The Brothers Roosevelt
Summary
Theodore and Elliott
Born of the same parents, Theodore and Elliott grew to have very different lives.
While Theodore rises as the hardworking, disciplined “golden child” of the Roosevelt family, Elliott’s life is marked by charm, recklessness, and self-destruction.
Born and raised together in New York, the two brothers share a deep bond in their early years. But as their paths diverge, Theodore achieves fame and greatness, while Elliott succumbs to addiction, scandal, and financial ruin.
Despite his personal struggles, Elliott’s unwavering devotion to his daughter, Eleanor, becomes his life’s anchor. Decades later, after Eleanor marries Franklin D. Roosevelt and serves as First Lady for 16 transformative years, she decides to publish her father’s memoirs. With care and compassion, she edits and publishes them, shedding light on the complex man who shaped her life.
Elliott Roosevelt’s memoirs offer an intimate glimpse into the highs and lows of one of America’s most iconic families.
The Characters
Theodore Roosevelt
Health and Brotherhood
In 1880, months before he was to wed Alice Hathaway Lee, a doctor at Harvard told TR to choose “a sedentary life” to avoid straining his heart. Instead, he invited his brother Elliott to accompany him on a strenuous hunting trip to Illinois and Iowa. He didn’t think it was fair to Alice to marry her if he had a weak heart—so he tested himself, and survived. This photo commemorated their hunt.
