James Roosevelt II, the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, Secretary to the President under his father, and a U.S. Congressman (D-CA) from 1955 to 1965. He also worked in business, co-founding an insurance agency, and worked in Hollywood, as an administrator for Samuel Goldwyn.
Roosevelt is the author of the nonfiction books Affectionately, FDR (1959, co-written with Sidney Shalett), and My Parents, a Differing View (1976, co-written with Bill Libby). The latter was written to repudiate his brother Elliott Roosevelt’s biography An Untold Story, which detailed family secrets, including his father’s affairs. Roosevelt also wrote a novel, A Family Matter (1979, co-written with Sam Toperoff).
The Homes
2133 R Street, Washington, DC (The Edward Morse Studio)
Built as a studio for painter Edward Morse, the son of the inventor Samuel B Morse, in the Arts and Crafts style, this unusual building was converted into a residence in 1910. It is currently owned by the Delphi Film Foundation.
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC (The White House)
Built of Aquia Creek sandstone, this 130-room Neoclassical mansion was largely destroyed by arson during the War of 1812, and reconstructed in 1817. Additions include the South Portico (1824), the North Portico (1829), the West Wing (1901), and the Oval Office (1909). In 1949, the inside was completely gutted to stabilize the building with steel framing. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. in 1935. The mansion was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
Also home to: Rose Elizabeth Cleveland Ulysses S. Grant John Hay Herbert Hoover Paul Jennings John F. Kennedy Alice Roosevelt Longworth Anna Roosevelt Halsted Eleanor Roosevelt Elliott Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Helen Herron Taft Margaret Truman Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
James Roosevelt II
2133 R Street, Washington, DC
Located in Sheridan/Kalorama neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek
James Roosevelt II
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Located in Lafayette Square neighborhood, Northwest - East of Rock Creek