James Roosevelt

James Roosevelt I was born on July 16, 1828, in Hyde Park, New York. He was the son of Isaac Daniel Roosevelt and Mary Rebecca Aspinwall. His paternal grandparents were Jacobus Roosevelt III and Catherine Welles, and his maternal grandparents were John Aspinwall and Susan Howland. Roosevelt was a half-first cousin of First Lady Elizabeth Monroe through his family's extended connections.

Roosevelt graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1847. He subsequently earned a law degree from Harvard University. After completing his education, he joined the law firm of Benjamin D. Silliman, who arranged for Roosevelt to serve on the founding board of directors of the Consolidated Coal Company of Maryland, a client of the firm. Roosevelt applied skills gained from his business experiences to his own endeavors, which were primarily concentrated in the coal and transportation sectors. He served as vice president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway and was president of the Southern Railway Security Company.

In 1853, shortly after his marriage, Roosevelt traveled to London and met with James Buchanan, who was then the United States Minister to the United Kingdom. Buchanan invited Roosevelt to serve as his secretary at the embassy. This period marked the beginning of a tradition of the Roosevelt family being affiliated with Democratic administrations.

Following the death of his father in 1863, Roosevelt inherited family wealth and status, and purchased an estate in Hyde Park which he named "Springwood." In 1871, he was elected town supervisor of Hyde Park. Despite his interest in politics, Roosevelt declined offers to run for the New York state assembly, state senate, or Congress. During the 1880s, he supported Grover Cleveland’s campaigns for governor of New York and President of the United States. After Cleveland's election in 1884, the Roosevelt family maintained regular visits with the Clevelands at the White House. Rumors circulated that Roosevelt might be appointed to diplomatic posts within Cleveland's administration, but he declined such appointments. Nonetheless, he contributed to securing his eldest son James Roosevelt's appointment as First Secretary of the United States Legation in Vienna.

Roosevelt married Rebecca Brien Howland in 1854, his second cousin and sister of Meredith Howland. They had one son, James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt, born in 1855, who later married Helen Schermerhorn Astor. Rebecca Roosevelt suffered from heart issues, and in 1876, she died of a massive heart attack during a yacht cruise.

In 1880, Roosevelt married Sara Ann Delano, a sixth cousin and daughter of Warren Delano Jr. With Sara, he had a son, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, born in 1882. Franklin later became the 32nd President of the United States and married Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt was known to be a caring father, although his recurrent health problems, particularly related to his heart, eventually limited his activity and made him an invalid. His health further declined after a yacht explosion and sinking in 1900.

Roosevelt passed away on December 8, 1900, in Hyde Park, New York, approximately twenty years after his marriage to Sara. He was buried at St. James Episcopal Church in Hyde Park; his grave is located alongside those of his wives. The majority of his estate was left to his second wife, Sara, with a modest inheritance directed to Franklin Roosevelt. In 1927, Franklin and Sara Roosevelt funded the construction of a library in Hyde Park named after James Roosevelt, which remains in use.

In popular culture, Roosevelt was voiced by John Lithgow in the 2014 documentary series "The Roosevelts" by Ken Burns.