Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published a review of the latest book on Theodore Roosevelt, one which focused on the role of women in forming the 26th president of the United States. Coincidentally, this came right after Mother’s Day and this column’s celebration of women as leaders in roles traditionally held by men.
The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt by Edward F. O’Keefe (Simon & Schuster, 2024) examines the lives of five remarkable women who tutored and helped shape the young TR as well as the President TR.
Not surprisingly, these included his mother Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, and sisters Anna Roosevelt Cowles and Corinne Roosevelt Robinson. O’Keefe also notes the influence of TR’s two wives, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt and Edith Carow Roosevelt, the latter whom he suggests was the model of the “first modern first lady.”
In documenting the role of these five women, O’Keefe provides real evidence as to their influence on one of our greatest presidents, evidence that should make us believers in an expanded role for women as leaders.
This is a good read and like most on TR, will keep your attention to the last page.