Upstairs at the Roosevelts': Growing Up with Franklin and Eleanor

Curtis Roosevelt

Jul 2017 · U of Nebraska Press

About this ebook

Curtis Roosevelt knew what it was like to live with a president. His grandfather was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. From the time Curtis, with his sister, Eleanor, and recently divorced mother, Anna Roosevelt Dall, moved into his grandparents' new home--the White House--Curtis played, learned, slept, ate, and lived in one of the most famous buildings in the world with one of its most famous residents.

Curtis Roosevelt offers anecdotes and revelations about the lives of the president and First Lady and the many colorful personalities in this presidential family. From Eleanor's shocking role in the remarriage of Curtis's mother to visits from naughty cousins and trips to the "Home Farm," Upstairs at the Roosevelts' provides an intimate perspective on the dynamics of one of America's most famous families and those who visited, were friends, and sometimes even enemies.

About the author

Curtis Roosevelt Dall was born in Manhattan, New York on April 19, 1930. His grandparents were Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. He lived in the White House from 1933 to 1935 with his mother Anna Roosevelt and his sister. After serving in the Army and attending Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, he received a master's degree in public law and government from Columbia University. He worked in advertising and was vice president for public affairs of the New School for Social Research in New York and the United Nations chief of liaison with nongovernmental organizations. He wrote two memoirs entitled Too Close to the Sun: Growing Up in the Shadow of My Grandparents, Franklin and Eleanor and Upstairs at the Roosevelts. He died of a heart attack on September 26, 2016 at the age of 86.