In his diary, Roosevelt wrote a large "X" on the page and then, "The light has gone out of my life."His mother, Martha, had died of typhoid fever eleven hours earlier at 3:00 a.m., in the same house on 57th Street in Manhattan. Distraught, Roosevelt left baby Alice in the care of his sister Bamie while he grieved; he assumed custody of Alice when she was three.[40]
After the deaths of his wife and mother, Roosevelt focused on his work, specifically by re-energizing a legislative investigation into corruption of the New York City government, which arose from a concurrent bill proposing that power be centralized in the mayor's office.[41] For the rest of his life, he rarely spoke about his wife Alice and did not write about her in his autobiography.[42]

Early political career
State Assemblyman
Roosevelt as New York State Assemblyman, 1883
Roosevelt was a member of the New York State Assembly (New York Co., 21st D.) in 1882, 1883, and 1884.[43] He began making his mark immediately and in handling in corporate corruption issues specifically.[43] He blocked a corrupt effort of financier Jay Gould to lower his taxes. 