Quentin Roosevelt II
Encyclopedia
Quentin Roosevelt II was the fourth child of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
and Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt
. He was the namesake
of his uncle Quentin Roosevelt
who was killed in action during World War I
in 1918. (The family never used the name Quentin II, but it appears on the memorial stone in the Roosevelt section of the Youngs Memorial Cemetery
, Oyster Bay, to distinguish the two Quentins).
in 1934, describing a new species of fossil pronghorn antelope that he and a boyhood friend, Joseph W. Burden, had found in a cave in southern Arizona. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote his senior thesis on some Nakhi (Naxi
) manuscripts he had collected while visiting Western China at the border of Tibet. Life magazine published images from his journey, which he made at the age of 19.
He graduated from Groton School
followed by Harvard University
in 1941 and soon after joined the Army. He was wounded at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February, 1943 and was a recipient of the Purple Heart
, Croix de Guerre
and Silver Star
. Captain Quentin Roosevelt was among the first wave of soldiers to land at Omaha beach while his father Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. landed with the first wave at Utah Beach on D-day.
While serving as the Director of the China National Aviation Corporation
, he was killed in a plane crash near Hong Kong
, on December 21, 1948. He died just 47 days after his 29th birthday.
His C-54 plane crashed on a mountain on Basalt Island
in Sai Kung.
All on board were killed instantly.
His body was on Basalt Island, but a memorial gravestone for him is located at his wife's grave in Youngs Cemetery in Oyster Bay, New York
.
Anna C. Roosevelt
, a noted archaeologist specializing in Amazonia, won a MacArthur Fellowship.
Alexandra married Ronald W. Dworkin. Susan Roosevelt Weld
graduated from Harvard University
with a JD and PhD, and was married to former Massachusetts Governor William Weld
; they had five children: David Minot Weld, Ethel Derby Weld, Mary B. Weld, Quentin Roosevelt Weld and Frances Wylie Weld.
Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
and Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt
Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt
Eleanor Butler "Bunny" Alexander-Roosevelt only daughter of Henry Addison Alexander, a prominent New York lawyer and Grace Alexander...
. He was the namesake
Namesake
Namesake is a term used to characterize a person, place, thing, quality, action, state, or idea that has the same, or a similar, name to another....
of his uncle Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt
Quentin Roosevelt was the youngest and favorite son of President Theodore Roosevelt. Family and friends agreed that Quentin had many of his father's positive qualities and few of the negative ones. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a...
who was killed in action during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1918. (The family never used the name Quentin II, but it appears on the memorial stone in the Roosevelt section of the Youngs Memorial Cemetery
Youngs Memorial Cemetery
Youngs Memorial Cemetery is a small cemetery near the hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York in the United States of America. It is located approximately one and a half miles south of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site...
, Oyster Bay, to distinguish the two Quentins).
Life
He published a paper through the American Museum of Natural HistoryAmerican Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in 1934, describing a new species of fossil pronghorn antelope that he and a boyhood friend, Joseph W. Burden, had found in a cave in southern Arizona. He attended Harvard University, where he wrote his senior thesis on some Nakhi (Naxi
Nakhi
The Nakhi are an ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China....
) manuscripts he had collected while visiting Western China at the border of Tibet. Life magazine published images from his journey, which he made at the age of 19.
He graduated from Groton School
Groton School
Groton School is a private, Episcopal, college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, U.S. It enrolls approximately 375 boys and girls, from the eighth through twelfth grades...
followed by Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1941 and soon after joined the Army. He was wounded at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in February, 1943 and was a recipient of the Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, Croix de Guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
and Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
. Captain Quentin Roosevelt was among the first wave of soldiers to land at Omaha beach while his father Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. landed with the first wave at Utah Beach on D-day.
While serving as the Director of the China National Aviation Corporation
China National Aviation Corporation
The China National Aviation Corporation , was a major airline in the Republic of China and is currently a state owned aviation holding company in the People's Republic of China, which owns a majority of Air China and Air Macau.-History:In 1929, it was established as China Airways by...
, he was killed in a plane crash near Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, on December 21, 1948. He died just 47 days after his 29th birthday.
His C-54 plane crashed on a mountain on Basalt Island
Basalt Island
Basalt Island is an island of Hong Kong. Administratively it is part of Sai Kung District. Together with Wang Chau and Bluff Island, it forms the Ung Kong Group and is part of Hong Kong National Geopark.-History:...
in Sai Kung.
All on board were killed instantly.
His body was on Basalt Island, but a memorial gravestone for him is located at his wife's grave in Youngs Cemetery in Oyster Bay, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Family
On April 12, 1944, he married Frances Blanche Webb, (1917–1995) an American Red Cross worker, at Blandford Forum. They had three daughters: Anna, Alexandra, and Susan.Anna C. Roosevelt
Anna Curtenius Roosevelt
Anna Curtenius Roosevelt is an American archaeologist, Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Curator of Archaeology at the Field Museum from 1991 to 2002....
, a noted archaeologist specializing in Amazonia, won a MacArthur Fellowship.
Alexandra married Ronald W. Dworkin. Susan Roosevelt Weld
Susan Roosevelt Weld
Susan Roosevelt Weld was formerly a professor at Harvard specializing in ancient Chinese civilization and law. She also was General Counsel to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China...
graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with a JD and PhD, and was married to former Massachusetts Governor William Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is a former governor of the US state of Massachusetts. He served as that state's 68th governor from 1991 to 1997. From 1981 to 1988, he was a federal prosecutor in the United States Justice Department...
; they had five children: David Minot Weld, Ethel Derby Weld, Mary B. Weld, Quentin Roosevelt Weld and Frances Wylie Weld.
Works
- "Buddhism", Life, Jan 8, 1940
External links
- Obituary, Time, Monday, January 03, 1949
- Associated Press, "Quentin Roosevelt Killed In Plane Crash" (December 22, 1948) New York Times, p. 8.
- Hong Kong's Roosevelt Connection - Basalt Island's Air Crash