~. Eleanor s Father
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT was born on October I I， I884. Anna Hall Roose-
velt， her mother， died when she was eight and her father， Elliott Roosevelt，
when she was ten.
\"He was the one great love of my life as a child，\" Eleanor wrote about her
father almost forty years after his death， \"and in fact like many children I have
lived a dream life with him; so his memory is still a vivid， living thing to me.\"
Seeking to give some shape and meaning to his brief existence， she called
him a \"sportsman.\" He was that， but as one contemplates the promise of his
early years， it is the pathos of wasted talents， the stark tragedy of an enormously
attractive man bent on self-destruction that reaches across the decades to hold
us in its grip.
Elliott s brother Theodore became president of the United States， one of
its outstandingly \"strong\" chief executives. What made Theodore resolute and
Elliott weak? It was a question the many who loved Elliott sought to answer all
their lives， for the pain of Elliott s death remained in their hearts to the end of
their days， such was the spell this man cast over those around him.
It was her father who acquainted Eleanor Roosevelt， his gravely gay Little
Nell， with grief. But he also gave her the ideals that she tried to live up to all her
life by presenting her with the picture of what he wanted her to be--noble，
brave， studious， religious， loving， and good.
The story of Eleanor Roosevelt should begin with him.
Elliott Roosevelt was the third of four children born to Theodore Roose-
velt， Sr.， and Martha Bulloch. They were a remarkable group. Of Anna， the
oldest， born in I855， whom the family called \"Bye\" or \"Bamie，\" her niece Alice
was to say， \"If Aunty Bye had been a man， she would have been President.\"
Theodore Jr.， born in 1858， was followed two years later by Elliott， who was
called \"the most lovable of the Roosevelts.\" Corinne， the youngest， born I86I，
called \"Conie\" or \"Pussie\" by her brothers， was described by Clarence Day，
whose family s Madison Avenue brownstone adjoined Corinne s in the I88OS，
as \"a dignified but lively young lady who..， knew how to write poetry， turn
cartwheels and stand on her head.\"
A childhood friend， recalling the family， spoke of their \"gusto，\" \"explo-
sions of fun，\" \"great kindliness and generosity of nature，\" their \"eager friendli-
ness.\" They were all unabashedly demonstrative in their affections. \"Oh! my
darling Sweetest of Fathers I wish I could kiss you，\" a thirteen-year-old Elliott
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