EILEEN ADLER

Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (1884 – 1980) was President Teddy Roosevelt’s first child with his wife, Alice. Two days later, unimaginable tragedy stuck when President Roosevelt’s mother died of typhoid fever and eleven hours later, Alice died of undiagnosed kidney failure. From then on, Alice was called “Baby Lee” because her father could not bear to say her name. Her aunt cared for the baby until her father remarried in December 1886.            

Determined to create her own persona, she defied the norms smoking cigarettes, riding in cars with men, and staying out late attending party after party. She even gambled with the help of a bookie! She had a pet snake she named Emily Spinach, spinach because he was green and Emily in “honor” of her spinster aunt. “Life is too short to be dull. Be a troublemaker, raise some hell, have some fun, and never stop exploring.”
 

Despite her scandalous behavior, she was her own best advocate. When Senator McCarthy remarked that he would call her “Alice,” she promptly responded, "Senator McCarthy, you are not going to call me Alice. The truckman, the trashman and the policeman on my block may call me Alice, but you may not.”  

 Life lessons from Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth: “I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. Scratch where it itches and don't be afraid to be different. In a world full of copies, be an original. Never APOLOGIZE for being yourself. The people who matter don't mind, and the people who mind don't matter.” And lastly, “Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you're not good enough.”