Teddy Roosevelt's diary entry from the day his wife Alice died of kidney failure. He never spoke publicly about her again.

hommIII · 1 year

On the very same day, his mother passed away from typhoid fever. Teddy was 25 years old and left with a new-born daughter.

HeyRememberThatTime · 1 year

If this page gets you, you really need to read the two pages that followed spanning across Feb 16th, 1884 and Feb 17th, 1884. Direct image links for RES users: Feb 16, Feb 17.

Alice Hathaway Lee, born at Chestnut Hill, July 29th 1861. I saw her first on Oct __ 1878; I wooed her for over a year before I won her; we were betrothed on Jan 25th 1880, and it was announced on Feb 16th; on Oct 27th of the same year we were married; we spent three years of happiness greater and more unalloyed than I have ever known fall to the lot of others; on Feb 12th 1884 her baby was born, and on Feb 14th she died in my arms; As my mother had died in the same house, on the same day, but a few hours previously. On Feb 16th they were buried together in Greenwood.

On Feb 17th I christened the baby Alice Lee Roosevelt.

For joy or for sorrow my life has now been lived out.

*Edit: typo in date

Worthlessfuckface · 1 year

Reminds me of Stalin, on the death of his first wife, Ekaterina Svanidze- "This creature softened my heart of stone. She died and with her died my last warm feelings for humanity."

Lyeta · 1 year

[deleted]

cuezak · 1 year

I love things like this where a very strong man, a leader, is shown to be just as vulnerable as the next guy. Seeing how much someone is in love with another person is an amazing thing.

DearBurt · 1 year

Valentine's Day ... bummer.

justshutupandobey · 1 year

Also, he not only never spoke her name again, but never allowed anyone else to speak her name in his presence. That included their daughter, Alice Longworth Roosevelt, who never heard her father speak her mother's name.

TheBeardofWin · 1 year

One of the sweetest damn things I've ever seen.

Wrym · 1 year

Reminds me of this heartbroken work.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

billmalarky · 1 year

Must. Not. Cry at work...

ElBiscuit · 1 year

If anyone wants a good biography that deals with this topic, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is one of the best books I've ever read.

codewench · 1 year

Y'all are missing the real thing we learn from this.

That guy had amazing handwriting.

larkham · 1 year

Read this in Ron Swanson's voice.

hommIII · 1 year

[deleted]

Lanbeast · 1 year

Made me think of my fiancee, and then my heart dropped.

FrostWalkers · 1 year

I felt the same way when my two daughters died the same day. My wife took it just as hard as me, but she was always stronger than me.

But hey there is always another light about to be lit in your life. Now we have a son and and another daughter. We wouldn't if we handnt hung in there.

MananWho · 1 year

I have a feeling that if we turn to the next page, it'll give us the location of the Chamber of Secrets.

skrillex · 1 year

It was a rough point in my life...

knirefnel · 1 year

I challenge your Teddy Roosevelt diary entry with Carl Friedrich Gauss' diary entry lamenting the loss of his young wife and infant child:

Lonesome, I sneak about among the happy people who surround me here. If for a few moments they make me forget my sorrow, it comes back later with double force. I am of no value among your happy faces. I could become hardened toward you, which you don't deserve. Even the bright sky makes me sadder. Now, dear, you would have left your bed, now you would be walking at my arm, our darling at my hand, and you would be rejoicing in your recovery and our happiness, which we would each be reading in the mirror of the other's eyes. We dreamed of a more beautiful future. An envious demon–no, not an envious demon, the Unsearchable, did not will it so. O Blessed One, already you see clearly now the mysterious purposes which are to be attained through the shattering of my happiness. Aren't you permitted to infuse several drops of consolation and resignation into my desolate heart? Even in life you were so overrich in both. You loved me so. You longed so much to stay with me! I should not yield too much to grief, were almost your last words. O, how am I to begin shaking it off? O, beseech the Eternal–could he refuse you anything?–only this one thing, that your infinite kindheartedness may always hover and float, living, before me, helping me, poor son of earth that I am, to struggle after you the best I can.

This entry was found in a stack of Gauss' papers, stained with tears.

zachxter · 1 year

back when presidents were intellectual.

Cursance · 1 year

He hated being called Teddy after this - it was her pet name for him.

jsellout · 1 year

hmm it kind of feels wrong to be reading this.

[deleted] · 1 year

Anybody who's interested in the life and works of Theodore Roosevelt should check out the new subreddit I made yesterday. It's a place to learn about the man himself and also hopefully a hub for all things that he loved such as literature, politics, conservation, and the outdoors.

Cheers and good post. This diary entry of his has always fascinated me the most about him.

The_Seeker · 1 year

Theodore Roosevelt was a bona fide bad ass. No doubt about it.

swoodmanroxu · 1 year

Whoa, let's not overstate the whole family thing. Once he settled down after losing his mother and wife on the VERY SAME DAY, which mind you, was Valentine's Day, he was a family man. He was very active with his children throughout their life and into adulthood. Read before you accuse him of being a bad father.

NorthernBoreus · 1 year

I showed this to my girlfriend and said, "Isn't this sad?" She looked over my shoulder and said, "What's sad is that people are reading his diary and putting it up on the internet."

moonlapse · 1 year

Teddy is a fascinating guy. Highly reccomend that everyone at least read the wikipedia page on him and the wars he was involved in. More if you are a history baus.

DirtychrisT · 1 year

What is this warm beating feeling coming from my chest?

grahamcrackuh · 1 year

such a fucking badass

EbonMane · 1 year

14th of February. What a Valentine.

elnrith · 1 year

in one line this man managed to put across all the pain he was feeling...it leaves me speechless really

isitiswhatitis · 1 year

"He never spoke publicly about her again."??? I would not think this "diary" entry would have been considered "public", at least not at the time.

*EDIT: dairy/diary Duh, thx laryrose

Happy_Kitteh · 1 year

That is achingly beautiful.

rangoeltango · 1 year

On Valentine's Day? That is so sad.

bakupl · 1 year

This is the most romantic thing I have ever seen. Tragiclly unfortunately.

BrockLanders34 · 1 year

Read the Rise of Theodore Roosevelt; Teddy is one of the most bad ass mother fuckers ever to live.

[deleted] · 1 year

It is now officially manly to keep a diary.

jerryher · 1 year

Teddy was one bad ass dude, but even the most hardened man can have his heart broken. Some men break, other men like Teddy become Batman. True story, Christopher Nolan based his Batman off of Teddy Roosevelt.

The Psychology Of The Dark Knight: Batman Unmasked http://www.youtubeloop.com/v/nGJXF3uJuXI#s=496&e=581

exjentric · 1 year

I wish I could read more of the words on the next page. I see "Alice has passed away..."

knowhatimsayin · 1 year

This strikes a chord with me in that I feel I would handle the situation similarly. I lack a lot of emotional sentiments to say the least, but I feel this is more powerful statement than a man crying on his knees.

grandplans · 1 year

soulcrushing

Cursance · 1 year

He hated being called Teddy after this - it was her pet name for him.

mitchk10 · 1 year

My heart just broke a little.

williamspam91 · 1 year

I saw this on Modern Marvels...

jntwn · 1 year

Nice penmanship.

baticrease · 1 year

On Valentines day?!? Bummer... Probably didn't carry much significance back then... Anyone?

lonely_puppet · 1 year

I wish I could feel that strongly about anything.

chemistry_teacher · 1 year

Before there was Hemingway, there was TR.

gonosis · 1 year

I have nothing but respect for the man, but reading his diary entry makes me feel like i'm violating his sanctuary..

pcnerd37 · 1 year

It always sucks to lose somebody.

piss_n_boots · 1 year

In addition to everything already mentioned I'm really intrigued by the date format here.

Month / day of week / day of month / year

bboots100 · 1 year

I never cared much for Teddy Roosevelt, but this was very touching.

fxpstclvrst · 1 year

I was cleaning out my grandma's house last winter, and I came across a diary she'd stuck in the back of a drawer. On the cover was embossed the year, 12 years before i was born, that her husband and daughter died in an accident. On the date page of the accident: "John and Catherine - gone!" I do not know that I have read a more heartbreaking sentence from that day to this.

[deleted] · 1 year

Oh wow, I teared up when I read that :(

ttufan09 · 1 year

He hated being called teddy btw.

VL3500 · 1 year

And it was Valentine's day. Fucking life, man.

[deleted] · 1 year

Teddy Roosevelt's tears gave birth to Chuck Norris.

i010011010 · 1 year

"I wish I remembered to ask her where she put my car keys"

bnizzz · 1 year

If that happened today it would have been a Facebook/Twitter/Google+ status update

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