Alice and Eleanor

by Sandra R. Curtis

Alice Roosevelt Longworth was acknowledged as the outrageous media star in the White House during her father's Presidency. When a friend asked whether Teddy could restrain his daughter, President Roosevelt answered that he could run the country or Alice, but he couldn't do both. By contrast, Teddy's niece Eleanor, who was Alice's polar opposite in personality, also captured the hearts of the country when she entered the White House 24 years later as First Lady. Shy and deferential, Eleanor came to politics through her commitment to social justice while flamboyant, defiant Alice had been weaned on politics. Political and personal rivals, Alice and Eleanor were intimately connected to the U.S. Presidency through 45 dramatic years. Each learned to wield power effectively through her unique style and for her distinct purpose. After Alice's White House wedding to dapper Ohio Congressman, Republican Nick Longworth, she became her father's chief confidant and made the Senate gallery her perso