Background
Edith Kernit Carow was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1861, the daughter of Charles and Gertrude Tyler Carow. She grew up in New York where she enjoyed a childhood of wealth and privilege.
First Lady of the United States president's wife
Edith Kernit Carow was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1861, the daughter of Charles and Gertrude Tyler Carow. She grew up in New York where she enjoyed a childhood of wealth and privilege.
Edith studied at Miss Comstock's school, where she acquired the proper finishing touch for a young lady of that era.
She ran household, managing the finances, disciplining the children and planning the couple`s social life. She also took an active role in her husband`s work. She handled mail, reviewed his speeches and highlighted stories in newspapers that she thought he should read. After Theodore Roosevelt`s death, she was active in the Women`s Republican Club. She became a popular spokensperson for the Republican party.
She greatly impressed everyone who met her with intelligence, grace and wit. When Roosevelt became president and their family moved into the White House, Edith Roosevelt managed the residence with efficiency, she won the devotion of the household staff with kindnesses, hosted many lavish dinner parties and receptions.
Edith Kernit Carow and Theodore Roosevelt were secretly engaged in November 1885. Then They were married in London, England on December 2, 1886, settled at Sagamore Hill at Oyster Bay on long Island. They had five children - four boys and a girl - in addition to Alice, Roosevelt`s daughter from his first marriage.