Edith also controlled Washington social life, organizing weekly meetings of the cabinet members' wives, and became the gatekeeper of who could attend formal events.

Her oversight of the 1902 White House renovations and her hiring of the first social secretary for a first lady, Belle Hagner, are described by historians as her most enduring legacies.

She was unable to travel, as she had to stay home tending for her parents, who had both fallen ill.[10] Edith and Theodore grew closer as teenagers,[11] and they developed romantic feelings for one another.

After their engagement was set, they separated for eight months so Edith could help her mother and sister move to Europe while Theodore could settle his business affairs on the frontier.

[30] In October 1888, Edith joined Theodore in traveling west to campaign for Benjamin Harrison in that year's presidential election, finding the experience enjoyable.

[47] The Roosevelts returned to Washington in 1897 when Theodore was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by the newly elected president William McKinley.

[60] Edith grew comfortable with her life in Albany, as it brought financial security and her role as first lady allowed her to spend more time with her husband.

[69] In the days leading up to the convention, the Roosevelts dined at the White House with President McKinley, where Edith reveled in the fact that she and Theodore were much younger than the other guests of their status.

[72] After Theodore was elected vice president, Edith began receiving requests that she donate some of her possessions to be auctioned, as was common for prominent women of the time.

Over the following months, they attended the Pan-American Exposition, went horseback riding with Edith's new horse Yagenka, and endured a variety of medical ailments in the family.

[93][94] Quentin's childhood friend Earle Looker later wrote that Edith seemed to regret that her role as first lady prevented her from being more active in the children's play.

[107] In the final ten months of her tenure as first lady, a series of attacks on unaccompanied women in Washington led Theodore to appoint a bodyguard for Edith's walks.

[108] The nation was in mourning when the Roosevelts entered the White House, so the first lady's traditional role of hosting social events was postponed for 30 days.

[109] As Washington became active, Edith increased the number of social events held by the White House each season, including dinners, teas, garden parties, and concerts.

[115] While the Roosevelts were staying in Oyster Bay in 1902, Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia was touring the United States, and he engaged in what Edith considered to be vulgar behavior.

[116] The tone of the White House improved after Theodore's reelection, as the beginning of this term was a cause for celebration instead of the mourning that followed the assassination of President McKinley.

[105] This led up to Edith's most prominent social event as first lady, in which she hosted the White House wedding of her stepdaughter Alice to Congressman Nicholas Longworth on February 17, 1906.

[120] The earliest point of contention was the location of the White House conservatory; the architect Charles Follen McKim wished to destroy it, and Edith protested.

[124] Aware that extravagant spending could provoke controversy, she reduced costs wherever possible, having older furniture brought in rather than purchasing newer items.

[146] She voiced her support for the Audubon Society's efforts to end the use of decorative plumes on women's hats in 1905,[147] and she joined the New York Assembly of Mothers in 1907.

[71][90] Hagner was responsible for answering Edith's mail, managing her schedule, overseeing guest lists,[71] and communicating information about the first lady's activities to the press.

[156] When Marion Graves Anthon Fish wrote a critical article about the first lady's fashion consisting of "three hundred dollars a year", Edith cut it from the newspaper and placed it in her scrapbook.

[157] Edith was skeptical when Theodore selected the secretary of war William Howard Taft as his successor to run as a candidate in the 1908 presidential election.

[162] While taking inventory of her belongings, Edith caused controversy because she intended to keep a $40 couch (equivalent to $1,400 in 2023[39]) that had been purchased during White House renovations.

[167][180] As Theodore led the movement for United States involvement in World War I, Edith found that she no longer had the energy to keep up with political figures passing through their home.

[232] Besides social activity, Edith was the most athletic first lady to occupy the White House at that point, regularly engaging in walks and horseback riding.

[188] She read extensively throughout her life, preferring British, French, and German writers of the 19th century, including William Makepeace Thackeray and Jean Racine.

[239] The historian Catherine Forslund described Edith as the "first truly modern occupant of her post", citing her involvement in the White House renovations and her hiring of a secretary.

[71] The historian Stacy A. Cordery said that the White House renovations organized by Edith were one of her "most important legacies",[240] and that her hiring of a secretary was "a significant innovation crucial to the creation of the modern institution of first ladies".

[241] Since 1982, Siena College Research Institute has periodically conducted surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies, where Edith ranked:[243][244]