Edith Kermit Roosevelt: Portrait of a First Lady

By Sylvia Morris

Edith Kermit Carow grew up in New York City in the same circles as did Theodore Roosevelt. But only after TR's first wife died at age twenty-two did the childhood friends forge one of the most successful romantic and political partnerships in American history. Sylvia Jukes Morris's access to previously unpublished letters and diaries brings to full life her portrait of the Roosevelts and their times. During her years as First Lady (1901-09), Edith Kermit Roosevelt dazzled social and political Washington as hostess, confidante, and mother of six, leading her husband to remark, "Mrs. Roosevelt comes a good deal nearer my ideal than I do myself."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 19, 2009
• ISBN: 9780307522771

Reviews for Edith Kermit Roosevelt

[briandrewz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent book about the wife of one of America's most famous presidents. Edith knew Theodore Roosevelt from childhood, and, after the death of his first wife, married him and bore five rambunctious children. This biography gives a well-rounded examination of Edith's life. She could be unfailingly kind, but also had a mean streak. She told her stepdaughter Alice that Theodore had only married her mother because he was on the rebound, and, when Alice married, Edith told her she was glad to be rid of her. Yet, this lady and her husband did much to bring the Presidency and the White House closer to the people. It's a fascinating look at a lady we don't get to read much about in comparison with her superstar husband. A worthwhile and important read in the saga of the Roosevelts.

[ladycato · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read extensively about Theodore Roosevelt the past while as part of novel research. While this book on his wife, Edith, didn't add more to my notes, it was still a fascinating, well-done work. It was also incredibly long--just over 500-pages of fine print text, followed by almost 100 pages of footnotes and the like. Edith is certainly a complicated, private figure to analyze. On one hand, I respect that privacy, but as a historian, I'm horrified that she destroyed the bulk of her private papers and correspondence. Still, a lot of the Roosevelt's papers survived (in part because both Theodore and Edith were prolific writers) and Morris's work reflects intense research that brings Edith to life.