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President Teddy Roosevelt’s teenage relative takes office in DC

Luke Lukert | llukert@wtop.com

January 3, 2023, 8:12 AM

The youngest elected leader in D.C., who was just sworn in Monday, is still looking forward to attending senior prom and choosing which college he will attend.

Quentin Colón Roosevelt, 18, is the great, great, great grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, and now represents Spring Valley, the Palisades and Kent as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. ANCs usually serve two-year terms, working directly with area residents on multiple issues and present their recommendations to D.C. government agencies.

The distant relative to the former president told WTOP’s news partner at NBC Washington that he hoped to continue his family’s legacy as public servants.

“My grandfather was a lawyer for the CIA,” Roosevelt said. “His grandfather did politics and government stuff, as well. I think we just want to be involved in what’s going on around us because we feel we have to give back to this country that’s given my family so much.”

Housing, bike and pedestrian safety and education will be among his top priories as he enters his new role.

“I think that the school system where I live needs an overhaul, really, and so we have a new school coming in Ward 3,” said Roosevelt. “It’s called MacArthur High School, right now. It’s on MacArthur Boulevard, and I really want to make sure that school sort of flourishes so we have a real neighborhood high school, because when we have neighborhood schools, neighborhoods just get so much better.”

He is finishing up his senior year at an online high school and hopes to attend college in the area.

See his interview with NBC Washington below.

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Luke Lukert

Since joining WTOP Luke Lukert has held just about every job in the newsroom from producer to web writer and now he works as a full-time reporter. He is an avid fan of UGA football. Go Dawgs!

llukert@wtop.com

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