James Roosevelt II

After graduation, Roosevelt enrolled in the Boston University School of Law. He also took a sales job with the firm of Victor De Gerard of Boston in 1930, remaining with that firm when it amalgamated with the John Paulding Meade Company which, in turn, amalgamated with O'Brion, Russell and Company in 1932. Roosevelt abandoned his law studies within a year due to his success at the firm. In 1932, Roosevelt started his own insurance agency, Roosevelt & Sargent, in partnership with John A. Sargent. As president of Roosevelt & Sargent, he made a substantial fortune (about $500,000 or more than $9 million in 2018 dollars). Roosevelt resigned from the firm in 1937, when he officially went to work at the White House, but retained his half-ownership.

Roosevelt was elected a director of Boston Metropolitan Buildings, Inc. in 1933. He also served briefly as president of the National Grain Yeast Corporation from May to November 1935.

Politics and the White House

thumb|left|Roosevelt (right) with his father in 1937

Roosevelt attended the 1924 Democratic National Convention where he served, in his words, as his father's "page and prop". In 1928, he and some Harvard classmates campaigned for Democratic presidential nominee Al Smith. In 1932, Roosevelt headed his father's Massachusetts campaign and made about 200 campaign speeches that year. Although FDR lost the Massachusetts Democratic primary to Smith, he easily carried Massachusetts in the November election. Roosevelt was viewed as his father's political deputy in Massachusetts, allocating patronage in alliance with Boston mayor James Michael Curley. He was also a delegate from Massachusetts to the Constitutional Convention for the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.

Roosevelt was a close protege of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. In fall 1933, the two journeyed to England to obtain the market in post-prohibition liquor imports. Many of Roosevelt's controversial business ventures were aided by Kennedy, including his maritime insurance interests, and the National Grain Yeast Corp. affair (1933–1935). Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. threatened to resign unless FDR forced his son to leave the latter company, suspected of being a front for bootlegging. Roosevelt was instrumental in securing Kennedy's appointment as ambassador to the United Kingdom.

In April 1936, Presidential Secretary Louis Howe died. Roosevelt unofficially assumed Howe's duties.

Hollywood

After leaving the White House in November 1938, Roosevelt moved to Hollywood, California, where he accepted a job as a $750/week "administrative assistant" (equivalent to an annualized salary of about $870,000 in 2024) for motion picture producer Samuel Goldwyn. Roosevelt was on Goldwyn's payroll until November 1940. In 1939, he set up Globe Productions, a company that produced short films for penny arcades; however, it was liquidated during Roosevelt's active Marine Corps service in 1944.

During his Hollywood period, Roosevelt became involved with Joseph Schenck, a movie mogul who was later caught participating in a payoff scheme that was intended to buy peace with movie industry labor unions. In 1942, Schenck pleaded guilty to one count of perjury and spent four months in prison before being paroled. In October 1945, Harry S. Truman granted Schenck a presidential pardon, which was not known to the public until 1947.

Military career

thumb|right|alt=Chest high portrait wearing a helmet|Roosevelt as a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel in [[World War II]]

World War II broke out in Europe in September 1939, and Roosevelt resigned the Marine commission the following month as a lieutenant colonel that he had received in 1936 when serving as his father's military aide and accepted a commission as a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve so that he could enter active duty, which Roosevelt did in November 1940.

thumb|left|upright=1.2|Roosevelt visiting [[Degania Alef|Degania, Mandatory Palestine, 1941]]

In April 1941, his father sent Roosevelt on a secret, world-circling diplomatic mission to assure numerous governments that the United States would soon be in the war. The leaders contacted included Chiang Kai-shek in China, King Farouk in Egypt, and King George of Greece. During this trip, Roosevelt came under German air attack in both Crete and Iraq. In the African/Middle Eastern portions of the mission, he traveled with Britain's Lord Mountbatten as far as Bathurst in the Gambia. They reported on trans-African air ferry conditions, an important concern of FDR and Winston Churchill at the time. In August, Roosevelt joined the staff of William J. Donovan, coordinator of information, with the job of working out the exchange of information with other agencies. Beginning in August 1943, Roosevelt served in various staff positions for the duration of the war. He was attached to and landed with the U.S. Army's 165th Regimental Combat Team, 27th infantry Division during the invasion of Makin on November 20–23 and was awarded the Silver Star by the army. Roosevelt was promoted to colonel on April 13, 1944. He was released from active duty in August 1945 and was placed on the inactive list in October 1945. That same month, Roosevelt became a Compatriot of the Empire State Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Roosevelt remained an inactive member of the Marine Corps Reserve until October 1, 1959, when he received a final promotion to the rank of brigadier general upon fully retiring from the service.

Military awards

Roosevelt's military decorations and awards include:

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|colspan="5"|Navy Cross

|colspan="5"|Silver Star Medal

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|colspan="3"|American Defense Service Medal <br />w/ service star

|colspan="3"|American Campaign Medal

|colspan="3"|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal <br />w/ four service stars

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|colspan="3"|World War II Victory Medal

|colspan="3"|Marine Corps Reserve Ribbon <br />w/ service star

|colspan="3"|Philippine Liberation Medal <br />w/ service star

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<blockquote>The Navy Cross is presented to James Roosevelt, Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service as second in command of the Second Marine Raider Battalion against enemy Japanese armed forces on Makin island. Risking his own life over and above the ordinary call of duty, Major Roosevelt continually exposed himself to intense machine-gun and sniper fire to ensure effective control of operations from the command post. As a result of his successful maintenance of communications with his supporting vessels, two enemy surface ships, whose presence was reported, were destroyed by gun fire. Later during evacuation, he displayed exemplary courage in personally rescuing three men from drowning in the heavy surf. His gallant conduct and his inspiring devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Congress

In 1954, Roosevelt was elected U.S. Representative from California's 26th congressional district, a heavily Democratic district. while he was preparing divorce proceedings in Geneva in May 1969. Although fugitive financier Robert Vesco obtained control of IOS from Cornfeld and absconded with approximately $200 million, Roosevelt initially stayed on with the company. He later added: "As soon as I saw the situation for what it was, in 1971, I resigned my position." Nevertheless, this episode resulted in federal charges being laid against Roosevelt and several others, as well as a Swiss arrest warrant. The charges were later dropped and then he returned to California, settling in Newport Beach.

During this period, Roosevelt became associated with the Nixon administration in several capacities and remained friendly with Richard Nixon until his death. Despite having been a liberal Democrat (in the tradition of his parents) for all of his life, Roosevelt joined Democrats for Nixon and publicly supported President Nixon's 1972 re-election and also supported Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984.

Writing

Roosevelt's writings include Affectionately, FDR (with Sidney Shalett, 1959) and My Parents, a Differing View (with Bill Libby, 1976). The latter was written in part as a response to his brother Elliott's book An Untold Story, which told of FDR's marital issues and was fiercely repudiated by the other siblings. Roosevelt authored the novel A Family Matter (with Sam Toperoff, 1979) and edited The Liberal Papers, published in 1962.

Later controversy

In the 1980s, a non-profit organization established by Roosevelt, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and its associated political action committee, were investigated by the House Ways and Means Committee for questionable money-raising practices and by the Post Office for mail fraud. By direct mail, Roosevelt's group solicited contributions from elderly persons by claiming that Social Security and Medicare programs were in financial jeopardy. Roosevelt also urged contributors to order their Social Security statements of earnings from his group (these are free from the government).

Family and marriages

Roosevelt's first marriage was in 1930 to philanthropist Betsey Maria Cushing (1908–1998), the middle daughter of surgeon Harvey Williams Cushing and Katharine Stone Crowell. They had two daughters, Sara (1932–2021) and Kate (1936–2002), before divorcing in 1940. Kate married the Kennedy family aide William Haddad and later CEO of the Ford Foundation Franklin A. Thomas.

Roosevelt's married his nurse, Romelle Therese Schneider (1915–2002), the next year. They had three children, James (b. 1945), Michael Anthony (b. 1947), and Anna Eleanor "Anne" (b. 1948) before divorcing in 1956.

In 1956, Roosevelt married Gladys Irene Owens (1916–1987), his receptionist, and they had a son together named Hall Delano (called "Del") in 1959 before divorcing 10 years later.

Roosevelt married his fourth wife, Mary Winskill (b. 1939), teacher to his youngest son Del, in 1969. They had a daughter, Rebecca Mary, in 1971.

Death

Roosevelt died on August 13, 1991, in Newport Beach, California, of complications arising from a stroke and Parkinson's disease. He was 83 years old and was the last surviving child of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Dates of rank

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|Lieutenant Colonel, United States Marine Corps: 1936

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|Captain, United States Marine Corps Reserve: November 1940

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|Major, United States Marine Corps Reserve: June 1940

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|Colonel, United States Marine Corps Reserve: April 13, 1944

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|Brigadier General, United States Marine Corps Reserve: October 1, 1959

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See also

  • Elliott Roosevelt
  • Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.
  • Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
  • John Aspinwall Roosevelt II

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Brigadier General James Roosevelt, USMCR, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, History Division, United States Marine Corps
  • New York Times obituary

Retrieved on 2008-07-08

  • Brigadier General James Roosevelt, USMCR – Marine Corps Legacy Museum
  • Hansen, Chris. Enfant Terrible: The Times and Schemes of General Elliott Roosevelt. Tucson: Able Baker Press, 2012.
  • Roosevelt, James. Affectionately, F.D.R. Hearst/Avon Division, New York, 1959. (w. Sidney Shalett)
  • Roosevelt, James. My Parents: A Differing View. Playboy Press, Chicago, 1976. (w. Bill Libby)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Museum
  • Guide to the James Roosevelt Papers, 1941 MS 412 held by Special Collection & Archives, Nimitz Library of the United States Naval Academy