Go home and tell your kids to be free.

[wolfpangs]

This morning I had to go to a presentation by a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator. It was enjoyable, but what I really liked was hearing about his oldest daughter, Alice. Y'all? Alice Roosevelt was the business.


FIERCE.

From the wiki (and other places): She was known as a rule-breaker in an era when women were under great pressure to conform. The American public noticed many of her exploits. She smoked cigarettes in public, rode in cars with men, stayed out late partying, kept a pet snake named Emily Spinach (Emily as in her spinster aunt and Spinach for its green color) in the White House, and was seen placing bets with a bookie.

To Senator Joseph McCarthy, who had casually asked her "How are you, Alice?" she stated that the garbage men, taxi drivers and street sweepers in her neighborhood could call her by her first name, but that he could call her "Mrs. Longworth."

"I valued my independence from an early age and was always something of a individualist," she says. "Well, a show-off anyway."

Comments

[readykatego.livejournal.com]

I totally love Alice Longworth - my favorite quote of hers is "If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me." She really was fierce.

[soalivesofree.livejournal.com]

I was just coming to mention that. For that reason alone, she is my most favorite First Child ever. Although Amy Carter, and I suspect the Obama daughters, might give her a run for her money.

[gfrancie.livejournal.com]

You should read this recent biography about her. She was certainly an interesting character. She is a bit of a hero to me.
She was also a sad figure. Her Mother died and her Father took off for years and years, so she was raised by relations and then he showed up again, got married and had this big family and in a sense he wanted her to pick up as nothing had ever happened. So she was almost feral in a way. Doing her own thing and having a big time. Plus her Father kept saying, "why can't you be like Eleanor" and frankly that would get irritating after awhile.

[missmp.livejournal.com]

She is one of my favorite historical women. Not only was she smart and fiercely independent, she was hilarious.

[gannet-guts.livejournal.com]

Ohshit, look at that posture and the way she's holding her head. You just know she's awesome from that, the rest of it is the icing on a delicious cake.

[shibaiko.livejournal.com]

LOVE HER.
Roosevelts<3

[ilipodscrill.livejournal.com]

thanks, i didn't know about her and i think i love her, want to learn more.

[sualocin.livejournal.com]

Oh! You should read the picture book about her, titled What to Do about Alice? by Barbara Kerley. It is simply marvelous!