[4] Roosevelt graduated from Columbia College in 1819 and studied law at Harvard University, but was unable to practice due to delicate health, possibly resulting from polio.

Confined largely to his home he was forced to abandon law and break off his engagement to Miss Julia Boardman, who was also from a good New York family.

[6] He was first buried at the New York City Marble Cemetery, and later, his remains were moved to the Roosevelt Hospital grounds in 1876.

[4] His will left most of his estate, including property worth nearly $1 million, to found Roosevelt Hospital, which was opened on November 2, 1871.

[4] On the tablet that is placed to his memory in Roosevelt Hospital is inscribed: "To the memory of James Henry Roosevelt, a true son of New York, the generous founder of this hospital, a man upright in his aims, simple in his life, and sublime in his benefaction.