What was the Relationship Between the Two Roosevelt Presidents?

Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt were fifth cousins and belonged to separate branches of the prominent Roosevelt family. Although Theodore Roosevelt was twenty-four years older than Franklin, the two shared a special bond. As a child, Franklin admired his cousin and looked forward to spending time with him on his estate where they engaged in numerous outdoor activities.

Theodore would have a big influence on Franklin in many ways, including his political beliefs; however, unlike other related presidents such as the Harrisons and Bushes, Theodore and Franklin were part of different political parties. Though they weren’t part of the same political party, the two had progressive values for the time, and it’s believed that Franklin’s New Deal was inspired by a speech his cousin gave.

In the later years of Theodore’s life, he was not in frequent contact with Franklin as he was dealing with many personal issues along with escalating health problems. Theodore’s legacy, however, would serve as an inspiration to Franklin during his presidency, which his cousin would not live long enough to see.

For your entertainment.

[resyndicated]

CORRECTIONS:
3:20 The Harrison presidents were not part of the same party. William Henry was a Whig and Benjamin a Republican.

[lonewolfnergiganos]

Imagine Theodore Roosevelt living long enough to see FDR becoming president, he would be so proud.

[dipierro]

In today's world, 5th cousins aren't likely to know each other at all. That's a very, very distant relationship. Even 100 years ago, it must have been rare for members of an extended family to maintain connections to that degree.

[Weebledude]

Actually Theodore's family distanced themselves from Franklin after Teddy's death due to the revalations of an affair Franklin was having with Lucy Mercer. They despised Franklin after learning of it since Elenor was from Teddy's side of the family.

[Thatguy-kgtz]

Fun Fact James Madison and Zachary Taylor were closer related than the Roosevelts. They were second cousins while the Roosevelts were 5th cousins.

[jtgd]

Theodore was practically Eleanor’s second father.

[SlyFrye]

That's really amazing that Theodore saw so much potential in FDR. Sad that he never got to see him become president. That would have been such an incredible honor for him I'm sure

[jymwrite]

The war really took a toll on Franklin, he looks at least 10 years older than 63.

[AustinthGenTexan]

FDR was my 9th (Delano) cousin and Eleanor was my 10th (Ludlow) cousin.
A bit of a mix of North and South.
This program is the best explanation I've ever seen of Teddy's, Eleanor's and Franklin's kinship - and deeply loving ties. At (my own) age of 66, it shocks me that Franklin (63) and Teddy (60) died so young. Some friends and I skipped school to see former president LBJ teaching a college class at Texas State University in San Marcos.
We were barely in high school ( 3 freshmen and a junior who drove us), and noticed that he looked very pale. He died weeks later at age 64. 🤔

[thebolshevikpanther]

Fun fact: Both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt ran for third terms as President, Theodore doing so in 1912 and Franklin in 1940.

[kaymuldoon]

Another interesting fact: Teddy Roosevelt, as well as the rest of the Oyster Bay Roosevelts, pronounced their last name phonetically. In other words, they pronounced the “Roo” part to rhyme with “boo.” It was FDR’s side of the family, or at least his father, who pronounced the name with the “Roos” part sounding like “Rose.” Not sure why, but that’s just the way FDR’s father’s side of the family always pronounced it. So of course today, we use the FDR pronunciation, as his presidency was far more recent, and there are still people alive today who were alive when he was president. It’s the pronunciation the country became most familiar with and it stayed. 😊

I learned this info from watching Ken Burns’ “The Roosevelt” series that was shown on PBS back in 2014.

[JesusChristMarie]

You bring up a lot of really weird similarities in FDR and TR’s careers.

-They both went to Harvard as undergraduates, and Columbia University as graduates.

-They both served one term in the New York Legislature.

-They both served as Assistant Secretaries of the Navy.

-They both ran as young VP candidates for Ohio Governors who ran for President.

-They both served as Governor of New York.

Here’s another weird set of similarities on par with the Abe Lincoln/JFK parallels.

[stephenspencer]

Eleanor Roosevelt had a most interesting life. Orphaned by age 10 and the niece of one president and wife of another she none the less carved a successful life a career of her own. She is best remembered as perhaps the greatest of all our first ladies.

[MatildaBuildsStuff]

So sad that Theodore had such hope for their marriage, and Eleanor's happiness yet Franklin treated her so poorly.

[NitemairMedia]

The Theodore and Franklin both sound like level headed politicians. Something we don’t have anymore. They were willing to cross party lines to vote for who they believed was the better candidate. They didn’t blindly follow the party

[kayzeaza]

I liked Theodore’s joke at the wedding LOL

[maxpokebruh]

Franklin Roosevelt even testified in a Libel trial on Theodore's behalf.

[ParadiseVids]

The letter Theodore wrote to Franklin upon his engagement to Eleanor is simply beautiful. I need to remember that for future engagement letters. Blessedly beautiful words.

[lucasqualls]

1:19 this is what I've always disliked when people say "did you know FDR married his cousin?" Like, they shared the same last name and the same Not necessarily what comes to mind when you think 'cousin'.

[vincentbugalia]

You can thank Teddy for many wonderful things we enjoy today and are important to our survival. A naturalist who protected nature through law.