Theodore Roosevelt Jr.   [1887-1944]

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was also known as Theodore Roosevelt III. He was a veteran of both world wars and was awarded the Medal of Honor plus numerous other honors. He was a business, military and political leader. He served as Governor General of the Philippines from 1932 to 1933. Prior to that, he served as Governor of Puerto Rico from 1929 to 1932. Prior to the above positions he was an Assistant Secretary to the Navy from 1921 to 1924.

In the military Roosevelt rose to the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army. In business he served as Chairman of the Board of the American Express Company and as Vice President at Double Day Books.

Roosevelt was born on September 13, 1887. He attended Groton, a prep school and went to Harvard where he earned his undergraduate degree. Following graduation he worked in a variety of businesses, and became quite successful as a businessman which allowed him to enter politics later in life.

At the start of World War I he entered the military and quickly rose to a battalion commander. He commanded the 26^th Infantry Regiment as a lieutenant colonel, and was exemplary in leading his men in battle. Following the war he returned to his business interests and entered politics. His first appointment was Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1921. He served in that position until 1924.

In 1929 President Herbert Hoover appointed Roosevelt to be Governor of Puerto Rico. He served in that position until 1932. In that same year he was appointed by the President to be Governor General of the Philippines. He served from February 29, 1932 until July 15, 1933.

As World War II approached, in early 1941, Roosevelt became a colonel in the United States Army. Later that year, he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the 26^th Infantry Regiment in the First Infantry Division. He saw action at Oran, Algeria. Later he also was involved in combat in Sicily and in Sardinia. 

Roosevelt was transferred to England to prepare for the D-Day landings in 1944.  He was part of the United States Fourth Infantry Division, and landed personally with his men on Utah Beach. He was later cited for exemplary courage and behavior and received the Medal of Honor for his actions. He was also due to be promoted to Major General. General Eisenhower had already signed the papers for the promotion prior to his death.

Roosevelt was in his fifties during the D-Day action, and had to walk with a cane because of arthritic problems. He also had heart problems. On July 12, 1944, a little over a month after the D-Day landings Roosevelt died of a heart attack. He was buried with the other military dead in the U. S. Cemetery in Normandy. He was only 56 years old at that time.

Roosevelt married Eleanor Butler Alexander [1888-1960] on June 20, 1910. The couple had four children: Grace Green Roosevelt [1911-1993], Theodore Roosevelt IV [1914-2001], Cornelius Van Schaack Roosevelt III [1915-1991] and Quentin Roosevelt II [1919-1948].

Because of his intensive military participation on both World Wars he received a number of awards. They were the Medal of Honor [posthumously], the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star with two oak clusters, the Purple Heart, the Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal [posthumously], the French Legion of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre 1914-1918.

For more detail on his personal family relationships with the Roosevelt family see the appendix at the end of President Theodore Roosevelt’s personal bio profile. 

 

REFERENCES

Various web sources including Wikipedia.org and projects.militarytimes.com

 

E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON; GOOGLE: Kindle Store Pegels

 

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS, CURRENT AND HISTORIC

EIGHT PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE ROOSEVELTS, VANDERBILTS AND OTHERS, 2015

FIFTEEN PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE VAN BURENS, KOCH BROTHERS, VOORHEES AND OTHERS, 2015

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS IN U.S. GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, 2015

 

DUTCH PEGELS INVOLVED IN WARS

ALLIED EUROPE CAMPAIGN—1944/1945: TACTICAL MISTAKES, 2017

THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE NETHERLANDS: MEMOIRS, 2017

FRENCH REVOLUTION, NAPOLEON AND RUSSIAN WAR OF 1812, 2015