Lee, Alice Hathaway (Roosevelt)

  • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Hathaway_Lee_Roosevelt
  • Wiki Biography:
    • Alice Hathaway Roosevelt (née Lee; July 29, 1861 – February 14, 1884) was an American socialite and the first wife of President Theodore Roosevelt. Two days after giving birth to their only child, she died from undiagnosed Bright’s disease.
    • Alice Hathaway Lee was born on July 29, 1861, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to banker George Cabot Lee and Caroline Watts Haskell. Her younger brother was banker George Cabot Lee Jr. and her grandfather was John Clarke Lee, founder of Lee, Higginson & Co. Standing 5’6″, she had “blue-gray eyes and long, wavy golden hair” and was described as strikingly beautiful as well as charming. Her family and friends called her “Sunshine” because of her cheerful disposition.
    • Roosevelt gave birth to the couple’s daughter at 8:30 pm on February 12, 1884; the child was named Alice Lee Roosevelt. Her husband, then a member of the New York State Assembly, was in Albany attending to business on the Assembly floor. He had been convinced their child would be born on Valentine’s Day, the fourth anniversary of their engagement. After Assemblyman Roosevelt received a telegram the morning of the 13th notifying him of the birth, he made arrangements to leave that afternoon and be with his wife. Another telegram was sent and received regarding her ill health, and she was in a semi-comatose state by the time he arrived home, around midnight.
  • Second Great Granddaughter of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=6365
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/4775/alice-hathaway-roosevelt