MITTIE
Martha “Mittie” Bulloch Roosevelt was the mother of Theodore Roosevelt and the grandmother of Eleanor Roosevelt. She was witty, tart, sharp-tongued, with a strong, vibrant personality. The common historical view of Mittie is as a valetudinarian product of the antebellum drawing room and fainting couch. And yet her life often shows strength not weakness. She was an active, involved mother, who recognized the needs of her precocious, unusual son. Mittie is the source of two of Theodore Roosevelt’s greatest strengths: his personality and resilience.
Courtesy of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Collection, National Park Service.
Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, known as Mittie, was described by her brother as “ a black-haired bright eyed lassie lively in her impulse and with a ready tongue” who “does everything by impulse with an air of perfect self-confidence.” The phrase could readily apply to her strong-willed son, Theodore.