Theodore Roosevelt Sr. and Jr. and the Museum of Natural History

This was actually a “family” undertaking.

The Father

On April 8, 1869, a formal meeting was held in the front parlor of the Roosevelt home, at 28 East 20^th Street in New York City, to draft the charter that established the American Museum of Natural History.

Theodore Roosevelt Senior was a New York Knickerbocker – one of the descendants of an old Dutch family who settled in New York around 1650. They had come to seek their fortune, which became a large one, and proceeded to take a prominent role in society, both socially and morally. The family owned a large and successful plate glass company, and by the end of the Civil War, with new building projects abounding, were among New York’s millionaires.

Roosevelt Sr. was also considered one of New York’s true philanthropists. He took his Christian responsibilities seriously, and devoted both his fortune…