Alice Roosevelt leaves indelible impact

RHYS FLORENCE-SMITH

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “I can do one of two things, I can be president of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.”

As the oldest daughter to Theodore Roosevelt, Alice Roosevelt hosted a debut ball when her father was ushered into the White house following the assassination of President McKinley.

According to Lina Mann at White House History, the ball was the beginning of Alice’s long relationship with the press.

Mann goes on to describe how, “The press nicknamed her ‘Princess Alice’ and her celebrity status was born.”

Shortly after her debut in the White House’s ball, Alice began her antics. The Theodore Roosevelt Center lists a few of Alice’s stunts as, “smoking on the White House roof, carrying a snake in her purse, and betting at horse races.” These escapades lead the press and public to revere Alice as a celebrity.

Another aspect of Alice’s life, that caused the public spotlight to swivel to her, was her opinion on marriage.

Leah Silverman, from All Things Interesting, states in her article, “Alice Roosevelt Longworth: The Story Of The Original White House Wild Child,” “Alice Roosevelt was against marriage. She distrusted men, she was headstrong, and she regarded herself as a solitary