The Washington times., 1901-09-14

one of the oldest of the New York Dutch
families and has in his ancestry in addi-
tion much good Scotch, Irish, and French
Huguenot blood. His first progenitor in
the Roosevelt line in this country was
Klaas Martensen Roosevelt, who came
to America from Holland in 16i9. His son
Nicholas was an alderman of the Leis-
lenan party. and although a burgher of
the major right" he espoused the popu-
lar size in the contest of the colonies
with the mother country. After him came
Johannes, and then Jacobus Roosevelt,
father and son, who attained no special
prominence and next James /. Roosevelt,
who was captain in the New YORK
State troops during the Revolution, and
of blood relationship to the Bogerts van
Schaicks, Verplancks, Van Dykes, ana
Schuylers, prominent in the history of
Manhattan Island.
Then came Cornelius van Schaick
Roosevelt, who welded Margaret Barn
hitt. of Scotch-Irish blood. from Penn
sylvania. Her grandfather was Thomas
Potts, a member of the Continental
Congress Next in descent was Theo-
dore Roosevelt, the father of the Presi-
dent. who welded Martha daughter of
James and Martha COswald) Bullock. of
Roswell, Ca His grandfather was Dan
iei Stewart, who Joined the Revolutionary
Army when a boy and was captured by
the British, but escaped from a prison
ship. and afterward served as captain
under Sumter and Marion. Martha Bull
locks paternal grandfather was James
Bullock, who was a captain in the Geor-
gia and Virginia troops in the Revolu-
tionary War and a member of the So
ciety of the Cincinnati James Bullock's S
father was Archibald Bullock, first Rev.
olutionary Governor of Georgia. His wife
was Mary De Vaux. whose paternal grand
father was Huguenot, and who fled from
France after the revocation of the Edict
of Nantes. Her maternal grandfather was
Edward Bellinger, one of the Carolina
landgraves Archibald Bullocks father
was James Bullock, who came from Scot
land in Ills and became a member of the
Georgia provincial congress and was OF
blood relation TO the Douglasses, Baillies,
and other prominent Scotch families.
Thus Theodore Roosevelt comes from
stock that has been noted for generations
for the instincts of freedom, the tradi-
tions of patriotism and uprightness of
conduct.
RoosEyELTS FATHER.
Theodore Roosevelt. it is said, owes
great deal to his father directly. He Is
named for him; and his father made a
great impression upon his life and did
much to mold it, The elder Theodore
Roosevelt was enc of the leading men OF
his day-the heat of which was the time of
the rebelIion-in the metropolis. He was
a merchant, a philanthropist. and a ro-
bust, active participator in outdoor life.
He more than any other man founded the
dyfn
He devised and carried out the plan of
the wartime Allotment Commission, the
work OF which lay in enabling the Union
soldiers of the rebellion period TO allot
and send back to their families a certain
portion of their pay. The bent of the
fathers mind (and hearp was humane
and phiianthropic, but he was a shrewd
and successful merchant and could drive
q four-fn-hand team better than any New
Yorker of his day. He died in 1878.
Young Roosevelt began his education at
a private school.-Cutlers-inN New York,
a famous school of that time. Mr.. Roose-
Welt says OF himself that he was very
slow to learn anything out of books. He
was delicate and sickly during his early
youth and devoted the greater part of
his time to improving his health by phys
ical exercise. When he entered Harvard
College he had became robust, and was
good boxer, wrestler, and runner. though
he has said that he was not prominent
in any of these sports. He Was captain Of
a polo team during his coliese years.
Roosevelt was graduated from Harvard
in 1850. and later passed some time in Eu-
ropean travel and Alpine climbing. On
his return to America he began the study
of law, but in 1881 was elected to the
IL
in 1883. 1884, and 1885 from the Twenty first
Assembly district. He introduced many
reform measures and attracted much at
tention by the zeal with which he ad-
yoeated them.
IN THE NEW YORK LEGISLATURE.
A writer on this period of Mr. Roose-
velrs career says: There was dissatis-
faction with the district leadership. as
well as with the Assemblyman. and
a number of the dissatisfied hit upon
Roosevelt as a suitable man to send to the
Legislature. This choice entailed con-
ilict within the organization, but Roose-
welt triumphed. Then he and his sup
porters beat the old leader completely,
controlled the organization, whipped out
the former neutenants in the manage
ment, and sent, the next year. their own
i
national conventions of 1884. That was
the year of James G. Blaine's first candi-
dacy for the office of President. Roose-
welt escaped the contagion of the Blaine
ma gnetism. In the State convention which
was thought to be in the hands of the
Blaine men, he first became conspicuous
before the whole State and the country
by his activity and success. He made a
combination between the Edmunds and
Arthur men, and broke the control
which the Blaine men held, so that he
was sent to the national convention at
Chicago. along with such men as Andrew
d. White and George William Curtis, un-
Instructed, as l remember it, but in IA
yor of Mr.. Edmunds."
Mr.. Roosevelt. though he opposed Mr..
Blaine refused to join the Republican In
dependents in supporting MIR. Cleveland.
He has always been strong party m;,n.
one of the measures Mr.. Roosevelt
pushed through the Legislature made pos
sifie his later activity at the head of the
New York police force.
IT gave to Mayor Strong the power and
opportunity to do his best in welding the
appointing power. The Tweed charter
was in operation when Mr.. Roosevelt
was In the Assembly. and it vested in the
aldermen the power of confirmation or
rejection of all the mayors appointments.
The Roosevelt aldermanic bin, as 1t was
called, took this clause out of the char
ter. 1t was perfectly simple. 1t simply
declared that all appointments heretofore
made by the mayor. with the consent CT
the aldermen. should thereafter be made
without such consent. That was the
most important thing that Roosevelt did
I'm Albany. He also originated the Roose-