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August 6, 2025
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt
August 6, 1861
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt – Born August 6, 1861 (Norwich, CT). Died September 30, 1948 (Oyster Bay, NY).
White House Years: 1901-1909
o Edith Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were in-and-out of each other’s homes as children, she was best friends with his sister. They married in 1886 after the death of his first wife.
o Edith Roosevelt’s main priority was guarding her children’s privacy. She carefully controlled media coverage of her family.
o Edith Roosevelt was the first first lady to travel abroad to Panama while first lady.
o Edith Roosevelt oversaw the first major renovation of the White House including addition of the West Wing and leaving the second floor only has the private residence. Her husband changed its name from Executive Mansion to White House.
o She brought the position of first lady into the modern era by professionalizing it: creating the office of first lady, hiring the first Social Secretary and also help to feature arts in the White House with a series of musicals, completion of the White House china collection and first ladies portrait gallery.
Quote: “I think imagination is one of the greatest blessings of life.”
