Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest
serving President in US history, serving 12 year in office from 1933-1945. He steered the nation through its worst economic
crisis, only to be faced with the most horrific war in history. Though facing titanic physical challenges
of his own, he imbued America with the indomitable fortitude and sense of morale that was required
to spur the nation to victory. In today’s Biographics we examine the inspirational
life of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Early Years Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January
30th, 1882, the only child of James and Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt, in Hyde Park, New York. James recorded the event in his diary that
day, writing . . . At quarter to nine my Sallie had a splendid
large boy, but was unconscious when he was born. Baby weighs ten pounds without clothes. It wasn’t an easy birth. In fact, both mother and baby nearly died
due to the administration of too much chloroform by the doctor. Despite being born not breathing, Franklin
went on to become a healthy child. His raised in a privileged family, living
in an impressive estate that had been in the Roosevelt family for more than a century. The Roosevelts were of Dutch extraction, having
emigrated in 1654. They became an Americans success story, due
largely to development in the coal and transportation industries. Franklin’s father, a Harvard Law School
graduate, served as the vice president of the Delaware and Hudson Railway and also served
as president for the Southern Railway Security Company. His income and his inheritance allowed him
to retire to focus on his health, which had never been very good. Sara Delano was the second wife of James. Her existence revolved around caring for her
son. As a result, the majority of Franklin’s
early childhood was spent in the company of his mother. Sara was an overly protective parent. She came to feel resentful of anyone else
who got close to Franklin. Meanwhile, James was often the absent father. Young Franklin benefited from the privileges
of wealth and position. When he was five years old, he visited the
White House with his father. President Grover Cleveland spoke to him personally,
saying . . . I have just one wish for you, young man, that
you will never be President of the United States. A Privileged Childhood Franklin didn’t attend school. Instead his father employed a private tutor
for him. He was an able student who applied himself
to his lessons. Each summer, Franklin and Sara would vacation
at the Delano Homestead in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. There would also be an annual trip to Europe. During these stays, Franklin learned to speak
German and French. As he grew older, Franklin became an avid
sportsman. He played lawn tennis and polo, rode horses
and learned to shoot a rifle. In his teens he also took golf and sailing
lessons. It was customary for children of privilege
to attend boarding school at the age of twelve. But Sara considered that her glorious boy
was not yet ready to take such a big step and delayed the move for two years. At fourteen, she enrolled him at the Groton
Episcopal School at Groton, Massachusetts. This school was attended by the children of
the most privileged. Although it was a shock for Franklin to suddenly
be away from the protective care of his mother. He soon adjusted to dormitory life. He played a number of sports and became a
member of the school debating team as well as the choir. He graduated from the school in June, 1900
with grades sufficiently impressive to secure a spot at Harvard University in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. A Harvard Man
Franklin became very socially active during his first year at Harvard. He joined a number of clubs on campus and
began writing for the Harvard college newspaper. He excelled in the college environment, becoming
a confident and popular student. Towards the end of 1900, Franklin’s father
James died. The following year, another death profoundly
affected the nineteen him. President William McKinley was killed by an
assassin’s bullet, an act which propelled Franklin’s distant cousin, Theodore Roosevelt
to the White House. This change of events served to pique Franklin’s
interest in his family history. He wrote a college paper titled ‘The Roosevelts
of New Amsterdam’ and studied the notations in the old Dutch family Bible. Eleanor Roosevelt
After three years at Harvard, Roosevelt was ready to graduate. Yet he chose to stay on for another year in
order to work as the chief editor of the Harvard Crimson newspaper. One day in the summer of 1902, he was heading
back to the family mansion at Hyde Park from New York when he happened upon eighteen-year-old
Eleanor Roosevelt, a distant relative. The two hit it off immediately and from that
chance encounter a romance blossomed. Franklin was captivated by Eleanor’s intellectual
depth and social conscience. Things got serious in 1903 with Franklin,
who was now studying law at Columbia University, asking for Eleanor’s hand in marriage. She eagerly agreed and wanted the wedding
to take place as soon as possible. Franklin’s mother, Sara, was not happy with
her son’s choice of bride. Whether she had something specifically against
the independently minded Eleanor or felt threatened by any woman getting between her and her beloved
boy is unclear. She convinced Franklin to at least delay the
wedding, which eventually took place on March 17, 1905. Eleanor, who was an orphan, was given away
by her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt. The young couple honeymooned in Europe. Upon return to New York, Franklin returned
to his law studies at Columbia University. In May, 1906, Eleanor gave birth to their
first child, who they named Anna Eleanor. The following year Franklin passed the New
York State Bar exam. He secured his first job as a law clerk at
a prominent New York law firm. A second child, James, came along in December,
1907. During 1907, Franklin’s mother, Sara had
been financing the building of a double house on 65th Street, New York. It was to be a present to the couple, with
her living in one house and them, in the other. The living spaces were separated by a single
door. While grateful, Eleanor was frustrated at
the way that Sara was smothering their marriage, making decisions that should have been Eleanor’s
domain. This was a difficult time in Eleanor’s life. Children were coming along regularly, yet
she admitted that she was not a ‘natural mother’. She went so far as to write that she did not
like children. She hired a nanny and increasingly spent her
time on local New York social issues, such as working for improved factory conditions
for workers. Politician
Franklin’s first foray into politics came in 1910, when he became a delegate to the
New York Democratic State Committee. He was then asked if he wanted to run for
the office of state assemblyman. It was assumed that the siting assemblyman
was about to retire. Franklin was enthused, but then found out
that the incumbent was not planning to retire at all. There was, though, an opening to run for New
York State senator. With no experience but plenty of enthusiasm,
he began a grass roots campaign that soon endeared him to the working people of the
city. He faced an uphill battle with the state being
decidedly Republican. However, on election day he found himself
ahead by more than a thousand votes. He was now the New York State Senator. The Roosevelts now rented out their house
in New York City and moved to the state capitol in Albay, New York. Franklin soon became embroiled in political
intrigue. A powerful faction of the New York Democratic
Party, known as Tammany Hall, had run the party for decades. Roosevelt, however, was not one to be told
what to do. He was not going to be anybody’s puppet. He stated his opposition to the Tammany Hall
group and built his own support network who were known in the papers as ‘the little
group of insurgents.’ Through his adherence to principal and his
refusal to back down, Roosevelt developed a reputation as man who would stand up for
his beliefs. As his first term in office drew to a close,
Roosevelt was struck down with typhoid fever and, which has a 20% kill rate. He recovered in time to vigorously campaign
for a second term as New York state senator, which he won by 1,700 votes. Moving Up
Roosevelt was a supporter of Woodrow Wilson, who won the Presidency in 1912. Wilson set about rewarding those who had stood
by him. In due course Roosevelt was offered the position
of assistant secretary of the navy. It was the same position that distant cousin
Theodore had held in 1897. Franklin now gave up his state senate seat
to take on the new role. Roosevelt’s new job had him traveling the
country to inspect ships and naval yards. He soon discovered that the navy was ill-prepared
for war and campaigned for the creation of a naval reserve of 50,00 men along with increased
spending on ship building. Roosevelt didn’t seem to care that his words
or actions were not politically expedient. His only interest was in bolstering the navy. This attitude earned him respect across the
political spectrum. With the outbreak of war in Europe in August,
1914, Roosevelt became even more dedicated to his work of building up the US Navy. He excelled in the role and won many advantages
for the navy. With the 1916 presidential election, Roosevelt’s
future hung in the balance. If Wilson was returned to office, he would
no doubt retain his position as Assistant Navy Secretary, but if a Republican moved
into the White House, he would more than likely be unceremoniously dumped. It was an extremely close fought race, with
Roosevelt later describing it as “the most extraordinary day of my life.” At the end of the day, Wilson won out to retain
the Presidency and Roosevelt’s job was secure. With America’s entry into the war in 1917,
his position took on more urgency. He was instrumental in the drive to elicit
public donations for the war effort as well as the development of mine detonation technology. The pressures of his work kept Roosevelt away
from his family for increasingly long periods of time. He began an affair with the social secretary
of his wife, Eleanor, that would continue, on and off, until his death. The woman’s name was Lucy Mercer. Some time in 1918, Eleanor found letters between
the two. They revealed that Franklin was planning to
divorce her and make a new life with Lucy. However, Franklin’s mother refused to permit
such a scandal, warning her son that it would ruin his political career. From that point on, the Roosevelt’s marriage
was one of expedience and convenience. Eleanor soon set up a separate home in Hyde
Park for her and the children and she threw herself into her social work. The break in their marriage was so severe
that when Roosevelt asked Eleanor in 1942 to come back and live with him, due to his
poor health, she refused In September of 1918, Roosevelt made a state
visit to France and Britain to inspect naval facilities. On the return trip on board the USS Leviathan,
the influenza pandemic ran through the ship. A number of people died and Roosevelt became
very ill. However, he recovered before reaching New
York. Vice Presidential Bid
Following the end of hostilities in 1918, Roosevelt began looking towards his next run
for office. After much consultation he decided to campaign
for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination. His bid was successful and he found himself
on the ticket alongside Ohio governor James Cox, who was running for president. Roosevelt resigned as assistant secretary
of the navy and spent the next year and a half on the campaign trail. He championed Woodrow Wilson’s League of
Nations, which was widely unpopular. The 1920 election ended up being a resounding
victory for the Republicans, with Warren G. Harding securing the presidency. Struck Down
Roosevelt accepted the loss with grace, returning to New York to pick up his law practice. In August 1921, the family were vacationing
at Campobello Island when he was struck with illness. It was believed that he had contracted poliomyelitis,
with the condition living him paralyzed from the waist down. More recent analysis suggests that it may,
in fact, have been an autoimmune disease called Guillain–Barré syndrome. Sara urged her son to retire from public life
and live out his life in retirement. But his closest advisers, including wife Eleanor,
felt otherwise. He should continue his public career which,
they assured him, was on a trajectory toward the White House. Thus encouraged, he spent the next few years
in physical rehabilitation. If he couldn’t walk unaided, he would at
least project that impression to the public. He taught himself to walk a few paces with
metal braces on his hips and with the aid of a cane. He was determined that the public would not
see him in a wheelchair. In 1926, Roosevelt financed the building of
hydrotherapy debilitation clinic in Warm Springs, Georgia. He spent much of his time there throughout
the remainder of the 1920’s. During his rehab years, Roosevelt maintained
close contact with the Democratic Party. In 1925 he was appointed chairman of the Taconic
State Park Commission. Then, in 1928, he reluctantly ran for Governor
of New York. He won by a margin of just one percent. His governorship was marked by a focus on
innovative infrastructure projects such as hydrostatic power plants and the institution
of his fireside chats during which he spoke directly over the radio to the people of New
York. Winning reelection in 1930, Roosevelt introduced
an economic relief package to help the millions suffering from the effects of the depression. He also established a number of commissions
to root out public corruption. POTUS
As the popular two-term governor of the country’s most dynamic state, Roosevelt was a frontrunner
for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1932. He won the nomination at the Democratic National
Convention. In his acceptance speech he promised . . .
I pledge you, I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people... This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms. Roosevelt ran on a platform of government
funded public works, farm relief and the repeal of prohibition. On the strength of these policies and his
winning personality, he won 57 percent of the popular vote to become the 32nd President
of the United States. After taking the oath of office, Roosevelt
delivered his inaugural address, best known for its famous first line:
So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear
itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert
retreat into advance. After the inaugural address, a woman by the
name Sarah Love said, "Any man who can talk like that in times like these is worthy of
every ounce of support a true American has." Roosevelt assumed office in the midst of the
greatest financial crisis that the United States had ever faced. Unemployment was at 25 percent, banks had
closed all over the country and more than two million people were homeless. Roosevelt dedicated himself to saving the
nation. He would do so by putting in place the relief
programs of his first New Deal that were desperately needed, restructuring systems that were broken
and invigorating the spirit for his people. A key to achieving that invigoration were
his fireside chats, continued from his governorship, but now to a national audience. He spoke to the American people as a loving
father, full of optimism and good ideas. During his first term, Roosevelt established
a number of major relief initiatives. These included the Federal Relief Administration
and the Public Works Administration, which provided employment to a quarter of a million
men throughout the country. In August, 1935 he signed the Social Security
Act, which included benefits for the unemployed and the elderly. From 1935, Roosevelt embarked on his second
New Deal, squarely focused on the business community. Wholesale changes were made to the banking
industry and business to make things fairer for the everyday man. By 1936, Roosevelt's policies and personality
had made him one of the most popular Presidents in history. The election that year was a landslide victory,
with the president taking every state except Maine and Vermont. During his second term, Roosevelt spent a
lot of time embroiled in legal challenges to many of the programs he had brought in
during his first term. In 1936, the Supreme Court was largely conservative. However, by 1941, Roosevelt had appointed
seven of the nine justices. War
With growing tension between Germany and the other European nations, Roosevelt pursued
a policy of US isolationism. However, by mid-1938, with public opinion
in the US firmly against German aggression toward the Jews, he began building up the
military for the possibility of war. When the war broke out in September, 1939,
he actively looked for opportunities to support Britain and France. Roosevelt struck up a great friendship with
Winston Churchill, who became British Prime Minister in May, 1940. The United States began supplying an increasing
number of armaments to the British, while, at the same time, continuing to build up its
own war footing. The Fall of France after just six weeks was
a shock to all of America. From that point forward, the majority of people
were inclined towards American intervention in the European war. In 1940, Roosevelt made the decision to run
for an unprecedented 3rd term as President. There had been a tradition of limiting Presidency’s
to two terms. However, Roosevelt was convinced that a change
of leadership in a time of approaching war would be disastrous for the country. Throwing himself into the campaign, he won
another overwhelming victory, winning 85% of the popular vote and 38 of 48 states. Throughout 1941, Roosevelt became overtly
critical of Hitler. He became furious when Hitler began threatening
American shipping in the Atlantic, declaring . . .
We will not let Hitler prescribe the waters of the world on which our ships may travel. The American flag is not going to be driven
from the seas either by his submarines, his airplanes, or his threats. On December 7th, 1941, more than 350 Japanese
fighter planes launched a surprise attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Some three thousand people lost their lives. Dozens of ships were sunk and many planes
were destroyed as they sat on runways. The next day, President Roosevelt addressed
congress with these memorable words . . . Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which
will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked
by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. He then asked Congress to declare war on the
Empire of Japan, which it duly did. Within days the declaration of war was extended
to include Germany and Italy. Franklin Roosevelt was now a wartime President. As the US war machine rolled into action with
hundreds of thousands of men being sent to the European and Pacific theatres of war,
Roosevelt focused on building up morale on the home front. His main vehicle for achieving this was still
his fireside chats. On February 23rd, 1942 he told the nation
. . . Here are three high purposes for every American:
1. We shall not stop work for a single day. If any dispute arises, we shall keep on working
while the dispute is solved by mediation, or conciliation or arbitration—until the
war is won. 2. We shall not demand special gains or special
privileges or special advantages for any one group or occupation. 3. We shall give up conveniences and modify the
routine of our lives if our country asks us to do so. We will do it cheerfully, remembering that
the common enemy seeks to destroy every home and every freedom in every part of our land. With the Americans having just entered the
war, the Russians won a decisive victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. The Nazis were finally being pushed back toward
Berlin from the east. Roosevelt and his generals were convinced
that a similar push from the west would drive the Nazis into submission. The planning for a grand invasion of Western
Europe began. Throughout 1942 and ’43, Roosevelt had a
number of meetings with other allied leaders, including Churchill, Josef Stalin and Chinese
leader Chiang-Kai-shek. On June 5th, 1944, President Roosevelt addressed
the American people with the following news . . .
Yesterday, on June fourth, 1944, Rome fell to American and Allied troops. The first of the Axis capitals is now in our
hands. One up and two to go! The following day a major step was taken in
taking out the biggest Axis power. On the morning of June 6th, 1944, hundreds
of thousands of allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. After fierce fighting the German army was
pushed back. Now the Nazis were being squeezed from both
sides. It was now clear to Roosevelt that an Allied
victory was coming. He began to place his focus on the logistics
of victory. He spoke of the allies as a group of ‘United
Nations.’ He was convinced that only a world wide union
of nations could prevent future war. Roosevelt’s championing of what was to become
the United Nations finally brought into being Woodrow Wilson’s dream, which had been imperfectly
realized in the form of the League of Nations. With the 1944 Presidential election rapidly
approaching, Roosevelt was felt torn, saying . . .
“All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River, to avoid public
responsibilities, and to avoid also the publicity which in us democracy follows every step of
the Nation’s Chief Executive. Such would be my choice. But we of this generation chance to live in
a day and hour when our Nation has been attacked, and when its future existence and the future
existence of our chosen method of government are at stake.” Roosevelt ran for a fourth term, but did not
involve himself in the campaign. Still, he won again. He was now set to serve out sixteen years
as the President of the United States. But that wasn’t to be. Failing Health The stresses of the war had taken a heavy
toll on Roosevelt. He was now sixty-two years old. He looked weary, suffered from high blood
pressure and a weak heart. During the summer of 1944 he came down with
a bad cold. He was still sick when he travelled by ship
in February, 1945 to Malta for the ‘Big 3’ conference with Churchill and Stalin. At this conference the division of Germany
was planned out. Roosevelt was exhausted when he arrived back
in Washington on February 28th. People commented that he looked like he was
dying. They were not far wrong. Death of a President All Roosevelt wanted to do now was to sleep. At the beginning of April, he managed to escape
Washington for his retreat at Warm Springs, Georgia. On the morning of April 12th, he sat while
an artist painted his portrait. They stopped for lunch at 1pm. Fifteen minutes later, he complained that
he had a terrible headache. Then he slumped to the ground. He was experiencing a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Franklin Delano Roosevelt died at 3:35 pm
on the 12th day of April, 1945. It was just 27 days before the war in Europe
came to an end. Having guided his country through its worst
depression and its most harrowing war, FDR was finally at peace. Historians consistently rank Roosevelt, George
Washington, and Abraham Lincoln as the three greatest presidents. FDR biographer Jean Edward Smith wrote of
Roosevelt, "He lifted himself from a wheelchair to lift the nation from its knees."
