Many people believe Theodore Roosevelt to be Franklin's father, but the two were only distantly related. In reality, they were only fifth cousins, with their closest tie being Eleanore Roosevelt, Teddy's niece(and FDR's fifth cousin once removed). Upon learning they were to be engaged Teddy wrote Franklin, “I am as fond of Eleanor as if she were my daughter; and I like you, and trust you, and believe in you. No other success in life—not the Presidency, or anything else—begins to compare with the joy and happiness that come in and from the love of the true man and the true woman.”and gave the bride away at the wedding.
Nonetheless, Theodore Roosevelt's political career had an effect on FDR. Since a young boy, he had followed closely the actions of the older Roosevelt and shared many aspects of his life. Both attended Harvard and Columbia Law school, and Franklin took to using some of Teddy's favorite phrases and wearing a prince-nez over common glasses. Additionally, both embraced the idea of progressive politics believing the Federal Government, with them guiding it, could be used to make a significant difference in the lives of Americans. However, they were not without their differences. FDR took on the mantle of a Democrat while writing for the Harvard Crimson. This was while his admired fifth-cousin was still in Presidential office as a Republican.
Teddy Roosevelt still had a noticeable impact on the life of his younger relative, despite them not being as closely related as many people imagine. Oddly, Teddy was not the only former president Franklin was related too, the others being John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Ulysses Grant, William Henry Harrison, Benjamin Harrison, James Madison, Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft, Zachary Taylor, Martin Van Buren, and George Washington himself.
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/septemberoctober/feature/politics-and-war-brought-teddy-roosevelt-and-franklin-delan
http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/roosevelt-theodore-franklin-related/2015/05/29/id/592404/
Interesting and thanks for clearing up a common misconception regarding history. Much like Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt also shared a type of stubbornness as well. While both were popular politicians, they both were strong-headed, as seen with Franklin's threat to pack the Supreme Court.
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