You’ve probably seen the photos. Two men with the same iconic last name, the same round spectacles, and that unmistakable aura of American power. But if you’re wondering exactly how is teddy and franklin roosevelt related, the answer isn't as simple as father and son. Not even close.
They were fifth cousins.
That sounds distant, right? Like someone you might see once every decade at a chaotic family reunion where nobody remembers anyone’s name. But in the world of the New York Dutch aristocracy, a fifth cousin was practically a brother-in-arms. Their connection wasn't just a quirk of genealogy; it was the backbone of 20th-century American politics.
The Oyster Bay vs. Hyde Park Split
To understand the Roosevelt bond, you have to look at the geography of New York. The family tree essentially split into two distinct branches: the "Oyster Bay" Roosevelts and the "Hyde Park" Roosevelts.
Theodore (Teddy) belonged to the Oyster Bay crowd. They were Republicans. They were loud, outdoorsy, and viewed themselves as the original keepers of the family flame. Franklin (FDR) hailed from Hyde Park. They were Democrats—eventually—and were often viewed by the Oyster Bay side as the "soft" or "country squire" version of the clan.
The common ancestor was Nicholas Roosevelt, who lived way back in the late 1600s. Nicholas had two sons, Johannes and Jacobus. Theodore descended from Johannes; Franklin descended from Jacobus. By the time Teddy was charging up San Juan Hill, the two branches had been living parallel lives for over a century.
A Wedding That Blurred the Lines
If they were just fifth cousins, the connection might have faded into history. But then came Eleanor.
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Eleanor Roosevelt was Teddy’s favorite niece. She was the daughter of Teddy’s brother, Elliott. When Franklin—the handsome, charismatic Hyde Park cousin—fell in love with her, it caused a bit of a stir.
Think about that for a second.
When Franklin and Eleanor married in 1905, Teddy Roosevelt didn't just attend. He was the President of the United States at the time, and he literally gave the bride away. He stole the show, too. Legend has it that at the reception, the guests ignored the newlyweds and crowded around Teddy because, well, he was Teddy.
So, how is teddy and franklin roosevelt related beyond the "fifth cousin" label? Franklin was Teddy's fifth cousin, but he was also Teddy’s nephew-in-law.
The Shadow of the Rough Rider
Franklin absolutely worshiped Teddy. It’s almost impossible to overstate this.
While they belonged to different political parties, FDR modeled his entire early career after TR. Look at the timeline: Teddy was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy; Franklin became the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Teddy was Governor of New York; Franklin became Governor of New York.
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Franklin even mimicked Teddy’s speech patterns and his "Bully!" attitude toward life. He used the Roosevelt name as a battering ram to get into rooms that would have otherwise been closed to a young Democrat in a Republican-heavy era.
But it wasn't all sunshine. The Oyster Bay Roosevelts—specifically Teddy’s children like Alice Roosevelt Longworth—weren't exactly thrilled with Franklin’s rise. Alice was famously sharp-tongued. She once referred to FDR as a "maverick" and was deeply annoyed that he was using her father’s political playbook to advance the Democratic platform.
Why the Distinction Matters Today
We tend to lump them together because they both appear on those "Top 5 Presidents" lists. But they represented two very different eras of the American spirit. Teddy was the dawn of the American Century—expansionist, rugged, and obsessed with "The Strenuous Life."
Franklin was the architect of the modern welfare state.
They shared a name, a set of teeth that cartoonists loved to draw, and a relentless belief that a Roosevelt belonged in the White House. But the Hyde Park branch and the Oyster Bay branch eventually stopped speaking. The political rivalry between the two wings of the family became a bitter feud that lasted for decades after Teddy died in 1919.
When you dig into the archives at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, you see the letters. You see the conscious effort Franklin made to tie himself to Teddy’s legacy while simultaneously pivoting the country in a direction Teddy might not have recognized.
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Realizing the Roosevelt Legacy
If you’re trying to trace this yourself, don't get bogged down in the complex charts of the 18th century. Just remember the number five. Fifth cousins.
It’s a distant enough relation that, in most families, they wouldn't have known each other. But the Roosevelts weren't "most families." They were an American dynasty that viewed the presidency as the family business.
Knowing how is teddy and franklin roosevelt related helps you see the New Deal not just as a policy shift, but as a continuation of a family tradition of "The Square Deal." It was a rebranding.
Actionable Ways to Explore the Roosevelt History
If this family dynamic fascinates you, don't just stop at a Wikipedia page. History is best experienced where it actually happened.
- Visit Sagamore Hill: Go to Oyster Bay, New York. This was Teddy’s "Summer White House." You can feel the taxidermy-heavy, aggressive energy of the TR branch there.
- Check out Springwood in Hyde Park: This is FDR’s estate. It feels completely different—more refined, more "old money" scholarly. Comparing the two homes tells you more about their relationship than any textbook.
- Read "The Roosevelts: An Intimate History": This is a companion to the Ken Burns documentary. It’s heavy but does a masterful job of weaving the two lives together.
- Trace your own "Oyster Bay" moments: Look for the "mentors" in your own family tree. Often, like FDR, we find ourselves chasing the ghost of a relative who set the bar high before we even arrived.
The Roosevelt story is essentially a story of two men using one name to change a nation. They weren't brothers, and they weren't father and son, but they were inextricably linked by a shared sense of destiny.