Presidents and Pandemics: FDR and the March of Dimes
In an earlier entry in this series, we looked at Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the polio outbreak of the mid-20th century. In addition to being personally affected either by polio or a polio-like illness, Roosevelt took an active role as President in working to find a cure for the illness. One of the ways he did that was by his personal involvement in working to obtain private sector funding for a cure, though his role in the founding of the March of Dimes organization.
The March of Dimes organization was founded by President Roosevelt on January 3, 1938, as a response to polio epidemics in the United States. The illness had left many people with permanent physical disabilities, including a number of children. Roosevelt was himself diagnosed with polio in 1921, although his symptoms are now believed to be more consistent with Guillain–Barré syndrome, an autoimmune neuropathy. Roosevelt's doctors failed to consider this as a diagnostic possibility. Roosevelt's paralysis brought home to him the plight of those affected by polio. The March of Dimes was created an alliance between scientists and volunteers, with volunteers raising money to support research and education efforts in combatting the disease.
Roosevelt and his friend Basil O'Connor had founded the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation along with some other friends in 1927. It was later reorganized into the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. O'Connor became the foundation's president, a position he held for over 30 years. He created a network of local chapters whose purpose was to raise money and deliver aid to those suffering from polio. Over 3,100 county chapters were established during his tenure.
The foundation began to use the name "March of Dimes", a play on words referencing the popular radio and newsreel series, The March of Time. It's naming is credited to screen and radio star Eddie Cantor, who embarked on a nationwide fundraising campaign in the week preceding President Roosevelt's birthday on January 30, 1938. His plan was to sell lapel pins for ten cents each. The fundraising scheme was promoted by the motion picture studios and radio industry. Nightclubs and cabarets held dances and contributed a portion of the proceeds to this fundraising effort. Thousands of people mailed cards and letters, each containing a dime, to the White House. Cantor's appeal raised over $85,000.
On January 30, 1938, Roosevelt gave a radio address in which he told the nation:
"During the past few days bags of mail have been coming, literally by the truck load, to the White House. Yesterday between forty and fifty thousand letters came to the mail room of the White House. Today an even greater number — how many I cannot tell you — for we can only estimate the actual count by counting the mail bags. In all the envelopes are dimes and quarters and even dollar bills — gifts from grown-ups and children — mostly from children who want to help other children get well. … It is glorious to have one's birthday associated with a work like this."
The March of Dimes became the title used for the foundation's annual fundraising drive that requested each child donate a dime. At the Christmas season, booths were set up in cities where the children could drop their dime in a slot. These were out on the street and sometimes left unattended on an honor system. Over time the name March of Dimes became synonymous with that of the organization.
The plan to generate large numbers of relatively small contributions seemed to be a brilliant one. Over the years that he managed the foundation, O'Connor collected and spent more than seven billion dimes. Over a half-billion dollars was spent on polio research and aid.
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis had developed a fundraising plan that was soon imitated by dozens of similar foundations.
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt founding of the March of Dimes that led to a redesign of the dime to honor him after his death. The Roosevelt dime was issued in 1946, on what would have been the president's 64th birthday.
From 1938 until the approval of the Salk vaccine in 1955, the foundation spent $233 million on polio patient care. Over 80 percent of U.S. polio patients received aid from the foundation.
Controversy arose in 1955, just as polio vaccines were being developed. Three years earlier, in 1952, an effective polio vaccine had been developed by Jonas Salk, and the vaccine was licensed for use by 1955. Around the same time, Albert Sabin was developing a simpler version of the vaccine that could be administered orally. Both had received funding from the March of Dimes. But both versions had potential safety concerns. In 1955, a batch of Salk's vaccine made by Cutter Laboratories in California was inadequately inactivated and, as a result, 11 children died. Production methods were corrected and no further deaths were reported. However Sabin then became highly critical of O'Connor and the March of Dimes. He accused them of being biased towards Salk's vaccine. At this time trials of Sabin's version of the vaccine were being carried out in the Soviet Union and in 1958, the Soviet Union organized industrial production of this vaccine. Trials in the United States followed as well and Sabin's vaccine was licensed in 1961, despite opposition from the March of Dimes, which supported Salk's vaccine. Eventually, Sabin's vaccine was found to be preferable to Salk's. Sabin's vaccine was simpler to administer, and unlike Salk's provided lifelong immunity.
The March of Dimes organization was founded by President Roosevelt on January 3, 1938, as a response to polio epidemics in the United States. The illness had left many people with permanent physical disabilities, including a number of children. Roosevelt was himself diagnosed with polio in 1921, although his symptoms are now believed to be more consistent with Guillain–Barré syndrome, an autoimmune neuropathy. Roosevelt's doctors failed to consider this as a diagnostic possibility. Roosevelt's paralysis brought home to him the plight of those affected by polio. The March of Dimes was created an alliance between scientists and volunteers, with volunteers raising money to support research and education efforts in combatting the disease.
Roosevelt and his friend Basil O'Connor had founded the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation along with some other friends in 1927. It was later reorganized into the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. O'Connor became the foundation's president, a position he held for over 30 years. He created a network of local chapters whose purpose was to raise money and deliver aid to those suffering from polio. Over 3,100 county chapters were established during his tenure.
The foundation began to use the name "March of Dimes", a play on words referencing the popular radio and newsreel series, The March of Time. It's naming is credited to screen and radio star Eddie Cantor, who embarked on a nationwide fundraising campaign in the week preceding President Roosevelt's birthday on January 30, 1938. His plan was to sell lapel pins for ten cents each. The fundraising scheme was promoted by the motion picture studios and radio industry. Nightclubs and cabarets held dances and contributed a portion of the proceeds to this fundraising effort. Thousands of people mailed cards and letters, each containing a dime, to the White House. Cantor's appeal raised over $85,000.
On January 30, 1938, Roosevelt gave a radio address in which he told the nation:
"During the past few days bags of mail have been coming, literally by the truck load, to the White House. Yesterday between forty and fifty thousand letters came to the mail room of the White House. Today an even greater number — how many I cannot tell you — for we can only estimate the actual count by counting the mail bags. In all the envelopes are dimes and quarters and even dollar bills — gifts from grown-ups and children — mostly from children who want to help other children get well. … It is glorious to have one's birthday associated with a work like this."
The March of Dimes became the title used for the foundation's annual fundraising drive that requested each child donate a dime. At the Christmas season, booths were set up in cities where the children could drop their dime in a slot. These were out on the street and sometimes left unattended on an honor system. Over time the name March of Dimes became synonymous with that of the organization.
The plan to generate large numbers of relatively small contributions seemed to be a brilliant one. Over the years that he managed the foundation, O'Connor collected and spent more than seven billion dimes. Over a half-billion dollars was spent on polio research and aid.
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis had developed a fundraising plan that was soon imitated by dozens of similar foundations.
It was Franklin D. Roosevelt founding of the March of Dimes that led to a redesign of the dime to honor him after his death. The Roosevelt dime was issued in 1946, on what would have been the president's 64th birthday.
From 1938 until the approval of the Salk vaccine in 1955, the foundation spent $233 million on polio patient care. Over 80 percent of U.S. polio patients received aid from the foundation.
Controversy arose in 1955, just as polio vaccines were being developed. Three years earlier, in 1952, an effective polio vaccine had been developed by Jonas Salk, and the vaccine was licensed for use by 1955. Around the same time, Albert Sabin was developing a simpler version of the vaccine that could be administered orally. Both had received funding from the March of Dimes. But both versions had potential safety concerns. In 1955, a batch of Salk's vaccine made by Cutter Laboratories in California was inadequately inactivated and, as a result, 11 children died. Production methods were corrected and no further deaths were reported. However Sabin then became highly critical of O'Connor and the March of Dimes. He accused them of being biased towards Salk's vaccine. At this time trials of Sabin's version of the vaccine were being carried out in the Soviet Union and in 1958, the Soviet Union organized industrial production of this vaccine. Trials in the United States followed as well and Sabin's vaccine was licensed in 1961, despite opposition from the March of Dimes, which supported Salk's vaccine. Eventually, Sabin's vaccine was found to be preferable to Salk's. Sabin's vaccine was simpler to administer, and unlike Salk's provided lifelong immunity.