1639-34 Politics SUN OCT 28 1990 ED: FINAL
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: lA LENGTH: 31 . 99" LONG
ILLUST: color photo: Elliott ROOSEVELT
SOURCE: LOURDES FERNANDEZ Herald Staff Writer
DATELINE:
MEMO:
ELLIOTT ROOSEVELT, SON
OF PRESIDENT, DIES AT 80
WAS COLORFUL MIAMI BEACH MAYOR IN 1960S
Elliott Roosevelt, the second-oldest son of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt and colorful mayor of Miami Beach for two years in the 1960s, died
Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz . He was 80 .
Roosevelt died of congestive heart failure at his home, said Patricia
Roosevelt, his wife of 30 years. The couple moved to Scottsdale 1 1/2 years
ago so he could be near the Mayo Clinic there, she said.
The son of a four-time president, Roosevelt sometimes lived in the
shadow of his father but more often than not found his own niche, whether as
World War II Air Corps general, author, rancher or politician.
He served as Miami Beach mayor from 1965 to 1967 , beating a four-term
incumbent by 2 , 000 votes. Before that, he was Florida' s representative on the
National Democratic Committee.
His last name hindered as much as it helped.
"At a certain time in life, when you are starting out, the advantages
are greater, " he said at the age of 55. "As you go on, to my time of life, I
don' t think there are any advantages to being a Roosevelt per se. "
Born in New York, he was the middle child of five Roosevelt children,
four boys and one girl. After attending Groton Preparatory School, he broke
away from the Roosevelt tradition. He didn't go on to Harvard.
Instead, he turned to advertising and journalism.
He was 22 when his father became president. "I jumped from $30-a-week
messenger boy for a financial house to vice president of an advertising
company, " the always outspoken Roosevelt said in an interview. "And I was no
more qualified than flying to the moon. It was a classic example of being
used. "
He went on to become aviation editor for Hearst Newspapers, vice
president of Hearst Radio and later president. In 1939, he became a radio
executive in Texas, where his first wife owned broadcasting stations.
He was commissioned a captain in the Army Air Corps Reserve in 1940 and
a few years later commanded the 325th Photographic Reconnaissance Wing, with
5, 000 officers and men.
As an aide to his father, he also witnessed the great wartime
conferences: the Atlantic Charter, Casablanca, Cairo, Tehran and Yalta. He
later wrote a book about his father and the conferences, As He Saw It.
In 1945, a two-hour debate ensued when his nomination from colonel to
brigadier general came up for confirmation before the U.S. Senate. The
strongest criticism came from Republicans who said Roosevelt had three
servicemen taken off a cross-country plane trip to make room for his dog. It
turned out that a junior officer made the call to leave the president ' s dog on
the plane.
Roosevelt was alternately described in the debate as an amateur in
military affairs and an outstanding leader. The facts : He flew 89 missions,
was wounded twice and received 27 decorations during his service.
Just as controversial were his marriages -- five of them. His first
marriage, in 1931 , was to Elizabeth Donner, a Philadelphia steel heiress. They
divorced in 1933 . Five days later, he married Josephine Googins .
After an 11-year marriage to Googins, he wed actress Faye Emerson. The
wedding took place in an observation station on the rim of the Grand Ganyon.
That marriage lasted six years. Wife No. 4 was Minnewa Bell Ross, daughter of
a tycoon. That, too, lasted six years. He married Patricia in 1960 .
"It took me a long time to settle down as a mature individual, " he said
later. "I think I was a rebel at the start. "
It became a campaign issue in his race for Miami Beach mayor. His
opponent, Melvin Richard, pointed to the failed marriages as a sign of
instability. Roosevelt, Richard also said, capitalized on the family name.
Indeed, it seemed that way. Roosevelt, who moved to Miami Beach in 1963
to run a consulting firm, repeatedly posed beneath photos of his father. He
even held his cigarette in the same way Franklin D. Roosevelt did. His
campaign slogan: "A Man With a Name Miami Beach Can Be Proud Of. "
Roosevelt won by 2, 000 votes, sweeping three South Beach precincts made
up largely of retirees who were grateful for his father' s efforts to establish
Social Security benefits .
He had campaigned on bringing dignity to Miami Beach government. While
in office, he instituted a master plan for the city. He also worked to bring
two national political conventions to Miami Beach. But after one term in
office, he was defeated in his re-election bid by Jay Dermer.
After living a few years in South Miami, he and his family moved to
Lisbon, Portugal, where he ran a horse ranch. They later lived in England.
Controversy arose once more in 1973, when he published his first book in
a trilogy about his parents . An Untold Story: The Roosevelts of Hyde Park
detailed his father' s love affair with a personal secretary. The book was
denounced by his siblings.
Roosevelt and his wife lived in Seattle and California before settling
in Scottsdale. He continued writing, most recently mystery novels with his
parents as characters. The latest series is about to be released, his wife
said.
"He was truly a very gentle man and a very, very erudite man, " she said.
"He gave so much of himself to so many people. "
In addition to his wife, Roosevelt is survived by eight children,
William, Chandler Lindsley, Elliott Jr. , David B. , James, Ford, Gretchen and
David M. ; brother, James; 21 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of
Perpetual Help Church in Scottsdale.
Donations can be made to the Mayo Clinic Foundation of Scottsdale, 13400
E. Shea Blvd. , Scottsdale, AZ 85259 or Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic
Church, 3801 N. Miller Rd. , Scottsdale, AZ 85251 .
ADDED TERMS: roosevelt obituary biography
END OF DOCUMENT.