James Monroe (New York politician) an aunt of First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. Their children, and Monroe's great-grandchildren include Connecticut Representative Corinne Douglas Robinson (1886–1971) and New York State Senator Theodore Douglas Robinson (1883–1934), who married his distant cousin Helen Rebecca Roosevelt, daughter of James Roosevelt (1854—1927), the brother of FDR, and Helen Schermerhorn Astor (1855—1893) of the Astor family. James Monroe (New York politician) James Monroe (September 10, 1799 – September 7, 1870) was an American politician who served as the United States Representative from New York (1839–1841). He was the nephew of President James Monroe. James Monroe was born in Albemarle County, Virginia on
James Monroe of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe served in critical roles as Secretary of State and the Secretary of War under President James Madison. Facing little opposition from the waning Federalist Party, Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over eighty percent against Rufus King (who hadn't even been chosen by a convention since the Federalists were too weak to organize) of the electoral vote and becoming the last president during the First Party System era of American politics.