The Everything Theodore Roosevelt Book by Arthur G. Sharp Page A

November 2, 1886, election. He placed a distant third behind runner-up Henry George. There was one consolation: he did not finish last. That honor went to Prohibition Party candidate William T. Wardwell.
    TR Takes the Loss in Stride
    No doubt the results of the race elicited a sigh of relief from Edith. They did not faze TR. He commented simply, “Well, anyway, I had a bully time.” The loss provided him with valuable experience that he would use in later years and freed him to make wedding plans with Edith despite his reservations.
    It was understandable, given the social mores of the period, that TR was reluctant to marry a second time, especially so soon after Alice’s untimely death. But, Edith Kermit Carow’s charms were too alluring for him to ignore.
    TR and Edith were married in a small wedding with few guests at St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, in London on December 2, 1886. Britain’s future ambassador to the United States during World War I, Cecil Spring Rice, was TR’s best man. That was the first day of a long and happy marriage for Edith and TR.

In a Fog
    Weather conditions on the day of their wedding were far from ideal. Anyone who believed in omens had to wonder if they signaled a cloudy future for the young couple. The fog swirling throughout the church was so thick that the bride and groom had difficulty picking each other out in the crowd.
    TR wore a pair of bright orange gloves so Edith could identify him, lest she marry the wrong man. Fog notwithstanding, the ceremony went on and the honeymoon, which lasted for thirty-three years, began. She obviously did not marry the wrong man.
    The newlyweds stayed in Europe for their fifteen-week honeymoon. TR, ever the romantic and adventurer, took the opportunity to lead a group to the top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. The British Royal Society was so impressed with his achievement that it inducted him into its ranks, which was a significant honor.

Honeymoon Adventure
    TR was a little careful in where they went, what they did, and who they saw on the honeymoon. He did not want to go places that he and first wife Alice had visited together, since his memories of her were still strong. Nevertheless, they traveled extensively and cavorted with a wide range of people, especially in England.
    Cecil Spring Rice, or “Springy,” as TR called him, opened doors for the Roosevelts. TR spent large blocks of time at exclusive social clubs like the Athenaeum and St. James, which was noted as a gathering place for traveling diplomats. He socialized with political and literary figures such as the poet Robert Browning; Sir James Bryce, a member of the British Parliament at the time; and George Otto Trevelyan, a noted statesman, historian, and writer.
    The social contacts were beneficial to TR, especially in the case of Bryce, who was appointed in 1907 as the British ambassador to the United States during TR’s first full term as president. The Roosevelts were often weekend guests at country houses around the nation.
    TR and Edith spent the winter months on the Riviera and then traveled to Italy, where they visited Milan, Rome, Venice, and Florence. In Florence, reality struck. It was there that they heard about the terrible blizzards that had devastated the Badlands while they were frolicking in Europe.
    The news put a crimp in their honeymoon, since TR realized that the money they were spending might run out due to the destruction of his cattle. He had lost most of his herds in the fierce weather.

A Babysitter for Alice
    There existed another vexing problem: what to do about baby Alice. TR wanted to let Bamie raise her. Edith did not. She wanted Alice to be part of their family. They opted to defer any decision on her care until they returned to the United States and talked to his sister Bamie.
    As happy as TR and Edith were in Europe, they realized that no honeymoon could last forever. They returned to the United States in the spring of 1887