Abby Connolly
Have you ever thought about some former U.S. Presidents’ children and wondered if they got away with typical teenage or childhood shenanigans? Like what happens when the president’s kids misbehave or act up during their time in the White House?
There was one iconic ‘first kid’ who refused to follow social norms, even when her father became the president. It was Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s eldest daughter.
Alice Roosevelt was a fascinating woman who, during her father’s presidency, became almost as popular and talked about as him for her antics and headstrong personality.
Alice was born to Theodore and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, in 1884. Sadly, Alice’s mother passed away days after giving birth to her due to undetected kidney failure. After her mother’s passing, Alice’s relationship with Theodore would be forever altered.
Historians say Theodore was so distraught by any reminders of his late wife that he couldn’t even call Alice by her name since it was her mother’s. Therefore, he often called her ‘Baby Lee.’ Although he wasn’t always with his daughter, letters from Theodore prove he did care for her dearly.
Alice spent many of her childhood years raised by her aunt, Anna, in New York while her father traveled. Her aunt helped her become an outspoken and strong young woman.
Alice became more rebellious when Theodore married his second wife, Edith Carow. They moved to Oyster Bay, Long Island, and had five children together. Alice and Edith had a strained relationship, as Edith was insecure about Theodore’s love for his late wife and took those feelings out on Alice.
Alice’s lack of time with her father and tension with her stepmother caused her to grow into an independent young woman determined to do what she wanted.
As Alice entered her teenage years, she became outspoken about her views against marriage and took pride in being a single young woman who could hold her own. This led her to become the subject of certain magazines and local gossip. When Theodore began his presidency in 1901, Alice didn’t suppress herself, her personality, or her beliefs.
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