Eleanor Roosevelt: Early Life and Challenges

Eleanor Roosevelt was an orphan from a wealthy family. As a child, her relatives nicknamed her œGranny because she was so serious.

Born in New York City on October 11, 1884, Eleanor's parents were Elliott Roosevelt and Anna Hall Roosevelt. Their marriage was falling apart by the time Eleanor was born. Elliott was the older brother of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th US president, whom Eleanor called œUncle Ted. The Roosevelts lived in New York and were wealthy.

Eleanor was a severe child, and her mother often mocked her, even "in front of company." Eleanor was happiest with her father and tried to help him with his alcoholism more than her mother did. In 1891, Elliott™s drinking got so bad that his sister, Bamie, wanted to have him declared insane, which made the news. Eleanor lost contact with her father as her mother sought a divorce and separation. Eleanor blamed Anna for sending her father away. When Anna died of diphtheria in 1892, Eleanor, then 8, "shed no tears." She stayed with her maternal grandmother, hoping to see her father more, but he died in a fall three years later.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Early Life and Marriage

After studying abroad, Eleanor married her fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Eleanor danced with her fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a New Year™s Eve party in 1899. That same year, her Grandmother Hall sent her to Allenswood, a boarding school in southwestern London. The headmistress, Marie Souvestre, required the girls to speak French all day, but Eleanor quickly felt at home. Mademoiselle Souvestre often chose Eleanor to join her after lunch and dinner for discussions, and Eleanor remembered these times as the happiest days of her early life. She saw Mademoiselle Souvestre as a major influence, second only to her father.

In 1901, Eleanor discovered painful truths about her late father. She had believed he died in Virginia, but he actually died in his mistress™s Manhattan apartment after "gobbling drugs" and "guzzling alcohol" before jumping out of a window. Eleanor also learned she had a half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, whose mother, Katie Mann, had taken a blackmail payoff from the Roosevelts to keep quiet about Elliott™s paternity. After her Uncle Ted won the 1904 presidential election, Eleanor and FDR appeared as a couple for the first time at the inaugural ball. They married on March 17, 1905. Those close to FDR said his emotions were hard to understand, and Eleanor gradually accepted that he refused to discuss his feelings. She found their honeymoon sex "less than pleasant," but by her 21st birthday, she was three months pregnant.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Early Life and Public Service

By 1916, Eleanor Roosevelt had given birth to six children, though one died in infancy. After each birth, she felt a "grim mood" instead of the joy she expected as a mother. Her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), entertained the children with "the illusion of the personal," leaving Eleanor to raise them. FDR, like his uncle Ted, began his political career in the New York legislature. Eleanor™s "need to be needed" led her to manage their home "as an extension of Franklin™s senate seat." In 1912, FDR was re-elected, but Uncle Ted lost his third-party presidential bid. FDR then became assistant secretary of the US Navy under Woodrow Wilson.

In 1913, 23-year-old Lucy Mercer became Eleanor™s social secretary. Eleanor, jealous of FDR™s attraction to Mercer, fired her in 1917. Five days later, Mercer started working with FDR in the Navy.

After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Eleanor led a knitting service for the Navy Red Cross, delivering nearly 9,000 articles of clothing to support the war effort. These activities showcased her "natural capacity for organization," and she earned further respect as a Red Cross canteen captain.

Eleanor's Discovery and Advocacy

Eleanor discovered Mercer™s love letters to FDR in his suitcase after he returned sick from a trip abroad. If she had exposed their relationship, the secretary of the Navy would have fired FDR, ending his political career. His controlling mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, stepped in to stop Eleanor from divorcing FDR. œMama warned FDR that he would not inherit her wealth if his marriage ended. Eleanor demanded that FDR show his commitment to her as his life partner, even if it was only spiritual. They stayed together but slept in separate rooms.

After the war, the American Red Cross asked Eleanor to inspect a government psychiatric hospital with a Navy ward for soldiers and sailors suffering from shell shock, now known as PTSD. Her reports revealed that underfed patients often attacked each other in unsanitary, overcrowded, and poorly staffed facilities. This led Congress to increase funding for the hospital.

Eleanor's Role in FDR's Political Career

Eleanor actively supported FDR's vice-presidential run in 1920 and helped him throughout his political career. In June 1920, FDR attended the Democratic National Convention to back Governor Alfred E. Smith for president. However, delegates chose Ohio Governor James Cox, who picked FDR as his vice-presidential candidate, adding what one newspaper called œa honey of a name to the ballot. Eleanor campaigned visibly and gave an interview supporting the League of Nations to prevent wars and maintain peace. Despite their efforts, Cox and FDR lost to Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. FDR was seen as a potential presidential candidate for 1924, but in 1921, he contracted polio, which paralyzed his legs and almost ended his career. Eleanor and FDR's chief adviser, Louis Howe, initially told reporters FDR had a bad cold. They later revealed he had œformerly suffered from polio.

Eleanor became friends with Nancy Cook, assistant to the director of the Women™s Division of the New York State Democratic Party, and her partner, Marion Dickerman. Together, they traveled across the state, encouraging women to vote for Smith, who was re-elected as governor.

In 1924, FDR found therapeutic relief at a resort in Warm Springs, Georgia. By "walking" in a pool of warm mineral water, he regained feeling in his toes. He eventually spent $200,000, two-thirds of his wealth, to buy the resort.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Trailblazer for Peace and Equality

As Franklin D. Roosevelt stepped into the presidency, Eleanor Roosevelt emerged as a powerful advocate for peace, racial equality, and women's rights. Inspired by Woodrow Wilson's efforts to establish a global peacekeeping body, Eleanor was driven to promote human rights. She gained admiration from women activists nationwide, using her platform to deliver impassioned speeches. Eleanor encouraged women to support U.S. involvement in the World Court, marking a significant shift in her public role.

At the 1928 Democratic National Convention, FDR nominated Al Smith for president. Despite facing physical challenges, FDR captivated the audience as he made his way to the podium with the help of his son. His electrifying speech rallied support for Smith's campaign against Herbert Hoover. Eleanor played a crucial role in mobilizing women voters, contributing to FDR's narrow victory in the New York governorship race. Although Hoover ultimately won the presidency, FDR emerged as a frontrunner for the 1932 Democratic nomination. 

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Trailblazer in the White House

In 1933, the Democrats chose him, and he became president in March. When he won, he thanked Howe but didn't mention Eleanor. She held her own press conference.

As first lady, Eleanor was known for helping jobless women by pushing for emergency relief camps. She also focused on making housing affordable for the poor and elderly. A reporter named Lorena Hickok became her friend, and they often traveled together. Eleanor grew very close to Hickok, but over time, they spent less time together.

Eleanor worked hard to shed light on issues like domestic violence and hunger. She had a column in a national newspaper called "My Day," which got her both praise and criticism. Unlike previous first ladies, Eleanor traveled a lot to see social issues firsthand. She'd tell her husband, the president, about what she saw, especially concerning Black Americans and farmers. But when she asked him to support desegregation and laws against lynching, he said no. He was worried about upsetting the racist lawmakers in Congress.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Impact

During Franklin D. Roosevelt's re-election campaign, critics hurled accusations at Eleanor Roosevelt, claiming she neglected her marriage, misused tax money, and supported communists. Despite these attacks, FDR secured a second term, with Eleanor emerging as a prominent figure known for her urban liberal views.

In 1938, Eleanor attended the Southern Conference for Human Welfare in Birmingham, Alabama. Defying segregation laws, she sat in the section reserved for Blacks, sparking controversy when police demanded she move. Her defiance led to the conference condemning Jim Crow laws and refusing to hold events in segregated cities.

Eleanor's commitment to social reform extended to inspecting Washington's public welfare institutions and jails. During one visit, she discovered shocking conditions, including an electric chair hidden under a tarp in a jail's mess hall.

Historical Events and Key Figures

Eleanor Roosevelt championed the rights of the oppressed, influencing the UN to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In May 1940, the German military initiated a "total war in Western Europe." This event boosted FDR's popularity, leading to his remarkable victory in the election that year. He secured all states except for 10, marking him as the first US president to claim three terms. Just a year later, Pearl Harbor faced a devastating attack by Japanese forces. The following night, 30 Japanese warplanes hovered over San Francisco, yet they chose not to unleash any bombs.

Eleanor Roosevelt opposed the growing racial hatred aimed at Japanese Americans. But in February 1942, President Roosevelt ordered authorities to relocate Japanese Americans, freezing their accounts and confining them to camps, despite no evidence of invasion or spying. This decision drove a wedge between the couple.

As FDR began his fourth term, he fell ill and sought recovery in Warm Springs. He passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945. Eleanor arrived to find Lucy Mercer by his side for the last three days. She spent a brief moment alone with his body, showing no tears.

Harry Truman, the new president, called on Eleanor to represent the United States at the first UN General Assembly. She chaired a committee aiding WWII refugees. The Assembly agreed to investigate their plight, with headlines celebrating "Mrs. FDR's" victory.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Impactful Advocacy

Dr. David Gurewitsch, an attractive man 18 years younger than her, became Eleanor's personal doctor when they met in 1940. They later spent several days together in Ireland during a layover on their way to UN business in Geneva. Even after the war, he, along with his wife, became Eleanor's close friend, travel buddy, and someone she confided in. They eventually became housemates until Eleanor's passing.

In 1948, Truman offered Eleanor the chance to be his running mate, but she turned it down, preferring to speak her mind through her newspaper columns. She didn't hold back, condemning Senator Joe McCarthy's hunt for communists, likening it to having a "Gestapo in our midst." During the 1948 UN General Assembly in Paris, she gave a speech in French, advocating for human rights and calling out Soviet abuses. Her speech was met with a standing ovation from every delegate after the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a rare honor for her tireless work as a champion of human rights.

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Political Force

On her 75th birthday, Eleanor Roosevelt kicked off her own TV show called Prospects of Mankind. She interviewed big names like John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, Nelson Rockefeller, and Henry Kissinger. She pushed for Stevenson as president and Kennedy as vice president, even though she initially doubted Kennedy's genuineness. But when Kennedy clinched the nomination, Eleanor was all in, backing him nationwide. Kennedy, once elected, appointed her to lead the President™s Commission on the Status of Women. Her team uncovered issues like unequal pay, which later became central to the women's movement.

Sadly, Eleanor fell ill with a form of tuberculosis that couldn't be treated. Then, she suffered a stroke and passed away on November 7, 1962, marking 30 years since FDR's first presidential win. Her funeral was attended by big names like President Kennedy, two former presidents, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, and others from around the world.