Anna Roosevelt Halsted facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Roosevelt Halsted
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Halsted c. 1932
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| Born |
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
May 3, 1906 New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Died | December 1, 1975 (aged 69) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | St. James Episcopal Churchyard, Hyde Park, New York, U.S. |
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| Spouse(s) |
Curtis Bean Dall
(m. 1926; div. 1934)Clarence John Boettiger
(m. 1935; div. 1949)James Addison Halsted
(m. 1952) |
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| Parent(s) | |
| Relatives | See Roosevelt family |
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Halsted (May 3, 1906 – December 1, 1975) was an American writer and editor. She also worked in public relations. Anna was the oldest child and only daughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who became a U.S. President, and Eleanor Roosevelt. She helped her father as an advisor during World War II.
Anna worked with her second husband, Clarence John Boettiger, at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper. She was the editor of the women's pages there for several years. Later, she worked in public relations for different universities. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy chose her to be part of the Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women. She also served as vice-chairman for the President's Commission for Human Rights for many years.
Contents
Anna Roosevelt's Life Story
Growing Up and Her Marriages
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Jr. was born in New York City. She was named after her mother, Eleanor Roosevelt, and her grandmother, Anna Hall Roosevelt. Anna finished school at Miss Chapin's School in 1924. She then took a short course in forestry at Cornell University.
On June 5, 1926, she married Curtis Bean Dall, a stockbroker from New York. They had two children: Anna Eleanor, born in 1927, and Curtis Roosevelt, born in 1930. Anna and Curtis divorced in July 1934. Anna then moved back to her family, living in the White House.
In March 1935, she married Clarence John Boettiger, a journalist. She had met him while traveling on her father's campaign train. They had one son, John Roosevelt Boettiger, born in 1939.
Early Career as an Editor
Anna was very active as an editor and journalist. From 1932 to 1934, she was an associate editor for a magazine called Babies Just Babies. She also hosted a radio show and wrote articles for Liberty magazine. Anna even wrote two children's books, Scamper and Scamper's Christmas.
After her second marriage, she moved to Seattle with her husband. He was hired by William Randolph Hearst to be the editor of the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Anna and Clarence ran the newspaper from December 1936 to September 1943. Anna was the editor of the women's page and wrote a column for the newspaper. In 1942, Clarence Boettiger joined the Army to help with the war effort.
Helping in the White House and Yalta
After her husband joined the Army, Anna moved into the White House in 1944. Her father, President Roosevelt, was not well and asked her to come. She often served as First Lady because her mother, Eleanor, was busy with other important political work. Anna also worked as an unofficial secretary for her father.
Her jobs included answering mail, setting up meetings, and helping to write presidential speeches. She noticed her father's health was getting worse. She made sure he saw a heart doctor. When he was diagnosed with heart failure, Anna was the only family member told about it.
Anna asked to go to the Yalta Conference as her father's helper. She wanted to protect him and make sure he followed the doctor's orders for rest and diet. The conference took place from February 2 to February 11, 1945. Anna was very important to her father, both personally and as his aide.
Anna Boettiger saw many important historical events. She also helped her parents through difficult times in their marriage.
Later Career and Third Marriage
After President Roosevelt died in April 1945, Anna and her husband, Clarence, had problems with William Randolph Hearst. They left the Seattle Post Intelligencer. Anna and Clarence then bought a weekly newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona. They renamed it the Arizona Times and made it a daily paper by May 1947. However, the newspaper did not succeed. This caused problems for their marriage, and they divorced on August 1, 1949.
For a year after her divorce, Anna and her mother, Eleanor, worked together on a radio show. It was called the Eleanor and Anna Roosevelt Program. Anna also edited a magazine called The Woman. She wrote a series of articles called My Life with F.D.R.
In 1952, Anna married Dr. James Halsted, a doctor who worked for the Veteran's Administration. They moved to New York. There, Anna worked in public relations for hospitals and medical centers. The Halsteds later moved to Iran. Dr. Halsted helped start the Pahlavi University Medical School. Anna worked there in public relations and administration.
When they returned to the United States, Anna focused on helping others. She also worked to honor the achievements of her parents. In October 1963, President John F. Kennedy appointed Anna to the Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women. In February of that year, she was also named vice-chairman of the President's Commission for Human Rights.
In 1971, the Halsteds retired to a cottage in Hillsdale, New York. Anna continued to be active in many organizations. She passed away from throat cancer on December 1, 1975, at the age of 69. She died at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, New York.
See also
- The Daughters of Yalta (2020) book
