James Roosevelt - National Parks Gallery

James “Jimmy” Roosevelt (1907-1991)was the second child and first son of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt. He attended Groton and Harvard. He was partner in a Boston insurance company until 1937. James took an active role in his father’s political career, serving officially and unofficially as his father's assistant. During his brief stint as a presidential secretary (1937-38) he served as liaison to FDR's "little cabinet" and coordinated the activities of twenty federal agencies. His tenure was brief due to congressional charges of nepotism and criticism over his possible use of political connections to further his business interests. The stress was so great that he developed ulcers and in 1938 resigned. Thereafter, he worked as a Hollywood film executive until he joined the Marines in 1940.
James married four times and had six children. His relationship with his mother was complicated, in part because of her mother-in-law’s interference in his upbringing. James died in 1991 of complications from a stroke