How were Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt related?
Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt, who are included among America’s most respected presidents, were distant cousins. Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) was born in New York City. After a career in public service that included organizing the first volunteer cavalry regiment (soldiers mounted on horseback) known as the Rough Riders, the ardent outdoors enthusiast became vice president in 1901. When President William McKinley (1843–1901) was assassinated on September 14, Roosevelt succeeded him as president. He was elected in his own right in 1904, and went on to serve until 1909, spending nearly two full terms in the White House. Theodore Roosevelt was president of the United States when he walked his niece, Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), down the aisle at her wedding on March 17, 1905. She was marrying her distant cousin, Franklin D….
