James Roosevelt Roosevelt

James Roosevelt "Rosy" Roosevelt was born on April 27, 1854. He was the son of James Roosevelt I (1828–1900) and Rebecca Brien Howland (1831–1876). His parents were second cousins. Roosevelt had at least one sibling, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who would later become the 32nd president of the United States. When his father died in 1900, the Roosevelt family estate was divided between Rosy and Franklin Roosevelt.

Roosevelt attended Columbia College and graduated with honors in 1877. His professional career included diplomatic service, which was connected to the political support his family received. President Grover Cleveland, a friend and supporter of Roosevelt's father, appointed him as the first secretary of the United States legation in Vienna, Austria. He also served as the first secretary of the U.S. embassy in London, England.

In addition to his diplomatic work, Roosevelt was involved in religious and charitable activities. He was a trustee of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and maintained a close friendship with Cardinal Patrick Joseph Hayes. Roosevelt donated more than $250,000 to St. Francis Hospital in New York. He also contributed funds to the parish of St. James Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, New York. During World War I, Roosevelt participated in the war effort by selling Liberty bonds and war savings stamps from an office in New York's Post Office Building.

Roosevelt married Helen Schermerhorn Astor on November 18, 1878. Helen was the second daughter of William Backhouse Astor Jr. and Caroline Webster Schermerhorn. Together, they had two children: James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (1879–1958), who married Sadie Messinger, and Helen Rebecca Roosevelt (1881–1962), who in 1904 married Theodore Douglas Robinson, the eldest nephew of President Theodore Roosevelt.

After the death of his first wife in 1893, Roosevelt married Elizabeth Riley on August 7, 1914. Roosevelt remained married to Elizabeth Riley until his death.

Roosevelt died on May 7, 1927, at his home in Hyde Park. His death was attributed to complications related to bronchitis and asthma. His second wife, Elizabeth Riley Roosevelt, died in 1948.