A lesson learned from THE LOVES OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT, by Edward O'Keefe

The world lost much by ignoring half its population for millennium.

          I no longer teach much ancient and medieval history, but I remember one recurring theme from my old college classes was the frustration of my female students over how silenced women’s voices were in earlier eras of human history. To some extent this was my own failing at that time (there have long been many great studies looking to discover more about the roles of women in ancient societies), but there was also a major structural weakness directly based on the source materials. Namely, many pre-industrial “might makes right” societies gave very few women the ability to even learn how to read and write, much less truly express themselves and become major voices within the patriarchal leadership. Thus, the entire early field of “History” (maybe one day we’ll rename it something like “Ourstory?”) as we know of it, in the sense that historians would research earlier sources and try to reach conclusions about the people who made them, was dominated by stories of what are now called “Great Men”—the concept that a few brilliant and powerful men shaped the course of all human events. There are, of course, plenty of men (and women) who truly on an individual level changed the world, but they often had tremendous supporting staffs who enabled their growth and aided them every step of the way.

            That long introduction sets up my perspective on Edward O’Keefe’s superb read The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President. Theodore Roosevelt (fun fact—he hated the name “Teddy” and preferred “Teedy,” but eventually realized his fate and rolled with the first one; I’ll respect his wishes and use “Teedy”) became one of America’s original models of a “Great Man” president, a bouncing ball of energy who single-handedly brought a more modern and dynamic perspective of power into the White House. However, O’Keefe argues that the people who played the single biggest role—even if he himself couldn’t admit it—in shaping the person who Teedy became were the five most important women in his life: his mother, his two sisters, and his two wives. Long before women could truly claim a place in American politics, they would attempt to do so by shaping the lives and opinions of the men who would claim all the leadership roles, and O’Keefe paints a compelling perspective of five women who might have become great leaders in their own right had they been given the opportunity.

            Teedy Roosevelt long insisted that his father (the cold disciplinarian Theodore Sr.) played the single biggest role in his life, and both men showed an obsession with manliness and physical conquest that was all-too-common with the young men of the late 1800’s (and in many time periods since). However, O’Keefe argues that Teedy’s mother Mittie—who never wrote all that much herself—must have played a more outsized role that Teedy ever cared to admit, as she was the one who daily took care of young Teedy as he suffered from various physical maladies. Mittie was, by all accounts, a vibrant and passionate woman who encouraged her family to follow and debate politics, and while her influence wasn’t always positive (her racist views first and foremost), she instilled a lifelong passion in Teedy that never left him.

            Perhaps even more intriguing than the influence of Mittie was what a tremendous impact Teedy’s sisters Bamie and Conie had upon his life. Teedy, a naturally closed-off man who prided himself on steely resolve, often vented his deepest thoughts to Conie, whose natural empathy often strengthened Teedy in his most uncertain moments; she often served as his press surrogate, helping him become the first president who actively won over the hearts and minds of America’s media outlets. More tragically, many historians acknowledge that Bamie Roosevelt should have become a president in her own right, and was too limited by the era’s views of the “proper roles” of women. One of Teedy’s most important political advisors, Bamie took advantage of the prejudices of her era, and would often sit in important political meetings pretending to knit while the men ignored her; once they all left, she would advise her brother as to the proper course of action.

            Teedy’s marriages were strange in a way that often caused unspoken tension amongst his family—he initially courted his childhood bestie Edith, before falling for and marrying the beautiful Alice, and then moving on back to Edith after Alice’s tragic early death. Teedy’s two wives are often an historical footnote, with Alice being seen as a tragically fragile Victorian lady and Edith as a standard forgettable First Lady. O’Keefe does an excellent job of analyzing Teedy’s marriages on a deeper level, noting that many of Teedy’s famously progressive causes (such as his early support for women’s suffrage) likely initiated with the brilliant Alice, who encouraged Teedy to make the study of women’s suffrage a key component of his college thesis. Alice tragically died in childbirth, and Teedy was so traumatized by her death that he renamed their daughter Baby Alice, calling her “Lee” so he would not have to utter the name again (he secretly kept locks of Alice’s hair until his death). Teedy’s second wife Edith largely acted like a more “traditional wife,” but she also was a famously energetic First Lady, beginning desperately needed renovations to the White House and its staff and making the role of First Lady a more nationally famous and respected position. In the decades following Teedy’s death, she relentlessly fought for his legacy and helped to grow him into the legendary president he is now seen as.

            There is an obvious historical lesson in learning more about The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt, and that is even the greatest and most “manly” of historical characters were strongly shaped by the women in their lives, in ways that were often not acknowledged in their lifetimes. It is only in recent generations that the Western world has even began to acknowledge everything women can contribute to global leadership, and how much is lost when women are kept out of the decision-making process. The world is much better off for women being allowed to step directly into the limelight and speak for themselves, rather than resort to knitting in the background and secretly listening in while all the men scream at each other.