Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/176

 ROOSEVELT

ROOSEVELT

his law pnictiro, and was a moinberof the state as- sembly in 1835 ami 1S39-40; a Democratic repre- sentative in the 27th congress, 1841-43; studied foreign law in England, Holland and France, and was justice of the supreme court of the state of New York, 1851-59. He was U.S. district at- torney for southern New York, by appointment of President Buchanan, 1860-61, and served for a time as judge of the state court of appeals. He died in New York city, April 5, 1875.

ROOSEVELT, Nicholas, inventor, was born in N.'w York city, Dec. 27, 1767; son of Isaac Roose- velt; grandson of Jacobus, and, through Joliannes and Nicholas, greats-grandson of Khiss Marten- sen Roo.sevelt. 1649. He received a good edu- cation, and devoted himself to meclianics. In 178;3 he made the model of a paddle-wheel boat, which is Siiid to have been the first on record. He engaged in manufacturing and inventing in New York city, and constructed an atmospheric machine for the Schuyler copper mines in New Jersey; the engines for the Philadelphia water- works, and contracted to supply the government with copper, drawn and rolled, for six battle- ships. In 1797 he built the engines for a steam- boat, the motive-power having been planned by Robert R. Livingston, but the experiment failed; and on Sept. 6, 1798, he invented a vertical wheel wiiich was the basis of the combination that made steam navigation practicable. In 1802 Robert Fulton and Livingston adopted Roose- velfs vertical wheel, and a boat was launched in 1802. He was married, Nov. 15, 1808, to Lydia, daughter of John Henry Latrobe of Washington, D.C. He became associated with Fulton in the introduction of steamboats in Western waters in 1809, and in 1811 built and successfully navigated the Neio Orleans down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He retired to Skaneateles, N.Y., where he died, July 30, 1854.

ROOSEVELT, Robert Barnwell, lawyer, was born in New York city, Aug. 17, 1829; son of Cornelius Van Schaick and Margaret (Barnhill) Roosevelt; grandson of James (or Jacobus) I. and Maiy (Van Schaick) Roosevelt, and a de- scendant of Klaas Martensen and Jannetje (Samuels or Thomas) Van Roosevelt who came to this country in August, 1649. He was admitted to the bar in 1850, and practised in New York till 1871, wiien he retired. He was the organizer of the War Democracy in New York; president of the L<jyal National league; a contributor to the fund for fitting out the state militia for thirty days" service, and accompanied the state militia to Washington to help di'fend the national capital. He was president of the New York As- sociation for the Protection of Game and of the International association to unify the game laws on the American continent. He presented a bill

to the state legisluuue for the creation of a fish- ery commission, and on its establishment in 1867 became an active member, serving for many years as its president, which office he resigned in 1888. He entered politics on the organization of the Citizens' association to oppose ihe Tweed ring, spoke at the meeting that founded the committee of seventy, and was chairman of its executive committee that elected Mayor Havemeyer and destroyed the ring. He was vice-president of the Reform club; and with Charles G. Halpine, es- tabli.shed and edited the New York Citizen, which he contiimed to edit for some time alter AFr. Halpines death. He was a Democratic repre- sentative in the 42d congress, 1871-73, where he was the author of the bill originating the U.S. fish commission. He was U.S. minister to the Netherlands, 1888-90; treasurer of the Democra- tic national committee, 1892, and a member of the board of aldermen of New York city. He was one of the founders of the Union League club, then a non-partisan body; a commissioner of the Brooklyn bridge; president of the Sons of the American Revolution, and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was chairman of the commission formed for the protection of the soldiers during the war with Spain, 1898; of the commission to aid the Boers in their war with Great Britain in 1899-1901; a member of the committee to receive the Duke Alexis, of the committee to celebrate the Columbus Centennial, of the Dewey recep- tion committee, and of various other public com- mittees. He was married first, in October, 1850, to Elizabeth, daughter of John F. Ellis of New York city, and secondly, Aug. 18, 1888, to Marion T. Fortescue, widowed daughter of John OShea, Nenagh, Ireland. He is the author of: Game Fish of North America (1862); Game Birds of America (1866); Sn2)erior Fishi7ig(lS{jo); Florida and the Game Water Birds (1868); Five Acres Too Much (1869); Progressive Petticoats (1871); Fish Hatching and Fish Catching; Love and Luck, an Idyl of the Great South Bay of Long Island, and numerous contributions to periodical literature.

ROOSEVELT, Theodore, twenty-sixth Presi- dent of the United States, was born in New York city, Oct. 27, 1858; son of Theodore (1831-1878) and Martha (Bulloch) Roosevelt, grandson of Cornelius Van Schaack and Margaret (Barnhill) Roosevelt, great-grandson of James (or Jacobus) John and Mary (Van Schaack) Roosevelt. and a descendant in a direct line from Claes Martens- zoon and Jannetje (Thomas) Van Rosevelt, who came to New Amsterdam from Holland about 1651. He attended for a short time the Mc- MuUen school, New York city, but was so frail in health that he was unable to continue, and