James Roosevelt "Tadd" Roosevelt Jr. (August 20, 1879 – June 7, 1958) was an American heir and member of the Roosevelt and Astor families.
Early life
James Roosevelt Roosevelt Jr. was born on August 20, 1879. He was the son of diplomat James Roosevelt "Rosey" Roosevelt (1854–1927) of the Roosevelt family and Helen Schermerhorn (née Astor) Roosevelt (1855–1893) of the Astor family. He had one sister, Helen Rebecca Roosevelt (1881–1962).
Among his large and prominent family were uncles Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who was three years younger than Tadd), who later became President of the United States, and Colonel John Jacob "Jack" Astor IV, who died during the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Tadd's paternal grandparents were businessman James Roosevelt I and Rebecca Brien (née Howland) Roosevelt, while his maternal grandparents were businessman William Backhouse Astor Jr. and socialite Caroline (née Schermerhorn) Astor, who was known as the "Mrs. Astor".
He and Franklin both attended Groton School and Harvard University, with Tadd being ahead of Franklin. Their kinship led to Franklin often being mockingly referred to as "Uncle Frank" while the two attended Groton together.
Personal life
On June 14, 1900, while still a student at Harvard, Roosevelt married 19-year-old Sadie Messinger (–1940) without the consent of his father Rosey. (In his biography on Franklin Roosevelt, Geoffrey C. Ward states that Messinger was "at least 25 years-old.") Upon learning of the wedding, Rosey traveled from Hyde Park and brought Tadd home. A frequent sight at the Haymarket Dance Hall, Sadie was known by "Dutch Sadie" and "Sadie of the Tenderloin." (Sadie is described in some accounts as a prostitute; Winston Groom described her as a "hooker and sometime dancehall girl.") Rosey unsuccessfully attempted to have the marriage annulled, He lived in Florida for a time. In 1911, he reportedly lived in Daytona under the name "M. S. King"; the New York Times reported in 1917 that the Roosevelt family had prevailed in achieving a separation, in which Sadie was to receive a $10,000 (equivalent to $ in dollars) annual income.
Later years and death
By October 1921, Tadd and Sadie were reportedly no longer living together. However, they remained married until her death in 1940. A recluse in his later years, his fortune was donated to the Salvation Army, which received some $5 million.