A political family (also referred to as political dynasty ) is a family in which multiple members are involved in politics — particularly electoral politics . Members may be related by blood or marriage ; often several generations or multiple siblings may be involved.
24-561: The Roosevelt family is an American political family from New York whose members have included two United States presidents, a First Lady , and various merchants, bankers, politicians, inventors, clergymen, artists, and socialites. The progeny of a mid-17th-century Dutch immigrant to New Amsterdam , many members of the family became nationally prominent in New York State and City politics and business and intermarried with prominent colonial families. Two distantly related branches of
48-581: A coat of arms that is divided horizontally, the top portion green with a white chevron between three white roses, while the bottom half is gold with a red lion rampant . A traditional blazon suggested would be, Per fess vert a chevron between three roses argent and Or a lion rampant gules . The coat of arms of the namesakes of the Dutch immigrant Claes van Rosenvelt, ancestor of the American political family that included Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt ,
72-592: A daughter of Richard Nixon . The following political families are in the United States. For an extensive alphabetical list, see the article List of United States political families . Hoping to prevent political dynasties, the Indonesian parliament , which represents the third largest democracy in the world, passed a law barring anyone holding a major office within five years of a relative. Royal family Philosophers Works A royal family
96-467: A royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. In certain instances, such as in Canada, the royal family is defined by who holds the styles Majesty and Royal Highness . There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family. Under most systems, only persons in the first category are dynasts, that is, potential successors to the throne (unless
120-426: A royal family perform certain public, social, or ceremonial functions, but refrain from any involvement in electoral politics or the actual governance of the country. The specific composition of royal families varies from country to country, as do the titles and royal and noble styles held by members of the family. The composition of the royal family may be regulated by statute enacted by the legislature (e.g., Spain,
144-593: A royal family vary depending on whether the polity in question is an absolute monarchy , a constitutional monarchy , or somewhere in between. In certain monarchies, such as that found in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait , or in political systems where the monarch actually exercises executive power, such as in Jordan , it is not uncommon for the members of a royal family to hold important government posts or military commands. In most constitutional monarchies, however, members of
168-637: A surname or dynastic name (see Royal House ). In a constitutional monarchy, when the monarch dies, there is always a law or tradition of succession to the throne that either specifies a formula for identifying the precise order of succession among family members in line to the throne or specifies a process by which a family member is chosen to inherit the crown. Usually in the former case the exact line of hereditary succession among royal individuals may be identified at any given moment during prior reigns (e.g. United Kingdom , Sark , Nizari Ismailis , Japan , Balobedus , Sweden , Kingdom of Benin ) whereas in
192-528: Is generally considered to not be a "political family," although the later descendants of a royal family have played political roles in a republic (such as the Arslan family of Lebanon ). A family dictatorship is a form of hereditary dictatorship that operates much like an absolute monarchy , yet occurs in a nominally non-monarchic state. In the United States, many political families (having at least two generations serving in political office) have arisen since
216-473: Is the immediate family of kings / queens , emirs/emiras , sultans / sultanas , or raja / rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress , and the term papal family describes the family of a pope , while the terms baronial family , comital family , ducal family , archducal family , grand ducal family , or princely family are more appropriate to describe, respectively,
240-571: The Adams , Bush , and Harrison families. Claes Maartenszen van Rosenvelt (c. 1626–1659), the immigrant ancestor of the Roosevelt family, arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) sometime between 1638 and 1649. About the year 1652, he bought a farm from Lambert van Valckenburgh, comprising 24 morgens (i.e., 20.44 ha or 50.51 acres) in what is now Midtown Manhattan , including
264-554: The Netherlands , and Japan since 1947), the sovereign's prerogative and common law tradition (e.g., the United Kingdom), or a private house law (e.g., Liechtenstein , the former ruling houses of Bavaria , Prussia , Hanover , etc.). Public statutes, constitutional provisions, or conventions may also regulate the marriages, names, and personal titles of royal family members. The members of a royal family may or may not have
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#1732772551042288-530: The "House of ...". In July 2013 there were 26 active sovereign dynasties in the world that ruled or reigned over 43 monarchies. As of 2021 , while there are several European countries whose nominal head of state, by long tradition, is a king or queen, the associated royal families, with the notable exception of the British royal family , are non-notable ordinary citizens who may bear a title but are not involved in public affairs. A royal family typically includes
312-475: The country's founding. Several presidential families produced multiple generations of members who devoted at least part of their working lives to public service. Two other presidents were related by blood: James Madison and Zachary Taylor were second cousins. Other presidents were related by marriage: George Washington 's nephew, George Steptoe Washington , was Madison's brother-in-law. Dwight Eisenhower 's grandson, David Eisenhower , married Julie Nixon ,
336-463: The family from Oyster Bay and Hyde Park , New York, rose to global political prominence with the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909) and his fifth cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933–1945), whose wife, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt , was Theodore's niece. The Roosevelt family is one of four families to have produced two presidents of the United States by the same surname; the others were
360-670: The family. By the late 19th century, the Hyde Park Roosevelts were generally associated with the Democratic Party and the Oyster Bay Roosevelts with the Republicans . President Theodore Roosevelt , an Oyster Bay Roosevelt, was the uncle of Eleanor Roosevelt , later wife of Franklin Roosevelt . Despite political differences that caused family members to actively campaign against each other,
384-449: The latter case the next sovereign may be selected (or changed) only during the reign or shortly after the demise of the immediately preceding monarch (e.g. Cambodia , KwaZulu Natal , Buganda , Saudi Arabia , Swaziland , Yorubaland , The Kingitanga ). Some monarchies employ a mix of these selection processes ( Malaysia , Monaco , Tonga , Jordan , Morocco ), providing for both an identifiable line of succession as well as authority for
408-445: The member of the latter category is also in line to the throne in their own right, a frequent occurrence in royal families which frequently intermarry). This is not always observed; some monarchies have operated by the principle of jure uxoris . In addition, certain relatives of the monarch (by blood or marriage) possess special privileges and are subject to certain statutes, conventions, or special common law. The precise functions of
432-451: The monarch, dynasty or other institution to alter the line in specific instances without changing the general law of succession. Some countries have abolished royalty altogether, as in post-revolutionary France (1870), post-revolutionary Russia (1917), Portugal (1910), post-war Germany (1918), post-war Italy (1946) and many ex European colonies. Whilst mediatization occurred in other countries such as France , Italy and Russia , only
456-571: The present site of the Empire State Building . The property included approximately what is now the area between Lexington Avenue and Fifth Avenue bounded by 29th St. and 35th St. Claes van Rosenvelt's son Nicholas was the first to use the spelling Roosevelt and the first to hold political office, as an alderman . His sons Johannes and Jacobus were, respectively, the progenitors of the Oyster Bay and Hyde Park branches of
480-409: The relatives of a reigning baron , count / earl , duke , archduke , grand duke , or prince . However, in common parlance members of any family which reigns by hereditary right are often referred to as royalty or "royals". It is also customary in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed monarch and their descendants as a royal family. A dynasty is sometimes referred to as
504-398: The rosebush and use in its place three crossed roses on their stems, changing the blazon of his shield to Three roses one in pale and two in saltire gules barbed seeded slipped and left proper . The following is a list of companies in which the Roosevelt family have held a controlling or otherwise significant interest. Political family A royal family or dynasty in a monarchy
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#1732772551042528-403: The spouse of the reigning monarch, surviving spouses of a deceased monarch, the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and paternal cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great grandchildren and more distant descendants of a monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary abdication is the norm, such as the Netherlands ,
552-490: The two branches generally remained friendly. In heraldry, canting arms are a visual or pictorial depiction of a surname, and were and still are a popular practice. It would be common to find roses, then, in the arms of many Roosevelt families, even unrelated ones; the name Rosenvelt means "rose field". Also, grassy mounds or fields of green would be a familiar attribute. The Van Roosevelts of Oud-Vossemeer in Zeeland have
576-458: Was white with a rosebush with three rose flowers growing upon a grassy mound, the crest being of three ostrich feathers divided into red and white halves each. In heraldic terms this would be described as, Argent upon a grassy mound a rose bush proper bearing three roses gules barbed and seeded all proper , with a crest upon a torse argent and gules of Three ostrich plumes each per pale gules and argent . Franklin Roosevelt altered his arms to omit
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