Born: 1884
Died: 1962

Eleanor Roosevelt had a sad childhood despite her New York City family’s wealth and prominence. Her mother was a beauty disappointed in Eleanor’s looks, and her father, Teddy Roosevelt’s brother, was a loving but unreliable alcoholic. Both died before Eleanor was 10, when she joined her strict grandmother. At English boarding school Eleanor gained confidence and purpose, returning home and volunteering at a New York settlement house. Her idealism impressed Franklin Roosevelt, her fifth cousin. They wed in 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt giving the bride away. With five children and a domineering mother-in-law, Eleanor drew strength from community work. As Franklin became immersed in politics, so did she, linking him to his party and the public after he contracted polio in 1921.

By the time Eleanor got to the White House, she was used to being Franklin’s “eyes and ears,” going where his legs couldn’t take him and reporting what she saw. But she went further as First Lady, becoming an indefatigable champion of the poor and the powerless. A demoralized America loved her for it and even her enemies admired her devotion to social justice. An early advocate for American blacks, Eleanor helped bring minorities and women into the Democratic party. She wrote a daily column, held press conferences, and tirelessly toured the nation. During World War II, she visited U.S. troops in Europe and Asia. After Franklin’s death in 1945, Eleanor remained a leader in human rights.

Thirty-Second President
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Born: 1882, Hyde Park, NY
Died: 1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt led America through some of its darkest hours. A cousin and admirer of Teddy Roosevelt, FDR became a New York State Senator, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy and finally the Democrats’ unsuccessful Vice-Presidential candidate in 1920. In 1921 he was crippled by polio, but after intensive therapy was able to walk with crutches. His vigor undimmed, he became New York Governor in 1928, then President.

Inaugurated at the height of the Depression, FDR inspired Americans with the words, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He launched the New Deal, instituting social security and unemployment benefits. His public works projects included the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Works Progress Administration. His mobility hampered, he reached millions by radio in his “fireside chats” while his wife, Eleanor, tirelessly toured the country. FDR was re-elected in 1936, 1940 and 1944. In 1940, he responded to Hitler’s aggression in Europe by sending the British 50 destroyers in exchange for military bases, followed by massive “Lend-Lease” aid. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and America entered World War II. With Stalin and Churchill, Roosevelt laid the groundwork for the post-war world, and the creation of the United Nations. But he did not live to see it, dying of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945.

Thirty-Second President
Democrat