1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from works 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm a 3 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: Holly Fry and I'm Tracy B. Wilson. And today's show 4 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: is going to feature a topic that's been requested by 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,440 Speaker 1: quite a few listeners. Most recently it was requested by 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 1: listener Rachel, and not too far back, it was requested 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: by listener Lindsay And to kind of set it up, so, 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: being the child of a president means that you are 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: kind of constantly in the spotlight, even if you don't 10 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: want to be. You're scrutinized by the press and judged 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: by the public, and some kids kind of struggle to 12 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: keep their noses clean. But the focus of today's episode 13 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: did not bother with that. She's kind of a wild 14 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: child from the moment she stepped into the White House 15 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: in nineteen o one. Alice Roosevelt, who's who we're going 16 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: to be talking about, could have given any modern famous kid, 17 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: whether they're a presidential kid or just a child star, 18 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: a run for their money in the wild behavior department, 19 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: and she was completely unapologetic about it for her entire life. 20 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: Uh For example, she kept an embroidered pillow in her 21 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: home with one of Tracy's favorite sayings embroidered on it, 22 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: which is attributed to her having said it, which is, 23 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: if you can't say something good about someone, sit right 24 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: here next to me. I actually did not know that 25 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,839 Speaker 1: that could be attributed into her. I have always attributed 26 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: it to Steel Magnolia's It has often been, at least 27 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: in the two biographies I looked at, and in several 28 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 1: other pieces it is. And one of the things with 29 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,200 Speaker 1: Alice is that a lot of what you're getting is 30 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: stories that were retold by family members and friends. So 31 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: it's possible that she didn't say it initially, but she 32 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: certainly everyone credits her with that one. She was nicknamed 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: the second Washington Monument because she managed to amass quite 34 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: a bit of social power in the US capital, and 35 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: she parlayed that into some political influence. And how much 36 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: so is still a bit of debate how much influence 37 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,040 Speaker 1: she really had politically, but she certainly was very close 38 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 1: to power for her entire life. Uh, And so we 39 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: will talk about that life and how she maybe used 40 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,959 Speaker 1: that power. Alice was born to Theodore Roosevelt and Alice 41 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: Hathaway Lee Roosevelt on February twelfth, four and most people 42 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: know sort of about the tragedy that happened in this family. UH. 43 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: Just two days later, on February, Alice's father, Theodore Roosevelt, 44 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,679 Speaker 1: ran home from his work as an assemblyman in the 45 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: New York State Legislature UH to their house at fifty 46 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: seven Street because grave news had come. His mother, Martha 47 00:02:39,639 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: Bullock Roosevelt, who was known as Middy, had died of 48 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:46,920 Speaker 1: typhoid fever. On top of that tragedy, only a few 49 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: hours later, Roosevelt's wife, Alice also died of Bright's disease. 50 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: This is a kidney condition that's characterized by high concentrations 51 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: of protein in the yurine. She'd been living with Bright's 52 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: disease for quite some time, but her pregnancy had complicated 53 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: the condition and weakened her overall level of health. UH. 54 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 1: And as you can imagine, that double loss. To lose 55 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: a parent and your spouse within about four hours really 56 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: devastated Roosevelt, who was only twenty five at the time, 57 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: and he wanted, quite plainly, to escape all reminders of 58 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,040 Speaker 1: this loss. He even went so far as to forbid 59 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: the mention of his wife, Alice's name and his grief 60 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: continued to burden him, and by the end of eighteen 61 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: eighty four he had decided to kind of pare down 62 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: his involvement in Politech politics and to go west for 63 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: a while. So he moved out to the Dakota Territories, 64 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: and he had spent time there before. Uh. We can 65 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: talk about that if we do a Teddy Roosevelt episode. 66 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: And he established Elkhorn Ranch there for a life that 67 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: he wanted to kind of live in isolation of ranching. 68 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: He also worked as a sheriff, and he did not 69 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: take the infant Alice with him, who was usually called 70 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: Baby Lee, presumably because the name Alice, which was her 71 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: given name, caused Roosevelt so much pain, so he left 72 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: Baby Lee in New York. She stayed with Roosevelt's sister Anna, 73 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: who was called Baby and eventually Alice called her Anti by. 74 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: He wasn't totally absent as a father, though there were 75 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: several times during the next two years where his work 76 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: brought him back east and he would spend time with 77 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: the baby during these trips, but Baby was her primary 78 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: parent during this period of Baby Lee's life. UH. In 79 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: June of eighty six, Alice's father was ready to resume 80 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: life in New York. The home that he had contracted 81 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: to be built just after his wife's death was completed 82 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: uh and he resumed his role as Alice's father full 83 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: time as they moved into their Oyster Bay, Long Island house. 84 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: In December of eighteen eighty six, Theodore Roosevelt remarried, and 85 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,159 Speaker 1: his new bride was Edith Carroll, who had been his 86 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: childhoods sweetheart. Edith and Teddy would have five children together. 87 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,799 Speaker 1: Roosevelt ran for vice president on the ticket with William 88 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: McKinley in eight The pair was reelected for a second term, 89 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: but then on September six of nineteen o one, McKinley 90 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:19,159 Speaker 1: was shot by anarchist Leon Leon chol Goosh at the 91 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, and eight days 92 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: later the president died from his wounds, and Roosevelt, having 93 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: been vice president, became president. When the Roosevelts moved into 94 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: the White House in one Alice was seventeen, and she 95 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: pretty much immediately became a celebrity. She was known for 96 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: her wild antics and rebellious behavior. She was a party 97 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,840 Speaker 1: girl to arrival any celebrity today, and she had started 98 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: to appear in gossip magazines back when she was sixteen. 99 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:53,120 Speaker 1: She basically stayed there for her father's entire time in office. Yeah. 100 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 1: One uh biographer made a comment that all Edith and 101 00:05:57,279 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: Teddy needed to do to know what Alice had been 102 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: up to the night before was to open the morning 103 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: paper because her antics were such uh great drawers of 104 00:06:07,200 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: readers that papers would put them on the front page, 105 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: even sometimes pushing out much bigger and more important news. 106 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: Alice smoked, which you know, for a young lady, not 107 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,279 Speaker 1: not so delightful, and when her father forbid her to 108 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: do so under his roof, she just moved that habit outside, 109 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:25,640 Speaker 1: and so she would start sitting on the White House 110 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:29,159 Speaker 1: roof to enjoy cigarettes. She also played poker, and she 111 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: bet on horses. She was sort of famously photographed placing 112 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: a bed at one point. She would ride in cars 113 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: with men without chaperones. She wore pants on occasion, which 114 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: of course was very unladylike at that time, and she 115 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: would raise her own car through the streets of Washington. 116 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,919 Speaker 1: She would also barge in on meetings at the White House, 117 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: seemingly with causing trouble as the only reason for Having 118 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 1: done that, she claimed to be a pagan to fly 119 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: in the face of her very religious stepmother. She called 120 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: Christianity voodoo to kind of rile her up. She had 121 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 1: a pet snake named Emily Spinitch that she carried around 122 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: the house with her and even some parties. There are 123 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 1: some accounts that say it was a Boa constrictor, but 124 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: others say it was a garter snake. I can hardly 125 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: imagine two less similar snakes. Yeah, the snake story is 126 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: one that um it gets told again because there are 127 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: often biographers used firsthand accounts from friends and relatives. Anybody 128 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 1: knows that, like even in your social group, there are 129 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: stories that have grown out of, you know, their original proportions, 130 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: and so we really don't have a sense of the 131 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: snake situation and what the realities were of it. Some 132 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: will say she showed up at one party with a 133 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 1: huge Boa constrictor on her neck. Others say she carried 134 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: this snake in her pocket all the time. And when 135 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: I was relaying this to some friends last night while 136 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 1: we were talking about it, they thought, like the way 137 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: a child will pick up a weird animal and put 138 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 1: it in their pocket. I'm like, no, No, she was 139 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: like eighteen and nineteen. At this point, it was just 140 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: car geting around a snake for entertainment. Um, the press 141 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: dubbed her Princess Alice. So her favorite color, for example, 142 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: was a grayish blue, and that became very, very trendy. 143 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 1: It was called Alice blue. She basically, you know, was 144 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: a celebrity icon at this point. And her father, the President, 145 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: is often quoted as saying, I can either run the 146 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot 147 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: possibly do both. A friend of the family once said 148 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: that she was quote like a young wild animal that 149 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: had been put into good clothes. Uh. And in nineteen 150 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,599 Speaker 1: o five, so several years into their time at the 151 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: White House, she served as a goodwill ambassador, traveling to 152 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,520 Speaker 1: Asia with a group of congressmen. And this was the 153 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: first time a first daughter had taken on such a duty. 154 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 1: And this trip, which was dubbed the Imperial Cruise. Uh, 155 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: it's entirely likely that President Roosevelt really looked at this 156 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,680 Speaker 1: mission as a way to keep his troublesome eldest daughter 157 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: out of his hair for a little while. I feel 158 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 1: like that's a sitcom waiting to happen. Uh. And We're 159 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: going to get into the deal details of that trip 160 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 1: because some wacky things happened there. But before we do, 161 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: do you want to pause for a word from a sponsor. 162 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: Let's do that. So on this goodwill tour, Alice traveled 163 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: with a large group. There was Secretary of War William 164 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: Howard Taft, twenty three Congressmen, and seven senators. Alice made 165 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: headlines everywhere she went, in part because of her wild behavior, 166 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: which continued on the road. She set off firecrackers on 167 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,199 Speaker 1: the train on the first leg of the trip from 168 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 1: Washington to San Francisco. She fired her pistol from the 169 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: train as well, aiming as telegraph poles as they passed them. Yeah. 170 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: I read one account that suggested that she kind of 171 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 1: wrote it off as well, It's the fourth of July, 172 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: so that is how I'm celebrating. But a light firecrackers 173 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: inside a train, just that seems foolish, Alice, don't do it, uh, 174 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: And as well as the welcoming gaze of the press, 175 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: because they really did just follow her everywhere. She also 176 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: caught the eye of Representative Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati. Taft 177 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 1: was apparently beside himself trying to serve as a chaperone 178 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: and keep Alice in this representative apart because this man 179 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: was fifteen years her senior. But eventually Taft just gave 180 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: up and was like, I can't control this situation. The 181 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 1: following year, Alice actually married Longworth, who was a notoriously 182 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: womanizing drinker, and their ceremony was very lavish. It was 183 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: at the White House, and it was front page news. 184 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: This wedding took place on February sev six, and for 185 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: Alice it represented a break for freedom. She no longer 186 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: had to live with her stepmother, and according to the 187 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 1: account of biographer Stacy Cordry, when Edith said farewell to 188 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: Alice after the wedding, her parting words were, I want 189 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: you to know I'm glad to see you leave. You 190 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: have never been anything but trouble. So after a honeymoon 191 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: in Cuba, Alice and Nicholas settled into married life together, 192 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,880 Speaker 1: and while it was not exactly the conventional romantic dream marriage, 193 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: it sort of worked for the two of them. Um, 194 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: they weren't really in love so much as they were 195 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: comfortable with one another. Presumably they were drawn together because 196 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,839 Speaker 1: they were both sort of these big, extreme partying personalities. Uh, 197 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: and they both remained the people that they were before 198 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: they said their vows. So there was some headbutting. There 199 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,720 Speaker 1: were some wild times, and there was some infidelity on 200 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: both sides of that equation. When her father's time in 201 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: the White House ended in nine, Alice allegedly buried a 202 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 1: voodoo doll of the new First Lady, Nellie Taft in 203 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,199 Speaker 1: the lawn before the new president moved in. For that, 204 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: and also for her very public criticism of the Tafts, 205 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 1: Alice was banned from the White House where their tenure there. Yes, yeah, 206 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: there were several times She's not welcome in the White House. Um. 207 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: A few years later, the long Worth marriage would really 208 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,320 Speaker 1: be tested when Teddy Roosevelt went toe to toe with 209 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: Taft in a political battle. The bigger issue for Alice 210 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 1: than Nicholas's extramarital dalliances was that her husband supported William 211 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,400 Speaker 1: Taft in the nineteen twelve campaign against her father's newly 212 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,719 Speaker 1: formed Progressive Bull Moose Party. She had actually advised her 213 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,200 Speaker 1: father against this move, but she remained stalwart lee loyal 214 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: to him even when he disregarded her advice, and she 215 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,120 Speaker 1: also opted to appear in her husband's home district of 216 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: Cincinnati with Hiram Johnson, her father's vice presidential running mate, 217 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,960 Speaker 1: instead of with her husband on his campaign, and long 218 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: Worth lost that election, which Alice sometimes took credit for, uh, 219 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: even though he did end up getting reelected a couple 220 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: of years later. But Alice and Nicholas did manage to 221 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 1: survive the upheaval. Their marriage did through through that sort 222 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: of disastrous and very rocky nineteen twelve election cycle. Their 223 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:55,240 Speaker 1: marriage remained intact, although politically it was pretty distant at 224 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,000 Speaker 1: that point. They weren't sort of of the same mind 225 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: in any way. To add insult to injury. Then I 226 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 1: venteen twelve presidential election went through Democrat Woodrow Wilson do 227 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: in part to this split in the loyalties of the 228 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: Republican Party between Taft and Roosevelt. So just as Alice 229 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: had been vocally critical of Taft, she also vocally criticized Wilson, 230 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: and in some ways even more so. She was once 231 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: again banned from the White House after publicly making coarse 232 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: comments about the president. Not so long after this, Uh, 233 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: Teddy Roosevelt died in his sleep. It was in January. 234 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,079 Speaker 1: On January six, and nineteen nineteen, and he was sixty 235 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: at this point, and he had a coronary embolism. And 236 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: at that point, Wilson had already proposed the League of 237 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,680 Speaker 1: Nations in his nineteen eighteen speech before Congress as part 238 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: of his fourteen Points plan. Roosevelt had hated that, and 239 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: in turn, so did Alice, because she pretty much always 240 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 1: followed her father's political leanings, and she rallied very hard 241 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: against the US becoming a member of the League of 242 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: Nations after her father died, and that the League did 243 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: formally form in Geneva, Switzerland. In so, Teddy's eldest daughter 244 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:10,000 Speaker 1: basically used every single scrap of influence she had to 245 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,599 Speaker 1: sway politicians in Washington, d c. Against the idea of 246 00:14:13,720 --> 00:14:16,320 Speaker 1: joining the League, and whether it was her efforts or not, 247 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: the US never became a member. During the nineteen twenties, 248 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: Alice started an affair with the chair of the Senate 249 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: Foreign Relations Committee, that was Senator William Bora of Idaho. 250 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: The two of them bonded over their shared admiration of 251 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: her late father and their love of literature. She and 252 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 1: the Senator would send letters to one another and they 253 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:39,800 Speaker 1: were deeply in love. As their affair became less and 254 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: less of a secret. Alice was dubbed Aurora Bora Alice 255 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:50,000 Speaker 1: by the press and gossip circles, and in Alice's husband, 256 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: Nicholas Longworth, became speaker of the house, and that same 257 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:56,240 Speaker 1: year they also welcomed their one and only child, Paulina, 258 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: into the world, and Longworth was completely excited about this 259 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,720 Speaker 1: may be and doted on her, even though the odds 260 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: are that the infant was in fact fathered by Alice's 261 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: paramour Bora, and that Nicholas actually knew that um. In 262 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: a bitter sweet sort of coincidence, Paulina was born on 263 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: February fourteenth, which of course is Valentine's Day, but was 264 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: also the same day that Alice's mother and grandmother had 265 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: died many years prior. Also in ninety five, Alice and 266 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: Nicholas moved into their home at two thousand nine Massachusetts 267 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: Avenue Northwest, which is just west of DuPont Circle. Alice 268 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: would live there for the rest of her life, and 269 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,440 Speaker 1: the house, which was built in eighty one, would serve 270 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: as a home base for the first Daughter's many famed 271 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: social events that she would host for the next six decades. 272 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: Uh in one, Alice's husband, Nicholas Longworth, died and unfortunately 273 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,479 Speaker 1: he didn't really leave much behind in terms of finances 274 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: for his widow. His family money was almost entirely gone, 275 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: and while her lover, William Bara lived another nine years, 276 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: it does an appear that he really helped his mistress 277 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: out financially. Two years after her husband's death, Alice published 278 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: her memoirs Crowded Hours in an effort to make some money. 279 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: And this was also the year that Franklin Delano Roosevelt 280 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 1: took office. So just in case you don't know the scoop, 281 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: some people think that he was much closer, much more 282 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: closely related to Teddy Roosevelt than he actually was. Uh. 283 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt and FDR only distant related. They were fourth 284 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 1: cousins once removed. I've also seen them listed as fifth cousin, So, uh, 285 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 1: your command of genealogy and how that works may affect 286 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,080 Speaker 1: your perception of that. Um. FDR's wife, Eleanor, however, was 287 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: actually much more closely related to the former president because 288 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:47,520 Speaker 1: Theoter Roosevelt had been her uncle. Alice was really pretty 289 00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 1: cutting when it came to Franklin and Eleanor. She once 290 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: described Franklin Delanor Roosevelt as one third Sap and two 291 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: thirds Eleanor. Alice apparently would do unflattering imitations of Eleanor 292 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:02,760 Speaker 1: at tea part. I think we recently got a request 293 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,679 Speaker 1: for us to do in a whole episode about the 294 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: Eleanor Alice feud. We did, and it's uh. I debated 295 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,800 Speaker 1: over it as we were prepping this, and really at 296 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:16,679 Speaker 1: the end of the day that just boils down to 297 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,760 Speaker 1: um a lot of descriptions of kind of petty arguments. 298 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: So that isn't the best for a whole episode, but 299 00:17:23,880 --> 00:17:26,560 Speaker 1: there were a lot of arguments and a lot of nitpicking. 300 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: It was one of those things where like they would 301 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: gossip to friends about one another and kind of circulate 302 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: really insulting things. Uh, you know, it was a pretty 303 00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 1: catty situation. Uh In Alice and her half brother collaborated 304 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: as editors on a book of poetry, and that same 305 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 1: year she put the house on Massachusetts Avenue on the market, 306 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: although it never sold. Her social engagements became the Invite 307 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: in Washington, and Alice was pretty open about her opinions, 308 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: both political and social, and she kind of used all 309 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: of her social events as as opportunities to broadcast these 310 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: opinions to really the elite of Washington. She also licensed 311 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: her image for use in advertisements for products like cigarettes 312 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:16,119 Speaker 1: and cold cream, and she did all of this to 313 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,440 Speaker 1: try to support herself and Paulina. As we are sort 314 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,640 Speaker 1: of nearing the end of Alice's life, let's first pause 315 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: for a word from one of our sponsors, and now 316 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: I'll get back to our story. So Alice did continue 317 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: to make political friends throughout her entire life. That really 318 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: was sort of her circle. So she always knew uh 319 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,720 Speaker 1: kind of many people in power, and she eventually became 320 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: close friends with Richard Nixon when he was serving as 321 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: vice president, and then when Nixon became president, he would 322 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: often invite Alice, who usually went by Mrs L to 323 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:51,639 Speaker 1: the White House. He even hosted her eighty seventh birthday 324 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 1: party there. So even though she had been banned for 325 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,480 Speaker 1: a couple of different presidencies, she was allowed back in eventually, 326 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 1: but her close friendship with Nixon did not survive the 327 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 1: Watergate scandal. Alice sort of distanced herself from Nixon, and 328 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:08,960 Speaker 1: when asked about it, she would claim that the whole thing, 329 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: meaning that whole scandal, had become quote boring. She also 330 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,120 Speaker 1: became close with the Kennedy family, despite their Democratic affiliation, 331 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: and in spite of her lifeline position as a Republican, 332 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 1: Alice supported the Democratic Party in nineteen sixty four. In 333 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight. I wonder how much of that had 334 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: to do with like the shifting ideologies of the parties 335 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: at that point. Uh, not an insignificant amount. Uh. You know, 336 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: she was not a woman who sort of just blindly 337 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 1: went down party line. She really was pretty thoughtful about 338 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: her positions. She would get sort of so adamant and 339 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: passionate about them that you might think that she had 340 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:51,840 Speaker 1: lost sight of the forest for the trees in some cases. 341 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:56,479 Speaker 1: But I think she really did, you know, welcome the 342 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 1: ideas of other people. She liked to have political discourse, 343 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,040 Speaker 1: So I'm sure when someone made a case for a 344 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: situation that she thought was certainly sensible and made sense 345 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: to her, she didn't necessarily see it as changing sides 346 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: so much as No, I'm still going on with my convictions. 347 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: They just happened to align with these people at the moment. Uh. 348 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: Another tragedy struck in ninety seven when Alice's daughter, Paulina 349 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 1: died from a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol uh 350 00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:32,919 Speaker 1: sometimes referred to as a purposeful overdose, sometimes couched in 351 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: slightly more nebulous terms. But Pullina did leave behind a daughter, 352 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 1: Joanna Storm, and Alice actually raised her granddaughter after Pullina's death. 353 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: As the years were on, that house outside of the 354 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:49,720 Speaker 1: DuPont's circle grew shabby and cluttered, but it really didn't 355 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:53,000 Speaker 1: seem to concern the aging first daughter so much. She 356 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: let the yard go over and the house filled up 357 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:58,680 Speaker 1: with papers. She started spending the majority of her time 358 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:01,080 Speaker 1: on the third floor with her book and a well 359 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 1: stocked refrigerator for snacks during reading breaks. And it does 360 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,719 Speaker 1: sound a little like gray gardens. But she did not 361 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 1: go completely broke. Yeah, and she still had servants. She 362 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:15,520 Speaker 1: had made a rule that the servants weren't allowed to 363 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: stay at the house because she didn't like being awakened early. 364 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: One story goes that the servants would arrive at eleven 365 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: and she would usually tell them to go away and 366 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: she would go back to sleep until one o'clock in 367 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: the afternoon. Um. But yeah, she wasn't like isolated without people. Um. 368 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,920 Speaker 1: But Mrs l did start to lose her mental edge eventually, 369 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:39,120 Speaker 1: but her granddaughter Joanna visited frequently. They stayed close, and 370 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,680 Speaker 1: Joanna also sort of started this effort to make sure 371 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,600 Speaker 1: that Alice's friends were stopping by and that Alice wasn't 372 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: like a lonely old lady in a crumbling house. She 373 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: really wanted her to stay social. Alice died in night, 374 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 1: a week after her birthday, at the age of nine 375 00:21:53,720 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: six in accordance with her wishes. She had a very 376 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 1: quiet burial, and she had outlived all of her half 377 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: siblings from her father's second marriage. Yeah, it's kind of 378 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,680 Speaker 1: one of those interesting things. You usually expect the wild 379 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 1: party child to burn out much earlier than the rest 380 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,199 Speaker 1: of the family, but she just kept on going and 381 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 1: she was a spitfire the whole time. Um In her memoirs, Alice, 382 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 1: who very obviously to everyone loved and admired her father, 383 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: was pretty open though that she struggled with some resentments 384 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: with him, particularly about his move west after her mother died. 385 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:30,479 Speaker 1: She really felt that he had kind of abandoned her 386 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: as an infant, and she also admitted that she had 387 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: been really jealous and angry at having to vie for 388 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,159 Speaker 1: his attention to compete with his second wife once he 389 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: did come back to New York and then their five children, Like, 390 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 1: she just felt like she never got to have her 391 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,879 Speaker 1: father to herself. She wrote in her diary while she 392 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,120 Speaker 1: lived at the White House, quote, father doesn't care for me, 393 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: that is to say, one eighth as much as he 394 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: does for the other children. I pray for a fortune. 395 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,320 Speaker 1: I care for nothing except to amuse myself elf in 396 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:04,679 Speaker 1: a charmingly expensive way. Yeah. It sort of reads like 397 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: such a classic psychological study of like a child that 398 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: acts out for attention. Um and sort of, you know, 399 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: her feelings of being ignored and unwanted kind of lead 400 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:18,880 Speaker 1: to that behavior that really informed her entire life. Uh. 401 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:20,720 Speaker 1: But one of the things that I really love about 402 00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:23,439 Speaker 1: Alice is that she is as quotable as can be. 403 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: What really made her standouts throughout all of her years 404 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: were her amazing quips, some of which were very catty 405 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: and some of which were just sort of wonderfully witty. 406 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: So I thought to close out, we would cover a 407 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,919 Speaker 1: few favorites. Uh, do you want to tell the first one? Yeah? 408 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 1: So Jo McCarthy tried to call her by her first name, 409 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: and she said no, Senator McCarthy. You are not going 410 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,399 Speaker 1: to call me Alice. The truckman, the trashman, and the 411 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: policeman on the black may call me Alice, but you 412 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: may not. I sort of love that. Uh. The one 413 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: that I really love her quote is that she once said, 414 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:08,959 Speaker 1: my specialty is detached malevolence. Her her life philosophy was 415 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: bhil what's empty, empty, what's full, and scratch where it itches. 416 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: It seems like very sensible advice. We um she reminds 417 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: me a bit of of Edna st Vincent Malaya and 418 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,359 Speaker 1: and we actually got a letter after our episode on 419 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: Edna Say Vincent l A from somebody who was kind 420 00:24:30,280 --> 00:24:33,399 Speaker 1: of chagrined that we had talked about her shenanigans in 421 00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: a gleeful way, whereas if if she had been a man, 422 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: we would not have talked about it in a gleeful way. 423 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: And like there was a whole aspect of it. It 424 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: had to do with her being expelled from school and 425 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: allowed back in because she was a celebrity, which is 426 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: not totally germane to this episode. But I think part 427 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:55,399 Speaker 1: of that is that, uh, when when Alice was behaving 428 00:24:55,440 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: this way, she was challenging the status quo and men 429 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,639 Speaker 1: doing similar things were maintaining the status quo. So that 430 00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: is why when women quote misbehave sometimes we sound quite 431 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: gleeful about it. But I love anybody that's a spitfire. Um, 432 00:25:13,359 --> 00:25:16,919 Speaker 1: But I can totally see as well how she was 433 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: just a pain in the neck, Like I can't can 434 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: you imagine if a modern president, like if we heard 435 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,359 Speaker 1: a story of like President Bush's twins when he was 436 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: in office or President Obama's girls just jamming themselves into meetings, 437 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 1: like we would never hear the end of it in 438 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: the press, and how horrifying it was. But Alice did 439 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: this stuff and somehow people just loved her so much 440 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,520 Speaker 1: that they thought it was hilarious. It's like, oh, she 441 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,200 Speaker 1: interrupted another important meeting in the White House, like who 442 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:49,520 Speaker 1: would do that? Well, making her a good Will ambassador 443 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: is one of those things where I'm like, what were 444 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: are you thinking? That really sounds like she's just gonna 445 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: pants the ambassador from China and then runaway giggling, and 446 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 1: that would just be horrible for intergec affairs. Yeah, so 447 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 1: in that regard, it might be good. Am I do 448 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: this with the question mark, I'm not actually saying this 449 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,000 Speaker 1: is a good thing. But her having taken up with 450 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:13,600 Speaker 1: long Worth, with this man who was much older, and 451 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,120 Speaker 1: kind of having that little adventure on that trip may 452 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 1: have saved some embarrassments. Yeah she was occupied and could 453 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:27,400 Speaker 1: not pant somebody. But yeah, she I could see where 454 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: she would be a lot to deal with. And it 455 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: is interesting. One of the articles that I read for 456 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 1: this was actually written by a biographer of hers, but 457 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 1: it was contextualizing it, uh in sort of looking at 458 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,320 Speaker 1: modern president's children and how there is to some degree 459 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:45,160 Speaker 1: this this unspoken rule of like you leave the kids 460 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,240 Speaker 1: out of it and you don't really focus on them. Uh. 461 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,640 Speaker 1: But that like, remember when President Obama's children, I don't 462 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:54,520 Speaker 1: remember which of the girls it was like rolled her 463 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,119 Speaker 1: eyes at some event and people were all in a 464 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:01,199 Speaker 1: twitter about it, and she's like, are you kidding me? 465 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: Do you know what Alice Roosevelt did? She's like, if 466 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:07,760 Speaker 1: a thirteen year old girl rolls her eyes, like, you 467 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,679 Speaker 1: consider yourself lucky on that one, because it could be 468 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: like it was in the early nineteen hundreds, which is 469 00:27:13,480 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: just sort of a funny way to catch it. But 470 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 1: now I have listener mail and I'm doing a thing 471 00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: that I always feel bad I don't do more of 472 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:22,879 Speaker 1: which is that I just want to call out some 473 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: of our listeners who write us actual physical mail, and 474 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: some of them one of the things I love is 475 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: that we have listeners who travel the world, and some 476 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: of them will write us multiple letters or postcards from 477 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,320 Speaker 1: their various travels. So I wanted to talk about two 478 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:41,199 Speaker 1: of those. UM. One is the first is Becky, and 479 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: Becky lives in Spain, but she travels all over and 480 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: she sends us these amazing postcards. One is a postcard 481 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,000 Speaker 1: that is a British poster from the Second World War 482 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,680 Speaker 1: about sort of uh, you know, being frugal, and it says, 483 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,120 Speaker 1: go through your wardrobe, make do and men and it's 484 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: a woman with her wardrobe finding what close command rather 485 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,720 Speaker 1: than having to consume resources by buying new clothes. Uh. 486 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 1: And then in another one, she we just got this one. 487 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:12,560 Speaker 1: She sent an image of um, the northern lights uh 488 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:15,639 Speaker 1: in Iceland, and she went to try to see them, 489 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: but it did not work out. She instead saw lots 490 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 1: of snow and clouds. But she also got to try 491 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: what she calls fermented shark fin and alcoholic fish juice. 492 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: Actually I have no idea what it was, but that's 493 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: what it smelled like. So she is now back home 494 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,639 Speaker 1: in Spain. But thank you so much, Becky for sending 495 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 1: us these postcards. It's like a nice vicarious trip around 496 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: Europe with you, so we appreciate those. Another listener who 497 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: has sent us multiple postcards is our listeners Zoe, and 498 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: she uh sent us a beautiful large black and white 499 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:49,960 Speaker 1: image of Schloss nuchfon Stein, which is you know, the 500 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,920 Speaker 1: mad King Ludwig Castle, which is gorgeous. And then another 501 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:58,240 Speaker 1: one that is a small portion of Madame de Pompadour 502 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: port the famous Madame de Pompadour portrait that she went 503 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: to uh Munich to visit museums, and she particularly went 504 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: to the museum to see this portrait and that part 505 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: of the museum was closed and she was very dismayed. 506 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,040 Speaker 1: And then she found out when she was in the 507 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: gift shop making a purchase, the ladies that worked there 508 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: told her that actually that that particular painting had been 509 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: moved across the street during the remodel. So she raced 510 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,959 Speaker 1: over to another museum and got to see it after all. Hooray, 511 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: So thank you Zoe for sending both of those. Again, 512 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:32,239 Speaker 1: I get to go to museums vicariously and I love it. Uh. 513 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:34,360 Speaker 1: And the third little bit that we have is from 514 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:37,360 Speaker 1: our listener Tabitha, and she sent us a card from 515 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 1: the Herschel Carousel Factory Museum in New York, and she says, 516 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: just in case you're ever vacationing in the area, I 517 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: do recommend stopping by the Herschel Museum in New York. 518 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: Several of our listeners is in aside, I should say 519 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: have mentioned this museum and how amazing it is. Uh. 520 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: They have a history exhibit about Herschel's animals and they 521 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: do restoration work there. You can actually see the whole process. 522 00:29:58,080 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: That's what I would love to see. Best of all 523 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: all they have an old carousel set to the older 524 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: faster adult thrill rides feed. Each of the horses has 525 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 1: either been restored or is on the to do list 526 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,440 Speaker 1: for restoration. The whole building is full of beautiful pieces 527 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: and art history. Uh. Thank you. That's an awesome I 528 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: love this little card and I love hearing that there 529 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: are fast carousels out there still. I want to run 530 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: and ride one. If you would like to write to 531 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 1: us electronically, you can do so at History Podcast at 532 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: house to works dot com. We're also at Facebook dot 533 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: com slash misst in history, on Twitter at misst in history, 534 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 1: at Miston history dot tumbler dot com, and at pinterest 535 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: dot com slash misst in history. If you want shirts, 536 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: or phonecases or tote bags or other goodies, you can 537 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 1: go to misst in history dot spreadshirt dot com to 538 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:47,400 Speaker 1: purchase those. If you would like to learn a little 539 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: bit more about what we talked about today, you can 540 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: go to our parents site and how stuff Works. Type 541 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: in the name Alice Roosevelt and one of the articles 542 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:58,080 Speaker 1: that comes up is sixteen classic, modern, and completely iconic Weddings, 543 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:00,240 Speaker 1: and they mentioned her wedding to Nicholas and how it 544 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 1: was so crowded there in the White House that the 545 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 1: guests had to accept that they were not going to 546 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: actually see the ceremony. They just did not have eyeline 547 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: to it. So they tried to arrange people so that 548 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,719 Speaker 1: they could at least see Alice being walked down the 549 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 1: aisle by her father, and that was that was all 550 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: of what some guests got to see. So it's a 551 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:24,320 Speaker 1: fascinating little story. And then there are fifteen other iconic 552 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: weddings to look at in that article, some of which 553 00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,840 Speaker 1: are fictional and include on in Land. If you would 554 00:31:29,920 --> 00:31:31,960 Speaker 1: like to go to our home on the web that's 555 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: Missed in History dot com. We have all of our episodes, 556 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,120 Speaker 1: archive show notes for all of the episodes since Tracy 557 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 1: and I have been on the show, as well as 558 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: the occasional blog post, and if you would like to, 559 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,520 Speaker 1: we highly encourage you to visit both how to works 560 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 1: dot com and Missed Industry dot com for more on 561 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:55,800 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics. Does it ask to 562 00:31:55,840 --> 00:32:00,080 Speaker 1: have workstaff in