Roosevelt's Inheritance
Father: $60,000
Today $60,000 is the equivalent of $1,938,288 based on the change in purchasing power calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index from 1876 to 2025.
Mother: $65,000
Today $65,000 is the equivalent of $2,142,665 based on the change in purchasing power calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index from 1884 to 2025.
Total: $4,080,953
During the “Badland Years” (1883 - 1886) Roosevelt invested $85,000 in his cattle business or the equivalent of $2,718,720 in 2025 based on the change in purchasing power calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index. That amounts to over 66% of his entire inheritance.
In the winter of 1868 - 1867 the cattle drive went from “The Great Round-Up” to “The Great Die-Up.” By the time it was over the entire cattle business had been destroyed. All in all it's generally believed Roosevelt lost about $20,000.
By the time the dust settled and Roosevelt was back in New York living at Sagamore Hill with Edith he had lost 16% of his inheritance or $680,101 in 2025.