Theodore Roosevelt was president at the beginning of the Celebrity Age, and the beginning of the modern image of the presidency. The White House just started being called that (rather than the Executive Mansion). Roosevelt's renovations to the building created the West Wing. And his daughter Alice created a model for presidential relatives over the next century.
She was 17 years old when her father became president and was given as a gift to the Washington press corps. Her photogenic and attractive appearance earned her the nickname “Princess Alice” in the newspapers. She was invited to the coronation of Edward VII (she did not attend), and the German emperor named his yacht after her. Her association with royalty did not sit well with her father's people's pose, but he could do nothing to prevent his daughter's rise to fame.
According to white house wild childin Shelley Fraser Mickle's new biography of the president's daughter Alice, “The celebrity certainly took him by surprise. He didn't see it coming. Every time Alice appeared, crowds gathered to cheer her on. The dresses and gowns appeared in 'Alice Blue' Her face peeked out from card-wrapped candy bars, songs were written about her, and her picture was featured on magazine covers, putting Alice alongside Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, and other fashion-forward beauties. I see him as a pioneer of influential figures.
The President was happy to deploy Alice tactically to attract the attention of guests and diplomats. This diplomatic tactic went the other way too. She received heaps of gifts on her overseas visits, which she called 'loot'. The Cuban government presented her with a gorgeous set of pearls for her wedding. Her foreign allowance provisions clearly did not apply to her.
It seemed natural to take advantage of her situation. Alice's father had to tell Alice not to board her train without her ticket. (The presidents were entitled to free travel, but their children were not.) But this time, the president's daughter was also allowed to ride the train with her friends instead of being accompanied by a troop of bodyguards.
Mickle's book is part biography, part psychological study, the story of a woman who grew up in impossible privilege but whose life was marred by tragedy. When Alice was born, her mother fell into a coma and died two days later. Theodore's mother died from a double blow on the same day. He responded by shunning his young daughter, leaving her in the care of her sister, becoming politically active and running away to ranches out west.
He reappeared in her life three years later and introduced her to her new stepmother. Soon a flock of her younger siblings followed. Mickle explains a lot about how damaging this has been to Alice, especially her father's reluctance to say her name. (She was named after her mother.)
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Mickle's book is a study of how the Republic treats its leaders' families. The nickname 'Princess' represents the sharp edge between democracy and dynasty, and the president's family has struggled to walk that path ever since. Alice was scheduled to have her debutante ball at the White House and wanted new floors installed. She approached the Speaker of the House of Representatives and requested adequate funds for this purpose. Mickle writes, “Alice was enjoying her first taste of lobbying, she used all her wiles against him. But with the Chairman refusing her funds, she stood firm.”
Although she didn't get her way at the time, her desires were voracious. “I want more,” she wrote in her diary. “I want it all.” She spent a huge amount of her pocket money, and thought it wasn't a bad idea to receive expensive gifts based on her status. She exemplified the practices of the next generation of socialites: “She would give newspapers information about where she was and what she was doing, and then pocket the cash for the information.”
She also enjoyed creating her own spectacles and pushing boundaries. Driving around Washington in her sports car with her girlfriends, attending parties with her pet snake on her shoulder, and smoking cigarettes in public, she tried to get his attention. “In 15 months, she attended 407 dinners, 350 proms, 300 parties, 680 teas and made 1,706 social calls,” says Mickle.
Alice decided to make some money while money was good and went fishing for her husband at a pond populated by DC's eligible singles. She wanted someone with money, someone who could one day become president herself. Her goal was to return to the White House. (Of course she never did that.)
She chose Ohio Congressman Nicholas Longworth, who was 15 years older than her. Their White House wedding was the social event of the season. However, it turned out that Longworth was not a presidential candidate; he was an insincere alcoholic.
Alice's life turned into disappointment. As she grew older, she became known for her caustic remarks, and her wit could not disguise her bitterness. Her marriage was unhappy. The child of her later years was the product of an affair. Her daughter died of a drug overdose in her 30s. Her father's presidency has always been a golden moment she hopes to recapture. She continued to be involved in the politics of her time, fighting against the League of Nations and later writing a newspaper column opposing her cousin Franklin's presidential candidacy. Richard Nixon had been her friend for decades and invited her to his own inauguration. She remains a figure in Washington, still hovering in the orbit of those in power despite having no official role.
The legacy of “Princess Alice” raises questions we still grapple with today. How much should the president's family trade in his own name? Can that be avoided too? Of course, gifts and favors will become a reality for those close to power, whether they like it or not. These days, being swamped by motorcades and private jets means you can't escape your connection to the president. I'm sure it's easy to lose sight of what's normal.
what we Whether it should be accepted as normal is itself an important question. Now that it's been reported that his son Hunter Biden has crossed a line to the point of criminal prosecution, we need to think more seriously about exactly where that line should be drawn. There are few laws specifically dedicated to the activities of first family members. Should children be banned from certain jobs? By running for office yourself? What about brothers and sisters? (When presidential children aren't in the news, there are some embarrassing presidential siblings in the Billy Carter mold.) Even if a particular activity isn't officially banned, if a family member is seen doing it, a trace of sleaze or self-dealing will remain. realization. Individuals can be chosen by vote, but they come with a supporting cast that is not chosen.
Even if her father had not been president, Alice Roosevelt would still have made the pages of society. She made her Park Avenue debut in what would have been her debut film. She would have married a descendant of a prominent family, perhaps a European by title. The future of charity and social events awaits. But she probably wanted more.
White House Wild Child: How Alice Roosevelt Broke All the Rules and Won America's Heart, by Shelley Fraser Mickle, Imagine, 256 pages, $27.99