The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-18
RTFiROOSEVELT WEDDING AT THE WHITE HOUSE

come engaged to some titled English-
man. During all this talk, she was
severely criticized for her fondness for
Countess Marguerite Cassini.
All in all, she was a greatly talked
about young woman. Running hand in
hand with the criticism, was a flood
of compliment and fiattery, and it is
one of the best tests of her soundness
of character and great good sense, that
none of these things affected her in
any way. She pursued the even tenor
of her way undisturbed by what was
said and done, the simple daughter Of
the president, unspoiled and unaffected,
retaining all her original independence
of spirit and fondness for a good time.
She went riding in automobiles, at
tended the races at Bennings, the horse
shows at Chevy Chase and New York,
the theaters, dances, receptions and
other social affairs in great number. 1t
has been estimated that In fifteen
months she attended about 400 dinners,
800 parties, 800 balls, and 600 afternoon
teas, shook hands with $4,000 people
and made 1900 calls. The figures are
not official but they may be accepted
as being approximately correct, say
those who should know.
When she was years old, and her
father was civil service commissioner
the news reached the Roosevelt home
that Nicholas Longworth had Just been
graduated from Harvard. He was a
son of Judge Longworth, Mr. Roose-
welt IS old-time friend, and there was
some slight comment about the matter
at the time, altho none of the Roose-
velts had yet met him. When she was
10 years old, this young man had fin
ished law school, and when she was Is
he had been elected to the Ohio legis
lature. The fall after her debut, he
was elected to congress from one of
the Cincinnati districts, and just before
he took his seat, thirteen months later,
he was invited to take dinner at the
White House, to dine with his fathers
old friend On that occasion he saw
his future bride for the first time.
Mr.. Longworth's rich mother came
from Cincinnati to keep house for him
in Washington. He was the nephew
Of Mrs. -Bellamy Storer, wife of the
! American ambassador to Vienna, and
the brother-in-law to Count de Cham
brun, brother of the young man who
had been said to be Miss Roosevelt 8
intended. : Besides, he was attractive
personally, a jolly good fellow, and it
came about very naturally that he was
occasionally found in Miss Roosevelt IS
company, and that she grew to feel
| that whenever he was present, every
body, was sure to have good time.
as5t Their Early Acquaintance.
Mr.. Longworth, Miss Roosevelt and
the de Chambruns were frequently to-
gether, for theater parties, for rides on
horseback or in automobiles, and one
summer Mr.. Longworth gave Miss
Roosevelt costume ball while she was
visiting at one of the Massachusetts,
society resorts. He was careful to be
i made a member Of the Philippine party.
when he. found that the president s
daughter was to go, and as for the rest
history sayeth not. ..---.. -
Obviously, from his assiduous atten-
tons, it is quite certain that love
burned in his heart before it did in
that of the young woman. Obviously,
too, the conquest was not an easy one,
altho the president and Mrs. Roosevelt,
who were in Mr.. Longworth's conf
dence, did not discourage the match.
But in time the independent young
daughter of the president was COM
PEELED to capitulate It must have oc-
Cured during the Taft trip to the far
east. Certainly they were not engaged
before going for that trip-at least,
this is what everybody says. When
they returned, and Miss Roosevelt was
accused of being engaged, she stoutly
denied It. Technically, this denial was
perhaps the truth, but it is generally
understood that when the Taft party
got back to American soil, Longworth
felt that he had his case pretty well in
hand and that the rest would be easy
Then came the official announcement
of the engagement, by the president
and Mrs. Roosevelt, at one of the
White House dinners, on the evening
Of Dec. Ii, and few weeks later the
wedding date was fixed for Feb. II,
at noon. 3 .....--. ---.- -. =
Purely Love Match.
Many are asking themselves whether
Miss Alice is marrying wealth. and as
the Longworth family is considered one
of the rich families of the country,
the question usually is answered in the
affirmative. In point of fact, however,
and this adds to the romance of the
event-it is an out-and-out love match.
For altho Mrs. Longworth, the bride
groom s mother, is wealthy woman,
owning an immense amount of real es-
tate in and about Cincinnati, Mr.. Long
worth himself is not wealthy. while
Miss Roosevelt has an income of only
about $4,000 a year. $3.50.
Longworth is an honored name in
Cincinnati. The grandfather Of the
present Nicholas founded the family
fortune. He was landowner and wine-
grower, and modern viticulturists are
indebted to him for many of his early
efforts, which are gratefully acknowi-
edged in publications of the department
of agriculture. The bridegroom of to-
day was born in Cincinnati on Nov. 8,
1862 The honored name and the family
fortune were there when he arrived.
: He has done nothing to dim that
fame, nor has he made any effort to
dissipate the fortune. His career has
: been an agreeable one. He found the
: way to prestige already paved for him
Wealth, social standing, and political
preferment have been his without the
], asking. He attended the Cincinnati
public schools, then went to Harvard
graduating with the. A. B. degree in
1891. In college he was distinguished
, | ls.-l5.# & -----F|E5l :