The Minor Family of Somerset

Alice Roosevelt Longworth.
"Widely known as the "other Washington Monument" and "Princess A
lice," this rambunctious, independent, and irreverent American s
ocial icon once described her father as an individual who wante
d to be the"the bride at every wedding and the corpse at ever
y funeral". In return, President Rossevelt once described his fi
rst child's irreverence by remarKing that he could control the a
ffairs of state, or control Alice, but could not possibly do bot
h. Alice, the only child of T.R. and his first wife Alice Hatha
way Lee, was affectionately referred to by her siblings as "Sist
er". Alice's mother died from Bright's Disease Days after deliv
ering her. In an effortto deal with his grief, T.R. went to t
he Dakotas, leaving Alice in the careof his siter, Bamie.
ALICE Roosevelt Longworth BIOGRAPHY. DESCRIPTION: A brief biogr
aphy of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a celebrity in the Days befor
e Hollywood and sports idols. Author's name omitted by request
. Copyright 2001by Page Wise, Inc. http://www.pagewise.com
Alice Roosevelt was born on 12 feb1884. Two Days later, her mo
ther and paternal granmother died, as her father, and New York A
ssembLyman, Theodore Roosevelt, floated between the deathbeds.
She was the oldest child of Theodore Roosevelt, and the half sis
ter to five younger siblings. There are conflicting stories abo
ut her relationship with her stepmother; some experts say it wa
s a generally good relationship that had some bumps, while othe
rs paint Edith Roosevelt as the orginal Wicket Stepmothers. It w
as probably a combination of both. While it was Edith who patie
ntly massaged Alice's legs (she needed to be in leg braces in he
r early childhoo), Edith also resented what young Alice represen
ted, Theodore's firstmarraige. this created a natural frictio
n between them
It also created a feeling in Alice that she did not quite belon
g to her family, and this feelingof disconnectedness most likel
y contributed to her independent wild streak.Alice enjoyed sho
cKing people, a characteristic which remained over her longlife
.
When she was first daughter, a guest in the Presiden'ts office
, annoyed by Alice's frequent interruptions, demanded that Alic
e be disciplined. Roosevelt sighed and said, "I can either ru
n the country or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both
."
The media loved this presidential wild child. They dubbed her P
rincess Alice, and the attractive young woman was the source o
f songs, poems, even a color (Alice Blue). When her father bann
ed herfrom smoKing in the White House, she went to the roof t
o puff away. She bragged about setting speed records in her fri
end's roadser, as they drove around the Northeast unchaperoned
. While representing her father on official government junket t
o the Far East, she literally made a splash by jumping into th
e ship's pool fully dressed. Hardly scandalous these Days, bu
t her anticswere quite newsworthy at the turn of the century.
She marred a playboy congressman from Ohio, Nicholas Longworth
. It was not a happy marriage, by any accounts, but it keptAlic
e in Washington, where she became a fixture in the Congressiona
l and Senate galleries. She was staunchly Republican and ther
e is some debate to how much she worked behind the scenes to kil
l Wilson's League ofNations. She denied it, but her father an
d Wilson were great enemies, and after her father's death, Alic
e seemed determined to make sure her father's idealisms be carri
ed out. During the debates surrounding the league of nations, A
lice invited Senators to her home to meet informally with othe
r Senatorswho opposed the League. She hosted late night pow-wo
ws of the group fighting the League on the Senate floor. And sh
e was in the gallery the Day it wasdefeated.
After her husband's death, Alice remained in Washington and beca
meknow as "the other Washington monument." Her ho