June 17, 2022
Referring to his teenage daughter, Alice, President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.” He had good reason to believe this. As presidential children go, Alice Roosevelt was one of the most scandalous. She had the same bold, boisterous, adventurous spirit that her famous father had, but she lived during a time when women were supposed to be demure rule followers.
Alice Roosevelt, however, broke the rules. She smoked, drank, had affairs, danced seductively, and, in short, lived her life the way she wanted, much to the delight of the newspaper gossip columnists who loved to report on her scandalous antics. Let’s take a colorized look at the unusual life of Teddy Roosevelt’s oldest daughter.
A Tragic Start to Life
Alice Lee Roosevelt was born on February 12, 1884, to Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. Just two days later, the infant Alice lost her mother and paternal grandmother, who both died on the same day in the same house. Teddy Roosevelt was so distraught over the deaths of his wife and mother that he left the baby Alice with his sister, Anna, who was called Aunt Bamie, and spent the next two years living the cowboy life in North Dakota. Roosevelt’s sister was intelligent and outgoing, just like her brother. Alice Roosevelt later remarked that Anna would have been a great president had she been born a man. Teddy Roosevelt waited until he was remarried before he regained custody of Alice. Her years with Aunt Bamie left a lasting impression on young Alice.
The Stepmother
Alice Roosevelt often butted heads with her new stepmother, Edith Kermit Carow. She still relied on her Aunt Bamie for guidance and structure. Alice was rebellious and headstrong. At one point, her stepmother suggested sending Alice to a private, conservative school for girls, Alice responded telling her father, “If you send me, I will humiliate you. I will do something that will shame you.”
Thrust into the Limelight
When President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the next president of the United States. This suddenly thrust the 17-year-old Alice Roosevelt into the limelight, and she loved it. She made her official social debut in early 1902 at a ball to which she wore a pretty blue gown. The media dubbed the shade ‘Alice blue’ and it became the latest fashion trend of the day. It was so popular that there was even a well-known song called ‘Alice Blue Gown’ that was written about Alice Roosevelt. The American public loved her and she was referred to as Princess Alice.
A Wild Child
In the early 1900s, there were very specific rules for women in society. Alice Roosevelt took delight in breaking these rules. She smoked cigarettes in public. She drank openly. She gambled. She even rode around in cars with men – shocking. She has a pet snake that she bought with her to party and wore it wound around her arm.
During a visit to Paris, Alice Roosevelt reportedly attended 350 balls, 300 parties, and more than 400 dinner parties in a 15-month period. At a party in Rhode Island, Alice caused a stir when she stripped down to her lingerie and danced on top of a table.
A Diplomatic Trip
In 1905, Teddy Roosevelt sent his daughter, Alice, to join 23 U.S. congressmen, seven senators, several diplomats, and business owners on a diplomatic trip to Asia. Traveling by ship, the group made stops in Japan, China, Korea, and the Philippines. Although Alice got cozy with one of the congressmen, Nicholas Longworth, during the voyage, she openly flirted with most of the other men on board the ship. She famously jumped into the ship’s swimming pool fully clothed and coaxed Congressman William Bourke Cockran to join her.
Married Life Didn’t Slow Her Down
After the diplomatic trip, Alice became engaged to Nicholas Longworth, a man who was 14 years her senior. Longworth, who had a reputation as a playboy around Washington D.C, would eventually become the Speaker of the House. There were a thousand guests at their wedding and Alice wore a bridal gown in her signature Alice blue color. The couple took an extended honeymoon trip to Cuba and then to Europe where they hobnobbed with royalty.
Alice had numerous affairs during her marriage. Her flings were common knowledge around Washington D.C. and she didn’t even try to hide her activities from the media or her husband. She had a long-running affair with Senator William Borah who fathered Alice’s only child, Paulina Longworth. Alice had a wicked sense of humor. After she delivered her baby daughter, she reportedly wanted to name her Deborah … de Borah … in homage to her lover. Her husband, however, shot down that idea. Although the infant was named Paulina, friends and family nicknamed her ‘Aurora Borah Alice’.
Paulina later died of an overdose and Alice raised her granddaughter, Joanna.
She Was Banned From the White House … Twice
After her father left office and the family moved out of the White House, Alice was caught burying a voodoo doll in the likeness of Nellie Taft, the new First Lady, on the front lawn of the White House. The Tafts banned Alice from returning to her former home. Later, she made an off-color joke at the expense of President Woodrow Wilson. That earned her another White House ban.
She Hawked Cigarettes
During the Great Depression, Alice earned some cash by appearing in advertisements for cigarettes.
Alice remained active in politics her whole life and was a staunch Republican. It was only after befriending John F. Kennedy and his family that she softened her hard line against Democrats a bit. Always known for her quick humor and biting observations, Alice said of the Kennedys, that she enjoyed learning “how amusing and attractive Democrats can be.” Alice Roosevelt made it her business to get personally acquainted with every U.S. president with the exception of Jimmy Carter, who she said was so lacking in social graces that she could not be bothered to meet him. She used her celebrity to push her political causes and relished political and social scandals. She once quipped, “If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here next to me.”
Later in life, she suffered some medical set-back including a broken hip and two bouts with breast cancer. She died at the age of 98 on February 20, 1980. Alice Roosevelt was the long-lived child of a U.S. president.