US presidents from Oud-Vossemeer, Zeeland
“Never knew!” And perhaps never bothered to dwell too much on the past. After all, the present is already so time-consuming. You sometimes need to be reminded when it is time to stop running and pause for a moment. So I gratefully accept Bas Quist’s invitation to take a look at the Roosevelt Information Centre. I plan our visit around my husband’s birthday so we can make it a cultural family outing. Educationally sound and the promise that we will have a delicious meal at Huys van Roosevelt afterwards makes everyone excited.
Bas shows us around his restaurant first, pointing out the various photos and texts on the wall. His restaurant is a true tribute to the Roosevelt’s. Of all the quotes I see hanging, I like Eleanor’s best: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” From the restaurant, you have a great view of the historic building that the craftsman still owns. The building was built in 1771 to serve as a courthouse. As we cross the street a little later and enter the steps of “The Regthuys”, I try to imagine what it must have looked like in the past. Bas tells me that there was a pillory in front of the door, and inside we see that the pillory stones from that time have also been preserved.
The inside of the house certainly turns out to be as beautiful as the outside but what is even more beautiful are the stories Bas tells us. His knowledge of the Roosenvelt’s is impressive. It all started with Claes Martenszen van Rosevelt who, together with his wife, left Oud-Vossemeer around 1639 to try his luck in the distant promised land. They chose New Amsterdam. When Bas starts telling about Claes’ descendants, I keep thinking, “why didn’t I know this?” For instance, I learned that the teddy bear owes its name to Theodore Roosevelt. This is apparently because he refused to shoot a bear cub during a hunting party. Republican Theodore became the 26th president and, at 42, even America’s youngest president to date. He was also the first American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. That Theodore was a tough one is shown by the extraordinary story in which he was shot at during a presidential campaign. He had to speak at an important venue and it was thanks to his double-folded, 50-page speech (and his steel spectacle case) that the bullet “only” 76 mm disappeared into his chest. Since he did not cough blood, he himself concluded that the bullet could not have hit his lungs so he gave his speech first and only then went to hospital. The anecdotes thread together and of course also bring us to Theodore’s distant second cousin…
Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt upheld the family name years later. He became America’s 32nd and also longest-serving president (1933-1945). Four times he was elected. His favourite one-liner was “the only thing one needs to fear is fear itself.” He ensured social reform after the crisis years and led America through World War II. His most memorable appearance was on 6 January 1941. At the State of the Union Congress, he made his Four-Freedom speach. In short, he believed that every human being had a right to freedom of speech and religion but also that every human being had a right to freedom from fear and want. That same year, 26 countries signed the Atlantic Charter. The beginning of the United nations. Since 1982, the 4 freedom awards have been presented every year. In the even years, this is done in Middelburg (replacing Oud-Vossemeer) and in the odd years in New York. Some well-known winners include Dalai Lama, Princess Juliana, Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Angela Merkel.
So Theodore and Franklin are distant cousins but Bas tells us that the bridge was built by Eleanor Roosevelt. After all, she was the daughter of Elliot Roosevelt. And Elliot was Theodore’s brother. Eleanor and Franklin fell in love and their marriage made her the longest-serving first lady. A power woman who was certainly not inferior to her husband. She was not only involved in her husband’s work but from 1921 she also represented him in many meetings outside the White House. This was because Franklin suffered from childhood polio and even ended up in a wheelchair which made travelling increasingly difficult. Through her prominent role, she gained increasing influence and made a significant contribution to, for instance, the introduction of the minimum wage and the abolition of child labour. It is therefore no coincidence that Eleanor Roosevelt was the first chair of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1946.
Wow, so 3 gamechangers in world history have their roots in Oud-Vossemeer!!! It dizzies us a little as we walk out. What a wealth of information is stored here. We quickly agree that this is not an elderly person’s excursion but something interesting for all ages! And how nice that we can now have a nice dinner at Huys van Roosevelt to chat and toast to our successful afternoon and our increased historical awareness 😉
Love,
Anna