Quention, Theodore Roosevelt's son was unbridled and often had unrestricted fun, which entertained a nation.
When Theodore Roosevelt became president after the death of William McKinley, he was the father of 6 children, ranging in age from 3 to 17. The youngest, Quentin, became the darling of the nation during the seven-and-a-half years he lived in the White House.
The press loved covering the antics of this little boy. Visitors of the Smithsonian Institute's First Ladies exhibit may notice the display of a young boy and pony in an elevator. This is Quentin. His brother Archie was sick and restricted to his bedroom, so Quentin decided to cheer up his brother by bringing Archie's beloved pony to the sick room.
That was routine in the life of Quentin Roosevelt. He regularly walked on stilts or roller skated in the East Room. He'd hop on carriages to ride around Washington. Quentin developed a friendship with Charlie Taft (son of William H. Taft) and Earle Looker and some other boys -- a group that had become known as the White House Gang (whose adventures had been turned into a book by Earle Looker). Together, these boys "terrorized" Washington. Once, the gang took mirrors and stood outside a federal building, reflecting the sunlight into the windows and disrupting the secretaries' work. Someone contacted the president, who arranged for a military personnel to go to the top of the building to signal the boys with flags: "Stop the mirrors. Return to the White House for you know what from you know who." The boys slipped the mirrors back into their pockets and hightailed it home for their presidential punishment. Much as the president enjoyed Quentin's fun, he claimed that he couldn't let the boys bring a stop to government work.
Quentin was full of life and fun, in part because he was the indulged and much-loved baby of the family (everyone's favorite, a relative said year's later), but also because he came from a family that enjoyed themselves. President Roosevelt was often described as a big kid who was known to have to redress for state dinners because he paused to have a pillow fight with Quentin.
The sparkling personality of his childhood followed him through his teen years and into early adulthood. He charmed his teachers and friends.
Quentin also was fascinated by machines and while in college, he rebuilt a motorcycle (this back in the days when cars and motorcycles were still relatively new). When World War I came about and his brothers enlisted in the army, Quentin decided that he too needed to do his part. Only his military choice was the new air force. His eyesight was very bad -- bad enough that he never should have been made a pilot -- so he memorized the eye chart before his physical.
When he shot down his first German plane, his parents toasted his triumph in their home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, then they tossed their glasses into the fireplace to signify that the moment would never be duplicated. A few months later, on a July day in 1918, Theodore Roosevelt was sitting on his front porch when some members of the press arrived. "We have bad news, Colonel," they said. "It's Quentin," they told him, explaining that Quentin had been shot down by the Red Baron and there was little hope that he was alive. Roosevelt then stood up and said in a soft voice, "Boys, excuse me while I break the news to Mrs. Roosevelt." Theodore Roosevelt never recovered emotionally from the horrible blow he suffered from his youngest's death.
