U.S. Army Brigadier General, World War II Medal of Honor Recipient. He received the award posthumously (presented to his widow) from U.S. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. on September 21, 1944, for his actions as a Brigadier General in command of the 4th Infantry Division, U.S. Army, on June 6, 1944, during the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. The oldest son of the 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and First Lady Edith Kermit Roosevelt, he received his education at private academies and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating in 1909. He then began a successful career as a businessman and investment banker. When the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917, he received a U.S. Army Reserve commission at the rank of Major. He served primarily with the 1st Division and participated in several engagements along the Western Front in France, including the Battle of Cantigny, and commanded the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, as a Lieutenant Colonel. After the war, he became active in politics and government, serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1921 to 1924), Governor of Puerto Rico (1929 to 1932), and Governor-General of the Philippines (1932 to 1933). He then returned to the United States and resumed his business endeavors, serving as Chairman of the Board of American Express Company, and Vice-President of Doubleday Books. He remained in the U.S. Army Reserve, and, when the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941, he returned to active duty at the rank of Colonel and commanded the 26th Infantry. He soon received promotion to the rank of Brigadier General as Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Infantry Division. After serving in the Operation Torch landings in North Africa and the Tunisia Campaign, followed by his participation in the Allied Invasion of Sicily, he was assigned as Assistant Division Commander of the 4th Infantry Division. Despite his suffering from a bad heart and arthritis that forced him to walk with a cane, he led the first wave of troops ashore at Utah Beach during the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. He died a month later from a heart attack at the age of 56. At the time of his death, he had been recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross to recognize his heroism at Normandy. The recommendation was subsequently upgraded to the Medal of Honor. Among his other military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star (with three oak leaf clusters), the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, the World War I Victory Medal (with one silver star), the French Legion of Honor, the French Croix de Guerre, and the French Liberation Medal. A cenotaph in his honor was placed at Youngs Memorial Cemetery, near the burial location of his parents. His Medal of Honor citation reads: "For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After two verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall, and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed, and personally led them against the enemy. Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strongpoints and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France." He was portrayed by actor Henry Fonda in the 1962 film "The Longest Day."

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