Overview

Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt (July 29, 1861 – February 14, 1884) was the first wife of Theodore Roosevelt, later the 26th President of the United States. Born into a prominent Boston family, she is best known today as the mother of Alice Roosevelt Longworth and for the tragic timing of her death, which had a lasting emotional effect on her husband.

Early life and family

Alice Hathaway Lee was born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the daughter of George Cabot Lee, a well-established Boston banker, and Caroline Watts Haskell. She grew up within the social circles known as the Boston Brahmins and received the education and social training common to her class in the late 19th century.

Marriage and role

Alice married Theodore Roosevelt on October 27, 1880. The couple lived for a time in New York and on Roosevelt family property, and Alice took on the duties expected of a young wife in their social position. Their marriage produced one child, a daughter named Alice, born in February 1884.

Death and immediate aftermath

Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt died on February 14, 1884, two days after giving birth to her daughter. Contemporary reports describe her death as resulting from kidney disease, then often called Bright's disease (an historical term encompassing various forms of nephritis). Her death occurred on the same day that Theodore Roosevelt's mother also died, a coincidence that intensified his grief. In the months that followed, Roosevelt withdrew from public life for a period and spent considerable time in the American West.

Legacy and notable facts

  • The couple's daughter, Alice Lee Roosevelt, became a well-known social and political figure (later Alice Roosevelt Longworth).
  • Alice Hathaway Lee's death is often cited as a pivotal emotional event in Theodore Roosevelt's life, influencing his personal decisions and temperament.
  • She is remembered as a member of Boston's established Lee family and as part of the social milieu that surrounded the Roosevelts before Theodore Roosevelt's rise to national prominence.

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