Marriage To James Roosevelt
Betsey married James Roosevelt in 1930, when his father was then governor of New York. They had two daughters, Kate Roosevelt Whitney and Sara Wilford. After her father-in-law became President, Betsey was reportedly FDR's favorite daughter-in-law, though she and her mother-in-law Eleanor Roosevelt did not care for one another.
Her husband served his father as an aide at the White House, and Betsey often stood-in as hostess at the White House when Eleanor was absent. When FDR entertained King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at a picnic at the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park, New York in 1939, Betsey was prominent at the affair, and accompanied FDR as he drove the King and Queen along the Hudson River.
In 1938, James Roosevelt left for Hollywood to work as an aide to Samuel Goldwyn. His wife followed him, but they divorced in 1940. Betsey was granted custody of their daughters Kate and Sara, along with child support, though by biographers' accounts, James had little to no contact with his children, and eventually married three more times.
Read more about this topic: Betsey Cushing Roosevelt Whitney
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