The Wars of the Roosevelts: The Rise of America's Greatest Political Family
Summary (from the publisher): The award-winning author presents a provocative, thoroughly modern revisionist biographical history of one of America’s greatest and most influential families—the Roosevelts—exposing heretofore unknown family secrets and detailing complex family rivalries with his signature cinematic flair
Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent “illegitimate” branch of the family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary family. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense, personal contests that at times devolved to blood sport. His compelling and eye-opening masterwork is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless—in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient.
Mann focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, who, he argues, experienced this brutality firsthand, witnessing her Uncle Theodore cruelly destroy her father, Elliott—his brother and bitter rival—for political expediency. Mann presents a fascinating alternate picture of Eleanor, contending that this “worshipful niece” in fact bore a grudge against TR for the rest of her life, and dares to tell the truth about her intimate relationships without obfuscations, explanations, or labels.
Mann also brings into focus Eleanor’s cousins, TR’s children, whose stories propelled the family rivalry but have never before been fully chronicled, as well as her illegitimate half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, who inherited his family’s ambition and skill without their name and privilege. Growing up in poverty just miles from his wealthy relatives, Elliott Mann embodied the American Dream, rising to middle class prosperity and enjoying one of the very few happy, long-term marriages in the Roosevelt saga. For the first time, The Wars of the Roosevelts also includes the stories of Elliott’s daughter and grandchildren and never-before-seen photographs from their archives.
Deeply psychological and finely rendered, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs, The Wars of the Roosevelts illuminates not only the enviable strengths but also the profound shames of this remarkable and influential family.
Drawing on previously hidden historical documents and interviews with the long-silent “illegitimate” branch of the family, William J. Mann paints an elegant, meticulously researched and groundbreaking group portrait of this legendary family. Mann argues that the Roosevelts’ rise to power and prestige was actually driven by a series of intense, personal contests that at times devolved to blood sport. His compelling and eye-opening masterwork is the story of a family at war with itself, of social Darwinism at its most ruthless—in which the strong devoured the weak and repudiated the inconvenient.
Mann focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, who, he argues, experienced this brutality firsthand, witnessing her Uncle Theodore cruelly destroy her father, Elliott—his brother and bitter rival—for political expediency. Mann presents a fascinating alternate picture of Eleanor, contending that this “worshipful niece” in fact bore a grudge against TR for the rest of her life, and dares to tell the truth about her intimate relationships without obfuscations, explanations, or labels.
Mann also brings into focus Eleanor’s cousins, TR’s children, whose stories propelled the family rivalry but have never before been fully chronicled, as well as her illegitimate half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, who inherited his family’s ambition and skill without their name and privilege. Growing up in poverty just miles from his wealthy relatives, Elliott Mann embodied the American Dream, rising to middle class prosperity and enjoying one of the very few happy, long-term marriages in the Roosevelt saga. For the first time, The Wars of the Roosevelts also includes the stories of Elliott’s daughter and grandchildren and never-before-seen photographs from their archives.
Deeply psychological and finely rendered, illustrated with sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs, The Wars of the Roosevelts illuminates not only the enviable strengths but also the profound shames of this remarkable and influential family.
Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this book from HarperCollins.
This comprehensive family biography covers the rise and fall of the Roosevelt family in national prominence between the years of 1890 through 1962. Primarily focusing on four individuals - Theodore, his daughter Alice, Franklin, and Eleanor - the book explores the interfamily relationships and how the fiercely competitive Roosevelts were ruthless in pursuit of their goals, even when (and sometimes especially when) it came to their relatives.
In this well-researched account, Mann argues that it was internal competition that often propelled members of the Roosevelt family, and presents insightful reflections on their inner motivations. For instance, Mann sheds light on the ruthless treatment of Elliott Roosevelt by his brother Theodore. Always competitive with one another, Theodore used his brother's infidelity and alcoholism to separate his brother from his family and children, ultimately leading to Elliot's descent into complete mental illness and alcohol and drug abuse, followed by death. Mann argues that Eleanor, who was deeply devoted to her father Elliott, forever resented her uncle Theodore's treatment of her father. What previous authors have chalked up to Theodore's fondness for his nice, Mann attributes to Theodore's secret guilt over the treatment of his brother: "His fondness seems to have been brewed from a mix of grief, pity, and possibly (deep down and unacknowledged) guilt. He was clear-eyed enough to know that the girl's unhappiness was due largely to his own actions; had he not broken up her family, she might still have been living with her father" (54).
Mann also covers the animosity between the Oyster Bay and Hyde Park factions of the family. The Oyster Bay relatives (including Theodore's adult children) felt that the Hyde Park relatives (including Franklin and Eleanor) had usurped their rightful place in the political limelight and national prestige. This division was long lasting and painful for both sides. This split can by seen clearly in the division between Theodore's daughter Alice Roosevelt Longworth and her cousin Eleanor. As the daughter of the president, Alice was a media darling and basked in national attention, which she felt was stripped away from her and unrightfully awarded to her gangly and awkward cousin Eleanor. Mann does an excellent job of conveying Alice's complex personality, much of which was already covered in Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Mark Peyser and Timothy Dwyer.
Although the greatest focus of the book was given to Eleanor, Mann does a good job of touching on most of the prominent family members. In particular, I enjoyed his inclusion of Elliott Roosevelt Mann, the illegitimate son of Eleanor's father Elliott, whom previous biographies have excluded. Although raised by his mother, an immigrant seamstress, and without any funds or contact with his father's family, Elliott looked just like his father and had the work ethic and drive that Theodore would have greatly admired. He seems to have born the Roosevelts no grudge, and even named his daughter after his half-sister Eleanor, who he admired from afar for his whole life.
As with any family biography, there is much that Mann could not cover. For instance, he sums up Theodore's harrowing trip in the Amazon in two paragraphs, while Candice Millard spent a whole book on this journey in The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey. However, this was an excellent look at the family as a whole and provided insightful psychological insight into this famous American family.
Stars: 4
Related Titles:
- Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann
- The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War by James Bradley
- The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
- Hissing Cousins: The Untold Story of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Mark Peyser and Timothy Dwyer
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