How were Presidents Franklin D Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt related?

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were fifth cousins. Both U.S. Presidents came from the wider Roosevelt family, a prominent New York family with Dutch-American ancestry, with Franklin tied to the Hyde Park branch and Theodore tied to the Oyster Bay branch. Their family connection is also easy to mix up because Franklin D. Roosevelt married Eleanor Roosevelt, who was Theodore Roosevelt’s niece.

The Hyde Park and Oyster Bay Branches

Theodore Roosevelt was associated with the Oyster Bay Roosevelts, while Franklin D. Roosevelt came from the Hyde Park branch of the family. These branches shared Roosevelt ancestry but were not part of the same immediate household. That is why FDR and Teddy Roosevelt were cousins, not brothers, father and son, or uncle and nephew.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Family Connection

The closer familiar link between the two presidents came through Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin married Eleanor in 1905, making him Theodore Roosevelt’s nephew-in-law through marriage. Theodore also gave Eleanor away at the wedding, which strengthened the public connection between the Hyde Park and Oyster Bay sides of the Roosevelt family.

Why the Relationship Is Often Confused

The shared last name, New York roots, presidential office, and political prominence make the Roosevelt family relationship seem closer than it was by blood. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt were fifth cousins through the Roosevelt family line, while Eleanor Roosevelt created a more direct marriage connection between them.