Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)
Frank D. Roosevelt "FDR" 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945)
He was preceded in the Presidency by Herbert Hoover. He is the only U.S. President to have served for more than two terms (John Nance Garner and Henry A. Wallace served as his first and second Vice Presidents) and died in office in 1945 when he was succeeded by his third Vice-President, Harry S. Truman. His unprecedented tenure spanned two of America's greatest crises: the Great Depression and World War II. He was born at Springwood, Hyde Park, New York. He was educated at Groton School and Harvard University. He attended Columbia Law School and became a Member of the New York Bar but was more interested in politics. He inherited his father's Democratic views and was elected to his first public office as N.Y. State Senator (1910-1913). He was Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913-1919) before failing in his bid to be Vice-President under presidential hopeful James M. Cox when they were defeated in 1920.
He was diagnosed with Polio in 1921 which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Nonetheless, he taught himself to walk short distances and - reflecting the times - for his career he was careful to keep his wheelchair out of the public eye. He was elected as the 44th Governor of New York (1929-1932) before winning the 1932 Presidential Campaign at a time when unemployment had reached 25% and banks were failing nationwide.
As president, he immediately implemented his "New Deal" programs, a series of federal initiatives designed to provide relief, recovery, and reform. Key programs included the Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed young men in public works projects, the Social Security Act establishing a safety net for the elderly and disabled, and the Works Progress Administration, which funded infrastructure projects and employed millions of Americans. His fireside chats on radio also helped restore public confidence and established a direct connection between the presidency and citizens.
Initially focused on domestic recovery, Roosevelt gradually shifted attention to the rising fascist threats in Europe and Asia. Though initially constrained by isolationist sentiment, he provided crucial support to Britain through programs like Lend-Lease while maintaining official neutrality. But, after the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) he declared war on Japan, and days later Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the United States. He enjoyed a strong working partnership with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill which has been called, “the partnership that saved the west,” and co-ordinated closely with Joseph Stalin while overseeing massive military mobilization.
He was diagnosed with Polio in 1921 which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Nonetheless, he taught himself to walk short distances and - reflecting the times - for his career he was careful to keep his wheelchair out of the public eye. He was elected as the 44th Governor of New York (1929-1932) before winning the 1932 Presidential Campaign at a time when unemployment had reached 25% and banks were failing nationwide.
As president, he immediately implemented his "New Deal" programs, a series of federal initiatives designed to provide relief, recovery, and reform. Key programs included the Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed young men in public works projects, the Social Security Act establishing a safety net for the elderly and disabled, and the Works Progress Administration, which funded infrastructure projects and employed millions of Americans. His fireside chats on radio also helped restore public confidence and established a direct connection between the presidency and citizens.
Initially focused on domestic recovery, Roosevelt gradually shifted attention to the rising fascist threats in Europe and Asia. Though initially constrained by isolationist sentiment, he provided crucial support to Britain through programs like Lend-Lease while maintaining official neutrality. But, after the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) he declared war on Japan, and days later Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the United States. He enjoyed a strong working partnership with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill which has been called, “the partnership that saved the west,” and co-ordinated closely with Joseph Stalin while overseeing massive military mobilization.
Roosevelt's leadership style was marked by pragmatic experimentation, political savvy, and masterful communication skills. Despite being paralyzed from polio, he projected strength and optimism that inspired Americans through dark times. His presidency fundamentally transformed the federal government's role in American life, establishing the modern welfare state and America's position as a global superpower. Roosevelt died while in office just months before victory in Europe and weeks before the founding of the United Nations, an organization he had championed. His legacy profoundly shaped modern American politics and international relations. Political scholars and historians view him as one of the three most important Presidents in US history, next to Washington and Lincoln. One of his biographers, Jean Edward Smith, wrote: "He lifted himself from a wheelchair to lift the nation from its knees". In 1905, at Algonac, he married his distant cousin (five times once removed), Eleanor Roosevelt, and they had five children.
