James Alfred Roosevelt (June 13, 1825 – July 15, 1898) was an American businessman and philanthropist. A member of the Roosevelt family, he was an uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt.[1]
Roosevelt became a member of his father's mercantile firm, Roosevelt & Son, at the age of twenty, and eventually succeeded him as its head. He was connected with many other institutions, including as vice president of the Chemical Bank of New York; president of the Broadway Improvement Company; vice president of the Bank of Savings; member of the board of managers of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company; director of the New York Life Insurance Trust.[4]
On December 22, 1847, he married Elizabeth Norris Emlen (1825–1912), the daughter of William Fishbourne Emlen (1786–1866) and Mary Parker Norris (1791–1872). Together, they had four children, including:[6]
Mary Emlen Roosevelt (1848–1885)
Leila Roosevelt (1850–1934),[7] who married Edward Reeve Merritt (1850–1931).[5][8][9]
Alfred Roosevelt (1856–1891),[10] who married Katherine Lowell (1858–1925), a daughter of Augustus Lowell, in 1882.[6]