Alice Roosevelt Longworth
The sharp-witted, rule-breaking daughter of Theodore Roosevelt who became Washington D.C.'s most feared and quoted social observer for decades.
1884–1980 (age 96)·American writer and socialite·Birthday: February 12·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alice Roosevelt Longworth didn't just live in the White House; she set it on fire with her rebellious spirit. As the freewheeling daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, she became a national sensation in her teens, known for smoking cigarettes, keeping a pet snake named Emily Spinach, and betting on horses. Her father famously quipped he could either run the country or control Alice, but not both. She leveraged her notoriety into lasting influence, marrying Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth but conducting a very public affair with Senator William Borah, which resulted in the birth of her daughter. For over seventy years, her Washington drawing room was a salon for power brokers, where her acerbic wit—epitomized by the pillow embroidered with 'If you can't say something good about someone, sit right here by me'—could make or break reputations. She was less a socialite and more a political institution, a merciless commentator who witnessed the heart of American power from the McKinley administration to the Reagan era.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alice was born in 1884, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alice Was Born
The biggest hits of 1884
Alice's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1884Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1889Started school
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Became a teenager
President: William McKinley
1900Could drive
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1902Could vote
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Turned 21
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 30
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 40
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 50
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 60
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 70
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1964Turned 80
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1980Died at 96
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
Key Achievements
- Served as a trusted, behind-the-scenes political advisor and confidante to powerful figures for most of the 20th century.
- Published a successful autobiography, 'Crowded Hours,' in 1933.
- Was such a popular public figure as First Daughter that a shade of blue, 'Alice Blue,' was named for her and a song, 'Alice Blue Gown,' became a hit.
Did You Know?
She was the first White House child to travel overseas on a diplomatic mission, joining a trip to Asia in 1905.
She outlived all of her half-siblings from Theodore Roosevelt's second marriage.
She was a vocal opponent of her cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies.
Her daughter, Paulina, died by suicide in 1957.
“If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”
