Quentin Roosevelt
11/19/1897 - 7/14/1918

Born:		November 19, 1897
Died:		July 14, 1918 shot down by two German flyers while on active duty in WWI at the age of 20..
Married:		Never married although engaged to Flora Payne Whitney. She was denied permission to go to France and marry Quentin while he was serving in the "fledgling air service".
Children:		none

Quentin, the youngest Roosevelt, quickly became known for his humorous, and sometimes philosophical, remarks. To a reporter trying to trap the boy into giving information about his father, Quentin admitted, "I see him occasionally, but I know nothing of his family life."

The family soon learned to keep him quiet during dinners where important guests were present. In Washington, Quentin developed many friends of all ages and from all walks of life, but his best friends became known as the "White House Gang." Laughter rang through the White House halls, surprising the more "stuffy" visitors - though at times the boys did get carried away in their antics. When Archie was terribly ill, it was Quentin (with the help of Charles Lee, coachman) who brought the pony Algonquin to his room by elevator, sure that this would make his brother well.

Quentin was a sophomore at Harvard and showing promise as a writer when World War I made him decide to join the Air Force. Just engaged to Flora Payne Whitney, he set out, winning admiration from fellow flyers.

On July 14, he was shot down by two German fighters, and he died behind enemy lines. There his body was buried, though his grave was later moved to rest beside that of his brother Ted, in France.

More About QUENTIN ROOSEVELT:
* 1917-1918, First Lieutenant, ASSC, 95th Bomber Squadron
* September 24, 1918, Flying field Westbury Plateau renamed Roosevelt Field in his honor
* 1919, Awarded the Croix de Guerre posthumously by the French Government
* Per his sister Ethel, he loved tinkering with automobile engines
* Buried U.S. Military Cemetery, Colville, France
* Cause of Death: Shot down behind enemy lines, WW I Quentin Roosevelt

Quentin was shot down behind enemy lines in Germany at the tender age of 20. While his father was proud of all his sons' service in the war, some feel he never quite recovered from the death of his youngest child, but he also believed "Both life and death are part of the same Great Adventure. . ."

Resources:

Old Orchard Museum label copy; Theodore Roosvelt Association staff