Grant Family collection

Jesse Root Grant was the father of General and President Ulysses S. Grant. Born on January 23, 1794 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, he worked most of his life as a farmer, tanner, and leather merchant across the mid-West. He married Hannah Simpson Grant and fathered six children, three boys and three girls. He was twice elected mayor, once of Georgetown, Ohio and once of Bethel, Ohio. He was active in politics and wrote numerous political editorials, particularly condemning slavery (he had known the abolitionist John Brown as a young man). During the Civil War he was a cotton speculator and used his son’s fame and position to his personal advantage. He was a frequent visitor to the White House during his son’s presidency, often using his position to lobby for opportunities for friends and business partners. He died on June 29, 1873 in Covington, Kentucky.

Major General Ulysses S. Grant III was born July 4, 1881 in Chicago, Illinois to Major General Frederick Dent Grant and Ida Honore Grant. Grant III was the younger sibling to Princess Julia Grant Catacuzene and the grandson to General and President Ulysses S. Grant. Grant III was educated in Vienna, Austria where his father served as US Minister in the 1890s. He attended Columbia University until President William McKinley appointed him to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1898. Like his father Frederick, Grant III served in the Philippine-American War, he also served in World War I and World War II serving stateside, rising to the rank of Major General. In 1907 he married Edith Root, the daughter of Secretary of State Elihu Root, and they had three daughters: Edith, Clara Frances, and Julia. Following his military career, Grant III was named vice president at George Washington University. He also worked as a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and served on the Civil War Centennial Commission. He resigned from the Centennial Commission due to controversies related to racism in the commemoration. After the death of his wife, Grant III moved to Clinton, New York where he remained until his death on August 29, 1968.

Elihu Root was an American politician and statesman, who served as a Senator from New York, served as Secretary of War to Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt and served at Secretary of State to President Roosevelt. Root was born on February 15, 1845 in Clinton, New York. He attended Hamilton College in Clinton and the New York University School of Law. He became a prominent lawyer in New York representing politicians such as William “Boss” Tweed, Jay Gould, President Chester A. Arthur, and many others. He later served at the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In 1878 he married Clara Frances Wales and they had three children, a daughter Edith, and sones Elihu, Jr. and Edward. He was appointed Secretary of War by President McKinley in 1899 and remained in the position following McKinley’s assassination. In 1905 President Roosevelt named Root Secretary of State following the death of John Hay. In 1906, Root toured Latin America taking his daughter Edith along with him to the Hague Peace Conference. He also worked to settle the constant boundary and fishery issues between the US, Great Britain, and Canada that had vexed the nations since the Grant Administration. In 1909 Root was elected as the US Senator from New York, serving until 1915. In 1912, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work toward peaceful international arbitration. After leaving the Senate, Root continue to work on a host of international issues, such as the League of Nations, the Washington Naval Conference, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the Hague Academy of International Law. Root died on February 7, 1937 in New York City.

Edith Root Grant was the wife of Major General Ulysses S. Grant III and the daughter of Secretary of State Elihu Root and Clara Root. She was born December 1, 1878 in New York City. Edith was educated in Dobbs Ferry, New York was said to be a “good horsewoman, both in the saddle and as a whip.” She was also known throughout the New York society as an excellent entertainer. In 1906 she accompanied her father to Argentina on a diplomatic trip to the Hague Peace Conference. After returning, Edith and Ulysses were engaged in the summer of 1907. The marriage was a significant social match with Edith, the daughter of the Secretary of State marrying Ulysses the son General Frederick Grant and the grandson of President Ulysses S. Grant. Edith and Ulysses were married at the home of Elihu and Clara Root, 1500 Rhode Island Avenue in Washington D.C., on November 27, 1907. Edith died in Clinton, New York on May 23, 1962.