Franklin D. Roosevelt

Lore & Background

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into the prominent Delano and Roosevelt families in Hyde Park, New York, and graduated from Harvard University. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 1910, before becoming assistant secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1920. In 1921, an illness permanently paralyzed his legs, but partly through the encouragement of his wife Eleanor, he returned to public office upon being elected governor of New York in 1928. As governor, he promoted programs to combat the Great Depression.

Roosevelt defeated President Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory in the 1932 presidential election. During his first 100 days as president, he spearheaded unprecedented federal legislation, initiated the New Deal, built the New Deal coalition, and realigned American politics into the Fifth Party System. He created programs to provide relief to the unemployed and farmers, sought economic recovery with the National Recovery Administration, and instituted major regulatory reforms related to finance, communications, and labor. He presided over the end of Prohibition and was re-elected in 1936 in one of the largest landslide victories in American history. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt obtained a declaration of war on Japan, and subsequently on Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He supervised the mobilization of the American economy to support the war effort, implemented a Europe first strategy, initiated the development of the first atomic bomb, and worked with Allied leaders to lay the groundwork for the United Nations.

Reader's Guide

Franklin D. Roosevelt's significance lies in his unprecedented four-term presidency and his leadership during two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. His New Deal programs fundamentally reshaped the role of the federal government in the American economy and society, creating lasting institutions such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Social Security. His wartime leadership, including the decision to develop the atomic bomb and his role in founding the United Nations, helped define the post-war world order. However, his legacy is also marked by controversial actions, including his ordering of the internment of German, Italian, and Japanese Americans. Despite such criticisms, historical rankings consistently place him among the three greatest American presidents. His ability to build and maintain the New Deal coalition realigned American politics into the Fifth Party System, and his presidency set a precedent for expanded executive power that continues to influence American governance.

Did You Know?

• Roosevelt was the only US president to serve more than two terms; presidential term limits were not enacted until 1951.
• He was the running mate of James M. Cox on the Democratic ticket in the 1920 presidential election, which Cox lost.
• Roosevelt's parents were sixth cousins, both from the wealthy Roosevelt and Delano families.
• He initiated the development of the first atomic bomb and worked with Allied leaders to lay the groundwork for the United Nations.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Roosevelt's first letter, written at age five to his mother Sara Roosevelt ("Sallie") who had been ill in her room at Hyde Park. She later supplied the date - "1887" - on beginning her collection." — Franklin D. Roosevelt "I sometimes think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm." — Franklin D. Roosevelt "Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off." — Franklin D. Roosevelt "The United States Constitution has proven itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written." — Franklin D. Roosevelt