Anna Roosevelt Halsted was the oldest daughter of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, and a well-known American writer. She started her career as a newspaper editor and later worked in public relations before becoming a household name in the fields of publishing, social work, and human rights. She worked for some of America’s most prestigious journals and journalistic organizations, with her parents’ full backing. Two of her best-selling books, ‘Scamper’ and ‘Scampers Christmas,’ were inspired by her passion for writing and creativity. She held numerous high-level roles in multiple cities around the world during her career as a writer and social activist. In the absence of her mother, she joined her father as the First Lady to different conferences and meetings. She married three times during her lifetime and eventually relocated to Washington, DC, where she was named to a presidential commission by President John F. Kennedy.
Childhood and Adolescence
Anna Roosevelt Halsted was born in New York City on May 3, 1906. She was the daughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, the first lady of the United States.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was her mother’s name, and Anna Rebecca Hall was her maternal grandmother’s. James, Franklin, Elliot, Franklin Delano Jr., and John Aspinwall were her five younger siblings.
In her early years at the White House, she assisted her father with social and administrative chores.
The Career of Anna
Between 1932 and 1934, Anna Roosevelt Halsted worked as an associate editor for the journal ‘Babies Just Babies.’
Her articles in ‘Liberty Magazine’ encouraged her to write more, and she ended up writing two children’s novels, ‘Scamper’ and ‘Scamper’s Christmas.’ In addition, she conducted a radio show for the ‘Best and Company Department Store.’
From December 1936 to September 1943, she worked as a columnist and associate editor for the ‘Seattle Post-Intelligencer”s Woman’s page. Clarence John Boettiger, her second husband, was the magazine’s publisher.
Anna Roosevelt Halsted resigned from the ‘Seattle Post-Intelligencer’ due to disagreements with the magazine’s new administration, which took over after her husband’s departure.
In the absence of her mother, Anna Roosevelt Halsted moved to the ‘White House’ to assist her father and function as First Lady. Her mother was preoccupied with her political activity and charitable endeavors.
In 1945, Anna accompanied President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Yalta, where he met Churchill and Stalin.
In 1946, after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Anna and Clarence Boettiger purchased a weekly newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, and renamed it the ‘Arizona Times.’
In 1948, Anna Roosevelt took over as editor and publisher of this publication. Due to newsprint shortages and investor concerns, the journal lost money and was sold in July 1948.
Anna Roosevelt and her mother started a radio show named the ‘Eleanor and Roosevelt Program,’ but it was discontinued in September 1949. She began editing the monthly magazine ‘The Woman’ at this time and contributed a series of pieces titled ‘My Life with F.D.R.’ to it.
She began her career in public relations for labor unions after graduating from the ‘University of California School of Social Work in Los Angeles in 1954.
In 1955, she and her third husband, James Addison Halsted, moved to Syracuse, New York, where she was appointed as an assistant to the ‘Director of Public Relations at the ‘State University Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse.
In April 1957, she was named director of public relations and assistant to the Dean, a position she held until 1958.
Anna and her husband relocated to Iran in 1958, where Anna worked in public relations and administration with her spouse at the ‘Pahlavi University Medical School.’
She worked as a staff assistant to the Dean of the University at ‘Kentucky Medical Center’ in Lexington, Kentucky, after returning from Iran in 1960.
Anna Roosevelt Halsted became the public relations director and coordinator at the ‘Metropolitan Hospital’ for the ‘Comprehensive Medical Care Program,’ which was sponsored by the ‘United Auto Workers.’
In 1961, the Halsted couple moved to Birmingham, Michigan, and Anna Roosevelt Halsted became the public relations director and coordinator at the ‘Metropolitan Hospital’ for the ‘Comprehensive Medical Care Program,’ which was sponsored by the ‘United Auto Workers.’
She came to Detroit in 1963 to work as the Director of Public Relations for Wayne State University’s ‘School of Medicine.’ John F. Kennedy appointed her to the Citizen’s ‘Advisory Board’ for Women’s Issues, and she served on the council until 1968.
In February 1968, she was named vice-chairman of the President’s Commission for the Protection of Human Rights.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1926, Anna Roosevelt Halsted married Curtis Bean Dall. They were married for eight years before being divorced in 1934. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Dall and Curtis Roosevelt Dall were the couple’s two children.
Clarence John Boettiger was her second husband, and they produced a son named John Roosevelt Boettiger. They were married for over a decade until divorcing in 1949. Clarence committed suicide due to depression after their relationship ended.
She married James Addison Halsted in 1952 and resided with him in a cottage in Hillsdale, New York, for the rest of her life. They remained together till she died in 1975.
Anna was diagnosed with throat cancer and died on December 1, 1975, at the age of 69, at Montefiore Hospital in New York.
Estimated Net Worth
Anna Roosevelt Halsted net worth is about $1 Million – $2 Million (Approx.).