Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (1831-1878)
"Thee" Roosevelt, of 28 East 20th Street, New York City
He was born in Albany, New York. He was the adored father of President Theodore Roosevelt who called him, "the best man I ever knew" and the grandfather of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. He worked for the family plate-glass importing business, Roosevelt & Son. In 1877, he was appointed Collector of the Port of New York but was rejected by the U.S. Senate. He was an active philanthropist in the true sense of the word, using his wealth and influence to help found the New York City Children's Aid Society, the New York Children's Orthopedic Hospital, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. He was a popular member of New York society and was described as a man of both, "good works and good times". In 1853, at Bulloch Hall, he married Martha Bulloch and they had four children. He was committed to the Union cause in the Civil War, but his in-laws were Confederates.
