Happy Birthday FDR
On this day January 30th in 1882 (129 years ago today) Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was born in Hyde Park, New York. His father, James Roosevelt, and his mother, Sara Ann Delano, were each from wealthy New York families and Franklin was their only child. Roosevelt grew up in an atmosphere of privilege. Sara was a possessive mother, while James was an elderly and remote father (he was 54 when Franklin was born). Sara was the dominant influence in Franklin's early years.
Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1904 where he was president of The Harvard Crimson daily newspaper. While he was at Harvard, his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt became President. In 1902, he met his future wife Eleanor Roosevelt, Theodore's niece, at a White House reception. Eleanor and Franklin were fifth cousins. Franklin entered Columbia Law School and passed the New York State Bar exam. In 1908, he took a job with the prestigious Wall Street firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn, dealing mainly with corporate law.
He served a term the New York State Senate and in 1913, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In 1920 he was selected as the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President with James M. Cox in 1920 against Warren Harding. When defeated he went back to practicing law. He was elected Governor of New York and served from 1929-33.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness began in 1921 at age 39, when Roosevelt got a fever after exercising heavily at a vacation in Canada. While his illness was well known during his terms as President of the United States, how debilitated he was due to his illness was kept from public view. The media had an understanding that FDR would not be photographed in poses which made his illness apparent and he employed a variety of strategies to give him the appearance of a healthy and robust leader.
In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination for the presidency with John Nance Garner as his Vice President. He ran against incumbent Herbert Hoover and Roosevelt carried 57% of the popular vote and 472 electors versus Hoover's 59. He would win re-election three more times, and served as president longer than anyone. In 1936, with Garner as his Vice President, he was opposed by progressive Republican Alf Landon whose platform argued that the New Deal was not good for America and relief efforts should be run by the states. Roosevelt won an overwhelming victory with 523 electoral votes versus Landon's 8. Roosevelt did not publicly ask for a third term but when his name was placed on the ballot, he was quickly renominated. The Republican nominee was Wendell Willkie who had been a Democrat but switched parties in protest to the Tennessee Valley Authority. War was raging in Europe. While FDR pledged to keep America out of war, Willkie was in favor of a draft and wanted to stop Hitler. He also focussed on FDR's right to a third term. Roosevelt won with 449 out of 531 electoral votes. Roosevelt was renominated to run for a fourth term. His health was declining and the Democrats wanted someone they were comfortable with to be vice-president so they selected Harry S Truman. The Republicans chose Thomas Dewey to run. He used FDR's declining health and campaigned against waste during the New Deal. Roosevelt won with 53% of the popular vote and winning 432 electoral votes versus 99 for Dewey
Roosevelt's terms as president were marked by two of the largest challenges any president has ever faced: the Great Depression and World War II. His aggressive and unprecedented New Deal programs left a lasting mark on the American landscape. The federal government grew stronger and became deeply involved in programs traditionally reserved for the states. FDR's leadership throughout World War II led to victory for the Allies even though Roosevelt died before the war ended. The first "Hundred Days" of Roosevelt's term were marked by the passage of 15 major laws. Some of the important legislation of his New Deal included:
1. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)- a program that hired more than three million men to work on various projects.
2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)- which used the Tennessee River to provide electricity for the depressed area.
3. National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)- it created both the Public Works Administration (PWA) to provide aid to cities for construction and the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to help businesses.
4. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)- an agency intended to correct abuses which led to the stock market crash.
5. Works Progress Administration (WPA)- a program which hired people for a variety of projects including in the arts.
6. Social Security Act - which created the Social Security System.
Also during Roosevelt's terms, prohibition was repealed. The United States did not enter the war until December 7, 1941 with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Important victories for the US and the allies included the Battle of Midway, the North African campaign, the capture of Sicily, the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, and the D-Day invasion. With an inevitable Nazi defeat, Roosevelt met with Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Yalta where they promised concessions to Soviet Russia if the Soviets entered the war against Japan.
FDR died on April 12, 1945. Roosevelt is reported to have said, "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head." He then slumped forward in his chair, unconscious, and was carried into his bedroom. The president's attending cardiologist, Dr. Howard Bruenn, diagnosed a massive cerebral hemorrhage (stroke). At 3:35 p.m. that day, Roosevelt died. After Roosevelt's death an editorial by The New York Times declared, "Men will thank God on their knees a hundred years from now that Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House".
Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1904 where he was president of The Harvard Crimson daily newspaper. While he was at Harvard, his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt became President. In 1902, he met his future wife Eleanor Roosevelt, Theodore's niece, at a White House reception. Eleanor and Franklin were fifth cousins. Franklin entered Columbia Law School and passed the New York State Bar exam. In 1908, he took a job with the prestigious Wall Street firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn, dealing mainly with corporate law.
He served a term the New York State Senate and in 1913, he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In 1920 he was selected as the Democratic Party's nominee for Vice President with James M. Cox in 1920 against Warren Harding. When defeated he went back to practicing law. He was elected Governor of New York and served from 1929-33.
Franklin D. Roosevelt's paralytic illness began in 1921 at age 39, when Roosevelt got a fever after exercising heavily at a vacation in Canada. While his illness was well known during his terms as President of the United States, how debilitated he was due to his illness was kept from public view. The media had an understanding that FDR would not be photographed in poses which made his illness apparent and he employed a variety of strategies to give him the appearance of a healthy and robust leader.
In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination for the presidency with John Nance Garner as his Vice President. He ran against incumbent Herbert Hoover and Roosevelt carried 57% of the popular vote and 472 electors versus Hoover's 59. He would win re-election three more times, and served as president longer than anyone. In 1936, with Garner as his Vice President, he was opposed by progressive Republican Alf Landon whose platform argued that the New Deal was not good for America and relief efforts should be run by the states. Roosevelt won an overwhelming victory with 523 electoral votes versus Landon's 8. Roosevelt did not publicly ask for a third term but when his name was placed on the ballot, he was quickly renominated. The Republican nominee was Wendell Willkie who had been a Democrat but switched parties in protest to the Tennessee Valley Authority. War was raging in Europe. While FDR pledged to keep America out of war, Willkie was in favor of a draft and wanted to stop Hitler. He also focussed on FDR's right to a third term. Roosevelt won with 449 out of 531 electoral votes. Roosevelt was renominated to run for a fourth term. His health was declining and the Democrats wanted someone they were comfortable with to be vice-president so they selected Harry S Truman. The Republicans chose Thomas Dewey to run. He used FDR's declining health and campaigned against waste during the New Deal. Roosevelt won with 53% of the popular vote and winning 432 electoral votes versus 99 for Dewey
Roosevelt's terms as president were marked by two of the largest challenges any president has ever faced: the Great Depression and World War II. His aggressive and unprecedented New Deal programs left a lasting mark on the American landscape. The federal government grew stronger and became deeply involved in programs traditionally reserved for the states. FDR's leadership throughout World War II led to victory for the Allies even though Roosevelt died before the war ended. The first "Hundred Days" of Roosevelt's term were marked by the passage of 15 major laws. Some of the important legislation of his New Deal included:
1. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)- a program that hired more than three million men to work on various projects.
2. Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)- which used the Tennessee River to provide electricity for the depressed area.
3. National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)- it created both the Public Works Administration (PWA) to provide aid to cities for construction and the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to help businesses.
4. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)- an agency intended to correct abuses which led to the stock market crash.
5. Works Progress Administration (WPA)- a program which hired people for a variety of projects including in the arts.
6. Social Security Act - which created the Social Security System.
Also during Roosevelt's terms, prohibition was repealed. The United States did not enter the war until December 7, 1941 with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Important victories for the US and the allies included the Battle of Midway, the North African campaign, the capture of Sicily, the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, and the D-Day invasion. With an inevitable Nazi defeat, Roosevelt met with Churchill and Joseph Stalin at Yalta where they promised concessions to Soviet Russia if the Soviets entered the war against Japan.
FDR died on April 12, 1945. Roosevelt is reported to have said, "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head." He then slumped forward in his chair, unconscious, and was carried into his bedroom. The president's attending cardiologist, Dr. Howard Bruenn, diagnosed a massive cerebral hemorrhage (stroke). At 3:35 p.m. that day, Roosevelt died. After Roosevelt's death an editorial by The New York Times declared, "Men will thank God on their knees a hundred years from now that Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House".