111th Congress, 2nd Session
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt
February 17, 1906
Representative Nicholas Longworth of Ohio married Alice Roosevelt, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, in a White House ceremony. Widely celebrated in the U.S., the nuptials also captured international attention. Dignitaries from around the world attended the event, which the foreign press also scrutinized. Nick Longworth, a lieutenant of the powerful House Speaker Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois, eventually rose to the Speakership in 1925 and served as a popular and influential presiding officer in his own right. Both before and long after her husband’s untimely death in 1931, Alice Roosevelt Longworth served as one of official Washington’s most memorable hostesses. A peppery and plain-spoken fixture on the capital social circuit, she lived to the ripe old age of 96. She was famous for greeting her dinner guests with the line, “If you haven’t got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me.”
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Cite this Highlight
Office of History and Preservation, Office of the Clerk, http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/highlights.html?action=view&intID=262, (December 08, 2010).For Additional Information
Office of History and Preservation(202) 226-1300
history@mail.house.gov
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Representative Nick Longworth, seated here next to his wife, Alice, served 14 terms (1903–1914, 1915–1931) in the House of Representatives and 3 terms as Speaker of the House (1925–1931).
Image courtesy of Library of Congress
Teaching Tip
Wielding the Gavel
Ask students to locate three stories pertaining to Speakers of the House. Have students select and conduct research on one of the Speakers using historical highlights and the Biographical Directory bibliography.
