Philadelphia brokerage firm of Montgomery, Scott, becoming a partner in 1952.
Appointed by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
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 organization that promoted free markets in the United States. Roosevelt was a trustee of the
Theodore Roosevelt Association The Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) is a historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), the 26th President of the United States.
The group is based in Oyster Bay, New York, whe ...
(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.
Personal life
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). They had one son,
Theodore Roosevelt IV
Theodore Roosevelt V ( ) (born November 27, 1942), also called Theodore IV, is an American investment banker and managing director at Barclays Investment Bank. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York, ...
(born 1942).
Roosevelt died on May 2, 2001 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
He and his wife are buried near
Somesville, Maine
Somesville is the earliest village of the town of Mount Desert on Mount Desert Island in southeastern Maine. It is located on the north end of Somes Sound. The village was established by Abraham Somes who was the first settler on the island.Har ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roosevelt, Theodore III
1914 births
2001 deaths
Theodore
Theodore may refer to:
Places
* Theodore, Alabama, United States
* Theodore, Australian Capital Territory
* Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia
* Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada
* Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Sask ...
United States Navy personnel of World War II
American people of Dutch descent
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American people of Scottish descent
American people of Welsh descent
Recipients of the Air Medal
Businesspeople from New York City
Burials in Maine
Bulloch family
Schuyler family
Harvard Crimson men's soccer players
Soccer players from New York (state)
Hasty Pudding alumni
Association footballers not categorized by position
United States Navy officers
Association football players not categorized by nationality