American Historical Ephemera & Photography

3 x 4 1/4 in. silver gelatin photograph with James Roosevelt's signature to lower portion. Photograph features Marine Raiders arranging themselves among palm fronds in a naturally forming rock trench. Mounted in 8 3/4 x 14 5/8 in. foam board display together with 2 11/16 x 3 1/2 in. red, white, and blue Marine Raiders patch, being a blue shield with red central diamond bearing a white skull, surrounded by 5 white stars.  

The eldest son of Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt, James Roosevelt II served under his father in the White House as a Secretary to the President from July of 1937 until November 1938.

After a brief stint in Hollywood as an assistant to movie producer Samuel Goldwyn, Roosevelt accepted a commission as a captain inthe Marine Corps Reserve, entering active duty in 1940. He served a diplomatic mission at his father's behest in 1941, and after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, he was transferred to the Marine Raiders, becoming second-in-command under Evans Carlson of the 2nd Raider Battalion. He served with the Raiders at Midway in June of 1942 and in the Makin Island raid in August, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross.

He returned to Makin in November, landing with the US Army's 165th Regimental Combat Team, 27th Infantry Division for the invasion, and was awarded the Silver Star for action there. Roosevelt was released from active duty in 1945, and finally retired from the Raiders in 1959 with the rank of brigadier general, turning to politics. He served as a Congressman representing California's 26th district for 5 terms, from 1955-1965.

He became a bit more of a controversial figure in the latter half of his life, supporting major Republican candidates Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan despite being a lifelong liberal Democrat. He ultimately passed away in Newport Beach, California from complications related to a stroke and Parkinson's disease.