Corinne Roosevelt Robinson

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Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (September 27, 1861- February 17, 1933) was the younger sister of former President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and an aunt of former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt.

1 Early Years
2 Career
3 Personal life
4 Some Published Works
5 Source

[edit] Early Years

Corinne Roosevelt was born on September 27, 1861 at 28 East 20th Street in New York City, the fourth and youngest child of Theodore Roosevelt, Sr. and Martha Bulloch. Her siblings were Anna Roosevelt (1855-1931), Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the future President of the United States, Elliott Roosevelt (1860-1894), a chronic alcoholic and the father of future First Lady of the United States, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Robinson was a playmate of Edith Kermit Carow, Theodore's future wife and later the First Lady of the United States. Corinne's father was a supporter of the North during the Civil War, while her mother, Martha supported the South. Martha's home state was Georgia and she had moved to New York only due to her marriage to Theodore. Martha's brothers were also members of the Confederate Army. The conflict between the parents' political ideals did not hamper a privileged childhood of the best schools and regular travel along with a formal societal debut expected of families of prominence.

[edit] Career

Corinne Robinson was a published poet, lecturer, and orator. Mrs. Robinson began writing at an early age, through the encouragement of her friends, in particular Edith Wharton who helped critique her poetry; Mrs. Robinson began to publish her work. In 1911 she published her first poem, “The Call of Brotherhood,” in Scribner's Magazine. Her first book of poems entitled The Call of Brotherhood was published in 1912. This volume was quickly followed by One Woman to Another and Other Poems (1914) dedicated to her daughter Corinne commemorating the loss of Mrs. Robinson's brother Elliott Roosevelt and son, Stewart. Western Michigan University's Special Collections has several other volumes of poetry by Mrs. Robinson: Service and Sacrifice (1919) dedicated to her brother Theodore Roosevelt, The Poems of Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (1924), and Out of Nymph (1930) dedicated to Charles Scribner. WMU's Special Collections also has her biography of her brother entitled My Brother Theodore Roosevelt (1924). Each volume held by WMU's Special Collections is signed or inscribed by Mrs. Robinson. In 1920, Mrs. Robinson became the first woman ever to address a nomination convention speaking before a crowd of 14,000.

[edit] Personal life

Corinne was married to Douglas Robinson on April 29, 1882 and their marriage produced four children:

Theodore Douglas Robinson (1883-1934) a member of the New York State Assembly
Corinne Douglas Robinson (1886-1971), mother of columnists Joseph and Stewart Alsop
Monroe Douglas Robinson (1887-1947)
Stewart Douglas Robinson (1889-1909), committed suicide by jumping from his college dormitory window after a party.

Mrs. Robinson is believed to have had an affair with Henry Cabot Lodge, due to a high level of intensity of some poems they often recited to one another. Like her niece, Eleanor, she is believed also to have had a lesbian affair with her brother Elliott's mistress, once again due to some highly passionate poems. In one particular poem, Mrs. Robinson and the mistress exchanged kisses.

Throughout the 1920's, Mrs. Robinson's health failed her a number of times and she had a total of sixteen eye surgeries.

Corinne Robinson, a lifelong Republican, voted for her fifth cousin Franklin Roosevelt when he ran for Governor of New York in 1928 and in 1932 when he was elected President of the United States. Robinson commented that she voted for Franklin because: "Eleanor is my niece after all." Eleanor was Corinne's favorite niece and said that "Eleanor was more like Theodore than any of his own children were."

Mrs. Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, aged 71, died on February 17, 1933 of pneumonia, in New York City less than a month before FDR was inaugurated President.

[edit] Some Published Works

The Call of Brotherhood (1912) (poetry)
One Woman to Another and Other Poems (1914) (poetry)
Service and Sacrifice (1919) (poetry)
The Poems of Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (1924) (poetry)
Out of Nymph (1930) (poetry) dedicated to Charles Scribner
My Brother Theodore Roosevelt (1924) Biography of her brother Theodore Roosevelt