franklin d. roosevelt: 32nd u.s. president (essential lives)

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Essential LivesEssential Lives introduces the people who have shaped the world, impacted humanity, and changed the course of history.

Biographies, historic events, and current debates are all an essential part of the curriculum. Readers can meet these needs with the Essential Library. The Essential Library is a well-researched, well-written, and beautifully designed imprint created specifically for the middle school reader.

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Essential Livesb y S u e V a n d e r H o o k

32nd U.S. Pr esiden t

Essential Lives

by Sue Vander HookContent Consultant:

Allan M. Winkler, Distinguished Professor of HistoryMiami University

Essential Lives

creditsPublished by ABDO Publishing Company, 8000 West 78th Street, Edina, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2008 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. The Essential Library™ is a trademark and logo of ABDO Publishing Company.

Printed in the United States.

Editor: Patricia StocklandCopy Editor: Paula LewisInterior Design and Production: Nicole BreckeCover Design: Nicole Brecke

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataVander Hook, Sue, 1949— Franklin D. Roosevelt / Sue Vander Hook. p. cm. — (Essential lives) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-60453-041-4 1. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882–1945—Juvenile literature. 2. Presidents—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. I. Title.

E807.V36 2008 973.917092—dc22 [B] 2007030850

Essential Lives

• 5 •

table of contentsChapter 1 “Tora! Tora! Tora!” 6

Chapter 2 The First 14 Years 14

Chapter 3 Groton, Harvard, and Eleanor 22

Chapter 4 Doorway to Politics 34

Chapter 5 Stricken 44

Chapter 6 Governor Roosevelt 52

Chapter 7 The Road to the White House 62

Chapter 8 Prelude to War 72

Chapter 9 War! 86

Timeline 96

Essential Facts 100

Additional Resources 102

Glossary 104

Source Notes 106

Index 110

About the Author 112

Franklin D. Roosevelt

• 6 •

Chapter

F ranklin Delano Roosevelt finished his

lunch and began working on his stamp

collection. It was a quiet Sunday on December 7,

1941. At 1:40 p.m., his phone rang. The White

House telephone operator apologized for bothering

1

The battleship USS Arizona belches smoke as it topples into the ocean during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941.

“Tora! Tora! Tora!”


• 7 •

him, but the caller insisted on talking to the

president of the United States. Roosevelt took the

call. On the other end was the urgent voice of Frank

Knox, secretary of the navy:

“Mr. President, it looks as if the Japanese have attacked Pearl

Harbor!”1

It was 8:40 a.m. in Hawaii, five hours earlier

than Washington, D.C. Across the island, air-raid

sirens were screaming, and masses of people were

scrambling for safety. More than 50 minutes had

passed since Japanese flight commander Mitsuo

Fuchida had radioed the first battle cry: “Tora! Tora!

Tora!” This was the code phrase for “torpedo attack.”

On cue at 7:53 a.m., the first wave of 183 Japanese

planes had dropped bombs on U.S. battleships

and airfields.

Roosevelt was on the phone with the governor of

Hawaii when the second wave of 167 planes swooped

over the island and blasted more ships and planes.

What Roosevelt heard was indeed

proof that Japan was carrying out a

massive surprise aerial attack on the

United States. The destruction would

last almost another hour.

Attack

The code word Tora was a combination of the first syllable of two Japanese words: tosugeki (mean-ing charge) and raigeki (meaning torpedo attack).

Essential Lives

• 8 •

Tremendous LossThat day, eight battleships were badly damaged.

Five of them sank. Damage to U.S. planes was

extensive: 188 destroyed and 159 damaged, most

while they were on the ground. The toll in lives

was greater: 2,403 dead (1,102 of them aboard the

battleship USS Arizona) and 1,178 wounded. Never

had so many Americans been killed in one attack.

Harry Hopkins, one of the president’s closest

advisers, could not believe Japan would attack the

United States. The two countries had been talking

about peace often for nine months.

Phone calls rolled in to the White

House. People poured through the

president’s office. Admiral Harold

Stark, chief of Naval Operations in

Hawaii, called regularly to update

Roosevelt on the damages. Outside

the White House, people crowded

against the tall iron fence. They

hoped to catch a glimpse of anything

that would answer their questions or

calm their fears. By dark, the crowd

had thinned. A few trembling voices

sang “God Bless America.”

Demoted

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Husband Edward Kimmel (1882–1968), commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, was re-moved from his duties and reduced in rank. Army Lieutenant General Walter Campbell Short (1880–1949), responsible for defending military in-stallations in Hawaii, was removed from the com-mand of Pearl Harbor and demoted. Both men were accused of being unpre-pared and charged with “dereliction of duty.”


• 9 •

At 8:30 p.m., Roosevelt met with his cabinet in

the Blue Room on the second floor of the White

House. The president described how bombs had

destroyed most of

the navy’s Pacific

Fleet. All of the

airfields at Pearl

Harbor had been

hit. He added

solemnly, “The

casualties, I am

sorry to say, were

extremely heavy.”2

When members

of his cabinet

left, he asked his

secretary to come

to his office. “Sit

down, Grace,” he

said. “I’m going

before Congress

tomorrow, and

I’d like to dictate

my message. It

will be short.”3 In

USS Arizona

The battleship Arizona suffered the most

damage of all the ships at Pearl Harbor. Four

times, the ship was hit directly by bombs weigh-

ing 1,764 pounds (800 kg) dropped by Japa-

nese aircraft. The last bomb blasted through the

deck and ignited one of the ship’s magazines,

which held ammunition. The enormous explo-

sion that followed broke the ship in two.

Although the Arizona was a total loss, the

remains have never been moved. The sunken

ship serves as a tomb for its crew. In 1950,

Admiral Arthur Radford, commander of the

Pacific Fleet, attached a flagpole to the broken

mast of the sunken ship. He began the tradition

of hoisting and lowering the flag each day. As

each U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant

Marine vessel glides into port, crew members

stand at attention at their ship’s rail and salute

the Arizona.

In 1961, 20 years after the attack on Pearl

Harbor, a memorial building was erected over

the sunken battleship. The 184-foot (56-m)

structure spans the length of the sunken battle-

ship without touching it. Alfred Preis, architect

for the memorial, explained his design:

Wherein the structure sags in the center

but stands strong and vigorous at the ends,

[it] expresses initial defeat and ultimate

victory. … The overall effect is one of

serenity.4

Essential Lives

• 10 •

a calm voice, he did not hesitate as he dictated his

500-word speech.

Addressing the NationThe next day, while battleships in Hawaii still

burned, Roosevelt addressed Congress—and the

nation. Hundreds of people had gathered in the

Capitol. On the arm of his son James, Roosevelt

walked slowly to the podium amid constant applause.

Across the country, Americans sat spellbound

in front of their radios, waiting to hear what their

president was going to say. In a confident voice,

Roosevelt spoke:

Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in

infamy—the United States was suddenly and deliberately

attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. …

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused

severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret

to tell you that very many American lives have been lost.5

That same day, he told his audience, Japan also

attacked other nations. The audience was silent.

Then Roosevelt continued, his voice rising in

justified anger:

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this


• 11 •

premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous

might will win through to absolute victory.6

The crowd roared with applause and shouts of

agreement. Roosevelt ended with these strong words:

I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost

but we will make it very certain that this form of treachery

shall never again endanger us. ... I ask that the Congress

declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by

Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has

existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.7

This draft of Roosevelt’s war message shows his penciled changes before he delivered it to Congress on December 8, 1941.

Essential Lives

• 12 •

The president had just asked Congress to declare

war on Japan. It did not take long for the House and

Senate to vote. Within 33 minutes, Congress voted

in favor of war. The United States was thrust into

World War II.

The United States joined Britain, France, the

Soviet Union, and other countries in the Grand

Alliance. Three days later, Germany and Italy

declared war on the United States. Together with

Japan and other countries, they made up the Axis

Powers. The worldwide conflict would continue for

almost four years.

Roosevelt would not live to see the end of World

War II. But he would build a military power that

would defeat the most aggressive enemy nations in

the world. By mobilizing industries and workers,

the United States would produce

millions of guns and hundreds

of thousands of tanks, ships, and

airplanes. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

would be remembered as the

president who presided over the most

extensive war in U.S. history.

Against the War

Jeanette Rankin (1880–1973) of Montana was the first woman to be elected to Congress and the only member to vote against the U.S. declara-tion of war on Japan. She had also voted against the United States entering World War I in 1917.


• 13 •

On December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.

• 14 •

R oosevelt was born a fighter. On January

29, 1882, his mother, 28-year-old Sara

Roosevelt, went into labor at the family’s Springwood

estate in Hyde Park, New York. Throughout the

night and the next day, she struggled to give birth

Chapter2

Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1885 at the age of three

The First 14 Years


• 15 •

to her first child. The pain was unbearable. Her

54-year-old husband, James, pleaded with the

doctor to ease her suffering.

Placing a cone over Sara’s face, the doctor

administered chloroform. But it did not relieve her

pain. The doctor gave her more. Sara’s lips turned

blue, her pulse grew faint, and she slipped into a

coma. James wondered if he was going to lose both

his wife and unborn child. This would not be the

first time he had lost someone dear to him. His first

wife, Rebecca, had died six years earlier. He was left

with their only son, also named James, who was now

28 years old with a family of his own.

It was an hour before Sara regained consciousness

and delivered a baby boy on January 30, 1882.

Eventually, the blue, motionless baby began to

move about and then released a strong, wailing cry

throughout the room. Mother and baby were going

to be fine.

A Life of LuxuryAlthough their wealth allowed them to have

nurses and nannies, Sara insisted on caring for the

baby herself. She was very protective, cautiously

watching out for her son’s well-being and giving him

Essential Lives

• 16 •

whatever he needed. Both Sara and

James were from wealthy families.

Sara had inherited more than

$1 million when her father died.

As a member of the aristocracy, James

was a country gentleman, with land-

holdings and other assets. Earlier

generations had immigrated to New

Amsterdam, the Dutch settlement

that became New York City. The

Roosevelt family eventually spread to other parts of

New York State. Some settled in Oyster Bay on the

northern shore of Long Island. Others lived around

Hyde Park, about halfway between New York City

and Albany.

Near Hyde Park, James purchased Springwood,

a large house along the Hudson River with a view

of the Catskill Mountains. James would eventually

own 1,300 acres (520 ha) of rolling, wooded land.

On his land, dairy cows grazed among fields of

grain surrounded by a low stone wall. His property

included a garden famous for its beautiful roses and

a first-rate horse stable. It was on this magnificent

estate that Sara brought their first—and only—child,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, into the world.

An Aristocrat

Franklin Roosevelt’s fa-ther, James, came from a wealthy Dutch fam-ily. James graduated from Union College in 1847 and Harvard Law School in 1851. As a squire and businessman, he was involved in a variety of enterprises—mostly coal and transportation.


• 17 •

From the time he was born, Franklin led a

privileged life. He hunted, swam, boated, and

rode horses. At

a very young age,

Franklin began

traveling overseas

with his parents.

His father was a

firm believer in the

healing qualities of

mineral waters and

visited hot springs

all over the world.

Between the ages of

2 and 14, Franklin

made at least

eight transatlantic

voyages. He also

traveled by private

railroad car with

his father, who

held top positions

in two railroad

companies.

Signs of the Times

In the mid-1800s, adventurous Americans

made their way to the West on horseback and

in covered wagons to claim land and start a

new life. Whoever got to a piece of land first

could own 640 acres (259 ha) just by signing a

government document and building a founda-

tion. The nation was expanding after recover-

ing from the devastating Civil War.

In 1882, the year Roosevelt was born, the

United States was just over 100 years old. Sev-

enteen years had passed since the end of the

Civil War, and it was another five years before

the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitu-

tion would abolish slavery. The United States

consisted of 38 states with a population of

nearly 50 million. Most Americans had never

ventured west of the Mississippi River. The vast

territories of the West—Arizona, New Mexico,

the Dakotas, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho, Wash-

ington, Wyoming, and Montana—were largely

unsettled.

When Roosevelt was born, the most impor-

tant national concern was dealing with rapid

growth and development. Lesser issues, such

as how to care for the widows of two assas-

sinated presidents, also concerned the nation’s

leaders. Abraham Lincoln was killed in 1865

and James Garfield in 1881. Garfield’s vice-

president, Chester A. Arthur, was serving as

president of the United States when Roosevelt

was born.

Essential Lives

• 18 •

An Only ChildFranklin was educated at home during his first

14 years. Surrounded mostly by adults, he learned

to discuss grown-up ideas and charm older listeners

with his intelligence. Some of the adults he met held

important government positions. Franklin was only

five when he met President Grover Cleveland.

Occasionally, Franklin did have contact with

other children. The Roosevelt cousins sometimes

visited Springwood. Among the Oyster Bay cousins

was shy Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. She was the

daughter of Franklin’s fifth cousin Elliott Roosevelt.

Franklin, seen here on a donkey with his dog “Budgy,” in 1885, had a privileged childhood.


• 19 •

She was also the niece of Theodore

Roosevelt, who would one day be

president.

When Franklin played with other

children, he ordered them about. His

mother suggested that he let others

give orders as well. But Franklin

replied, “Mummie, if I didn’t give

the orders, nothing would happen.”1

Franklin was confident and self-

assured.

Sara carefully structured her son’s

life. He got up at 7:00 a.m., ate breakfast at 8:00

a.m., and studied with a governess for two to three

hours. After free time and lunch, he studied again

until 4:00 p.m. Private tutors provided lessons in

German, French, and arithmetic.

Sara also strictly regulated how her son looked

and dressed. Franklin’s curly hair cascaded to his

shoulders, and until the age of five, he wore dresses—

which was common for young boys of affluent

families. After that, Sara outfitted him in Irish kilts

and sailor suits. Franklin was nearly eight years old

before he convinced his mother to let him wear

slacks.

Celebrating Politics

In 1892, Franklin Roosevelt experienced his first political celebra-tion. Outside his bed-room window, he saw a long line of people com-ing up the driveway with torches in their hands. Some walked, some rode horses, and others rode in farm wagons. Grover Cleveland had just been elected president of the United States, and Dem-ocrats were coming to Springwood to celebrate.

Essential Lives

• 20 •

Franklin did not seem to resent

his mother’s controlling style. In fact,

they had a warm, loving relationship.

He was also close with his father—

Popsy, as he called him—who taught

him how to hunt, fish, swim, sail,

and ride.

Nearly everything interested Franklin, from

old trees to toy boats, birds, and stamps. He was

also fascinated with the sea. At a very young age,

Franklin learned to take the helm of his father’s

yacht. He dreamed of attending the Naval Academy

at Annapolis, Maryland, and becoming a sailor.

School DaysWhen Franklin turned 14, James convinced Sara

to send their son to an exclusive boys’ boarding

school in Groton, Massachusetts. Although Sara

would have preferred to keep her son at home

forever, she agreed.

In September of 1896, James and Sara took

Franklin to Groton. There, they left him in the care

of the school. Four years of boarding school would

have a significant impact on the rest of Franklin’s

life.

A Mother’s Focus

Sara Roosevelt’s goal in raising her son was “keeping Franklin’s mind on nice things, on a high level; yet … in such a way that Franklin never real-ized that he was following any bent but his own.”2


• 21 •

Franklin at 13, the year before going to Groton

• 22 •

G roton was reserved for America’s most

established families. Only boys of high

social status were accepted. Parents often signed up

their sons at birth and sent them there at the age

of 12.

Chapter3

Franklin Roosevelt, bottom row, second from left, in the white sweater, in a school photo of football teams in Groton, Massachusetts

Groton, Harvard, and Eleanor


• 23 •

In fall of 1896, there was only one other new boy

in Franklin’s class. The rest were already comfortable

in their setting and had formed friendships. At

first, Franklin found it difficult to make friends, but

eventually he got to know other boys. He did what

he was told and tried out for nearly every activity the

school offered. He did particularly well in speech.

His clear speaking and ability to persuade made

him a valuable member of the debate team. He also

participated in choir, boxing, tennis, and golf.

The boys who stood out at Groton were involved

in team sports such as football and baseball. At 5 feet

3 inches (1.6 m) and 100 pounds (45 kg), Franklin

was too small to shine as an athlete. He played on the

seventh-string football team. His baseball team, the

Bum Baseball Boys, consisted of the worst players

at Groton. However, he did excel at one sport: the

high kick. He was champion at leaping high into the

air and kicking a tin pan that hung from the gym

ceiling.

A Structured LifeFranklin shared the other boys’ deep respect for

Endicott Peabody, the tall, military-like founder,

rector, and minister of the school. Peabody had been

Essential Lives

• 24 •

headmaster of Groton since 1884, when the school

was established. The students both loved and feared

this man who ruled with a commanding voice and

piercing eyes. Peabody believed that obedience came

before all else. He made sure the school maintained

high standards in all areas—moral, religious,

educational, athletic, political, and social. Peabody

held himself accountable for the future of his boys.

He said, “If some Groton boys do not enter political

life and do something for our land, it won’t be

because they have not been urged.”1

Life was strictly scheduled inside the school’s red

brick buildings. In the dormitory, each boy slept in a

small cubicle with the basic necessities and a curtain

for a door. A clanging bell woke them each morning

at 7:00 a.m. After a cold shower, they ate breakfast

and attended religious services in the chapel.

Peabody was their preacher, encouraging them

to serve their Lord, their country, and mankind.

Morning classes were held in the schoolhouse.

The noon meal was followed by more classes and

required sports. After another cold shower, the boys

dressed for supper in white shirts, ties, and shiny

black shoes. Peabody led evening chapel, which was

followed by study time.


• 25 •

Cousin TeddyFranklin was impressed with the speakers who

came to Groton.

Among them

was Theodore

Roosevelt,

Franklin’s lively

cousin and newly

appointed assistant

secretary of the

navy. He made

quite an impression

on the boys with his

thrilling tales about

his former job

with the New York

Police Department.

Franklin greatly

admired Cousin

Teddy, and Teddy

liked Franklin.

Teddy once told

Sara, “I’m so fond

of the boy I’d be

shot for him.”2

The Influence of Peabody

Endicott Peabody (1851–1944) served as

headmaster and minister of Groton School for

Boys for 56 years, from its founding in 1884

until he retired in 1940. Thirty-four years after

his graduation from Groton, Roosevelt stated,

“As long as I live, the influence of Dr. Peabody

means and will mean more to me than that of

any other people next to my father and mother.”3

Peabody officiated at Roosevelt’s wedding and

conducted private religious services at family

occasions and for Roosevelt’s first three presi-

dential inaugurations. Roosevelt’s four sons at-

tended Groton. At the age of 86, Peabody was

still involved in Roosevelt’s life. At a reception

given in honor of his former student, Peabody

asked God’s blessing one last time “on Thy ser-

vant Franklin.”4

Today, Groton School is a coeducational,

five-year college preparatory school. Approxi-

mately 175 boys and 175 girls attend grades

8 through 12 at this private boarding school

located on 355 acres (144 ha) in Groton, Mas-

sachusetts. The school still emphasizes Endicott

Peabody’s founding original aims—intellectual,

moral, and physical excellence. As it was in the

late 1800s, the school accepts only students

whose academic records place them in the top

10 percent of the nation. The teachers follow

Peabody’s belief that a teaching profession is a

life’s work, and the faculty should take part in

students’ lives.

Essential Lives

• 26 •

In the summer of 1898, Teddy Roosevelt went

off to fight in the Spanish-American War. His fame

spread after his remarkable victories with his all-

volunteer cavalry that came to be known as the Rough

Colonel Theodore Roosevelt as a Rough Rider in 1898


• 27 •

Riders. Franklin and two of his classmates planned

to run away from Groton and enlist in the service.

But before they could carry out their plan, the group

came down with scarlet fever, a highly contagious

disease.

The boys recovered and returned to their school

activities. Franklin was rapidly growing in popularity

since Theodore Roosevelt was now governor of

New York. The students were wild with excitement

to know someone whose relative was head of an

important state such as New York. The next time

Theodore Roosevelt spoke to the boys at Groton,

he said:

If a man has courage, goodness, and brains, no limit can be

placed to the greatness of the work he may accomplish. He is

the man needed today in politics.5

Franklin was deeply impressed by his cousin’s words.

Impressed by EleanorDuring the 1898 Christmas break,

16-year-old Franklin returned to

Oyster Bay for the cousins’ annual

Christmas party. He again met shy

Eleanor Roosevelt, who was now 14.

”Granny”

Eleanor’s childhood was emotionally painful. Her beautiful mother, Anna Hall Roosevelt, was ashamed of her daugh-ter, who had a solemn face and protruding teeth. She called her daughter “Granny.”

Essential Lives

• 28 •

She clearly was uncomfortable in such

a festive setting. Both of her parents

had died, and she was being raised by

her overly strict grandmother, who

firmly insisted she wear long black

stockings and short dresses suitable

for a younger girl. Feeling plain,

awkward, and different, Eleanor painfully endured

the party.

Franklin, on the other hand, enjoyed the

festivities and socialized with ease, especially among

the young ladies. Feeling sorry for Eleanor, he asked

her to dance, something for which she would long be

grateful. Then he asked his parents to invite her to

a party at Hyde Park. He pointed out to his mother

that Cousin Eleanor had a very good mind.

Franklin’s last year at Groton was his best. He was

named prefect of his dormitory, a position that put

him in charge of younger students. He also acted

in the school play, averaged B grades, and actively

participated in religious and charitable groups.

After graduation, Franklin wanted to attend

the United States Naval Academy, but his parents

objected. They insisted he attend Harvard and then

law school. He already had earned 15 college credits

A Lonely Childhood

When Eleanor was eight, her mother died of diphtheria. Two years later, the father Eleanor adored also died. She went to live with stern Grandmother Hall.


• 29 •

at Groton. He could complete his degree in three

years. Franklin’s last day at Groton was a mixture

of joy and sorrow. He would miss his friends and

Peabody. The headmaster, however, would always be

a part of his life. Peabody kept in touch with all of

his students, making sure they achieved Groton’s

high standards.

Harvard, Love, and MarriageIn September 1900, Franklin joined more than

500 other freshmen at Harvard in Cambridge,

Massachusetts. He began studying history and

government as well as English and public speaking.

Franklin’s studies were interrupted in December

when 72-year-old James Roosevelt died. It was a

difficult loss for Franklin. He had always admired

his father. Sara mourned her husband’s death with

courage. Before long, she moved into an apartment

in Boston in order to live closer to her son and to

minimize her loneliness.

Weekends for Franklin were filled with various

prominent social events in Boston and Cambridge.

He enjoyed parties, dances, and dinners. But

Franklin’s greatest enjoyment was working on the

Harvard Crimson. He often spent six hours a day writing

Essential Lives

• 30 •

Connections

Franklin was well known at Harvard due to his connection with Teddy Roosevelt. His reputation grew even more his first semester, when Cousin Teddy was elected vice president of the United States under William McKinley. Franklin wrote about his cousin for a front-page article in the school newspaper, the Harvard Crimson. The popular article secured him a coveted spot as one of the paper’s five editors. At the beginning of his second year, Franklin be-came even more famous. Theodore Roosevelt be-came president when McKinley was assassinat-ed in September 1901.

editorials and articles. In his third year, he moved up

from assistant managing editor to managing editor

and finally to president and editor in chief. His hard

work and long hours had paid off.

In 1902, during his third year at Harvard,

Franklin started seeing Eleanor Roosevelt. She was

no longer the shy, self-described ugly duckling.

For the past three years, she had studied at an elite

boarding school in Europe. Her

personality blossomed, and she

gained the courage to voice her

opinions and use her intelligence.

Instead of long stockings and short

skirts, Eleanor now wore stylish long

dresses and flamboyant large hats.

In his diary, Franklin noted when

he “lunched with Eleanor,” had “tea

with Eleanor,” or walked to the river

“in the rain.”6 He enjoyed hiking in

the woods, picnicking by the ocean,

and reading by a campfire with this

tall, thin girl with beautiful fair hair.

She was intelligent with a strength of

character that Franklin enjoyed.


• 31 •

In 1903, Franklin’s third year

at Harvard came to an end; he

graduated a year early. However,

because he did not want to give up

his position on the Crimson staff,

he enrolled in Harvard’s graduate

school and returned in September

for a fourth year. He became totally

absorbed in his newspaper work and

continued to see Eleanor. He often

called on her at the Rivington Street Settlement

House in New York City, where she taught dancing

and calisthenics to poor children from the slums.

Eleanor felt a strong need to help people who were

less fortunate. Franklin had never been exposed

to such wretched conditions. He could not believe

people lived that way.

On a quiet Sunday in November 1903, the day

after a Harvard-Yale football game, Franklin asked

Eleanor to marry him. Eleanor did not answer him

right away and returned to New York. Four days

later, she wrote a long letter to Franklin and quoted

a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

Unless you can swear, “For life, for death!” Oh, fear

to call it loving!7

Allenswood

In 1900, at the age of 15, Eleanor attended Allens-wood, a girls’ boarding school in England. She called these three years the happiest years of her life. Although Eleanor would have preferred to stay in England, her grandmother brought her back to New York City so Eleanor could make her entrance into society.

Essential Lives

• 32 •

Eleanor soon accepted Franklin’s proposal.

In January 1905, Franklin enrolled at Columbia

Law School in New York City, which was close to

Eleanor. On March 17, 1905, Franklin and Eleanor

were married. Curious crowds gathered outside the

New York City townhouse where the ceremony was

held. They wanted to catch a glimpse of the wedding

couple and the famous guests. Among them was the

president, who arrived to loud cries of “Hooray for

Teddy!” President Thedore Roosevelt was there to

give away the bride.

Not only did Franklin’s headmaster from Groton

attend, the Reverend Endicott Peabody officiated.

After the vows were exchanged, Uncle Teddy

announced from the audience, “Well, Franklin,

there’s nothing like keeping the name in the

family.”8 The couple kissed and marched out of the

room.

The newlyweds spent their first week together at

Hyde Park. After Franklin finished his spring term

at Columbia, the couple boarded the lavish ocean

liner Oceanic to cross the Atlantic. For three months,

they toured Europe. The Roosevelt family was

just beginning. In a few years, so would Franklin’s

political career.


• 33 •

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park in 1905, the year they were married

• 34 •

W hen the newlyweds returned to New

York City in the fall of 1905, they

settled into a house on fashionable East Thirty-

sixth Street. It was just three blocks from Sara’s

home. Franklin’s mother took charge of her son’s

Chapter4

James Cox and Franklin D. Roosevelt in Dayton, Ohio

Doorway to Politics


• 35 •

household. Eleanor, always striving to please her

mother-in-law, politely let her do it.

Franklin finished law school and passed his bar

exam in 1907. His law career began at the prestigious

Wall Street law firm of Carter, Ledyard, and

Milburn. The Roosevelt family was growing. Their

daughter, Anna, was born in May 1906, and James

was born in 1907. A son, Franklin Jr., was born in

1909 but died of pneumonia at eight months. Elliott

was born in 1910. Another son, also named Franklin

Jr., was born in 1914. John was born in 1916.

Sara increasingly became more involved in her

son’s family. She had two adjoining townhouses

built on posh East Sixty-fifth Street. They were

connected by unlocked sliding doors. One

townhouse was a Christmas present to Franklin

and Eleanor; the other was for Sara. In 1908, they

all moved in. Sara picked out her grandchildren’s

clothes and toys. She was in charge of

the servants, nurses, and governesses.

Eleanor sometimes disliked her

mother-in-law’s involvement, but

she quietly accepted it.

The Roosevelts and Sara often

spent weekends at Hyde Park.

Summer Camp

The Roosevelt family cab-in on Campobello Island was built in 1885. Frank-lin Roosevelt spent nearly every summer there for 36 years. His last visit to Campobello was in Au-gust 1939.

Essential Lives

• 36 •

Summers were spent on Campobello Island off the

coast of Maine. From the time he was one year old,

Franklin had vacationed on scenic Campobello

Island. Now Franklin went there with his own family

whenever he could, although work often kept him in

New York.

Changing JobsRoosevelt’s law career was going well, but he did

not plan to practice law forever. In truth, he was

bored and began talking about politics. He told

coworkers that he intended to follow in Cousin

Teddy’s footsteps and run for office at the first

chance.

In 1910, Roosevelt got that opportunity. Several

New York Democrats, who were impressed with his

ties to the prominent Roosevelts, asked Franklin to

run for New York’s state senator. Teddy Roosevelt

had held this position 30 years earlier. Franklin

Roosevelt enthusiastically campaigned and eagerly

met voters in New York’s twenty-sixth district. He

rode throughout the state by train or in a rented

bright red Maxwell touring car.

Roosevelt, Eleanor, and his campaign team

passed through every village and town. Roosevelt


• 37 •

averaged ten speeches a day on the campaign trail.

Local farmers, townspeople, and reporters gathered

around the makeshift podium of this tall, likable

28-year-old lawyer. “My friends,” he always began.

He spoke slowly, sometimes with long pauses, but he

addressed the issues and promised a better approach.

Roosevelt won the election by a landslide. This

was his first doorway to politics, and he stepped

Franklin D. Roosevelt in the New York State Senate in 1910

Essential Lives

• 38 •

into the limelight. In 1912, he ran for reelection.

However, a bout of typhoid fever made him too ill to

go on the campaign trail. So he hired Louis Howe, a

newspaper reporter, to campaign for him. Roosevelt

was so popular with the local farmers that he won the

election without making a single appearance.

His second term as state senator was short-lived.

The newly elected president, Woodrow Wilson,

offered 31-year-old Roosevelt a position as assistant

secretary of the navy. This was a position Roosevelt

could not turn down. On March 17, 1913, he

walked into his new office at the Navy Department.

It was Teddy’s old office. Once again, Franklin was

following in his cousin’s footsteps.

Roosevelt was not one to stay behind the desk.

With his love for ships and the ocean, he routinely

inspected submarines and ships, gladly climbing the

riggings and touring the engine rooms. The sailors

and officers respected him and appreciated his

ability to cut through political red tape to improve

their circumstances.

The First WarIn 1914, World War I broke out in Europe.

Germany’s sophisticated submarines—called


• 39 •

U-boats—controlled the Atlantic. Roosevelt was

convinced that the United States should enter the

war. He advised Congress to build up the nation’s

military forces and

began filling naval

bases with supplies.

On April 6, 1917,

the United States

officially entered

World War I.

It joined Great

Britain and France

in their fight

against Germany.

Roosevelt

quickly helped

mobilize the navy.

He began with

65,000 men. By

the end of the war

in November 1918,

the navy was nearly

1 million strong.

This number

included 11,000

In the Navy

The U.S. Navy began hiring women in 1916

due to a clerical shortage in World War I. Since

the Naval Reserve Act of 1916 did not mention

gender as a condition of service, women began

enlisting in the navy in mid-March 1917. By

the end of April, 600 women—called yeomen

or yeomanettes—had joined the navy. By the

end of Word War I in 1918, that number had

increased to more than 11,000. Yeomanettes

primarily served as secretaries, processing the

huge volume of paperwork generated by the

war. Typically, they worked near their homes

and seldom served overseas. Once the war was

over, their numbers declined to approximately

4,000. By July 1919, all were released from ac-

tive duty.

Nearly all women except navy nurses disap-

peared from the navy until 1942, when women

were needed to serve in World War II. During

the war, one former yeomanette, Joy Bright

Hancock, became one of the first women na-

val officers. After receiving her private pilot’s

license and serving approximately ten years

with the navy, she was commissioned in 1942

as the lieutenant in the newly formed (WAVES)

Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency

Service. By the end of the war, she rose to the

rank of commander and finally to captain. Un-

der Hancock’s leadership, the WAVES achieved

status as part of the regular navy.

Essential Lives

• 40 •

yeomanettes, the first women to ever serve in

the navy.

In his typical hands-on style, Roosevelt visited

troops in Europe, inspected naval air stations,

and visited battlefields. To contend with German

U-boats, he developed what some called an

impossible idea—a 250-mile (402-km) wall of

underwater mines from Scotland to Norway. His

plan worked. Approximately 70,000 mines stopped

German U-boat access to British and American

ships. The strategy was called “one of the wonders of

the war.”1

After the war, Roosevelt joined President Wilson

in an unsuccessful attempt to convince Congress to

join the newly formed League of Nations. But the

United States would not participate

in this international peacekeeping

organization.

Greater GoalsRoosevelt soon began pursuing

greater political goals. In 1920,

the Democratic Party nominated

Ohio Governor James M. Cox for

president. Cox picked 38-year-old

U-boats

German submarines were called U-boats, from the German word Untersee-boot. During World War I, Germany had 29 U-boats. In the first ten weeks of war, they sank 50 British cruisers with their main weapon—the torpedo. On March 17, 1917, they sank three American mer-chant ships.


• 41 •

Franklin Roosevelt as his vice-

presidential running mate. With

energy, enthusiasm, and charm,

Roosevelt again hit the campaign

trail. He traveled by train through

32 states, making more than

1,000 speeches. Eleanor was at her

husband’s side, undoubtedly making

an impression. That same year,

women won the right to vote with the passage of the

Nineteenth Amendment.

Roosevelt made U.S. membership in the League

of Nations an important campaign issue. Republican

presidential candidate Warren G. Harding and vice-

presidential candidate Calvin Coolidge opposed the

league but promised to bring an end to international

problems. A war-weary population that clearly

remembered the casualties of World War I elected

Harding by a landslide.

Undaunted by his defeat, Roosevelt said, “The

moment of defeat is the best time to lay plans for

future victories.”2 He reentered private life and

became a partner in the law firm of Emmet, Marvin,

and Roosevelt. He also was vice president of the

Fidelity & Deposit Company.

Secret Submarines

After the end of World War I, Germany was for-bidden to build subma-rines. However, before the start of World War II, Germany had secretly built U-boats and trained crews. By the start of the war, Germany already had several U-boats ready for battle.

Essential Lives

• 42 •

Roosevelt now had more time for his family. He

loved to spoil his daughter and four sons and took

them sailing at Campobello and horseback riding at

Hyde Park. His relationship with Eleanor, however,

was strained. Two years earlier, in 1918, Eleanor

discovered some letters that proved Franklin was

having a close relationship with another woman,

Lucy Mercer, who was Eleanor’s former social

secretary.

Eleanor and Franklin discussed divorce, but

Franklin’s mother, Sara, said it was out of the

question. It would ruin Franklin’s career and

the Roosevelt name. The couple decided to stay

together, but their relationship was scarred. Eleanor

became more independent. Their marriage became

somewhat of a partnership based largely on how they

could help each other succeed and avoid scandalous

talk.

The following year, 1921, Franklin faced an even

greater crisis. Misfortune would strike him during a

summer vacation at Campobello.


• 43 •

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in Campobello in 1920

• 44 •

M onday, August 8, 1921, was a warm,

sunny day on Campobello Island.

A crowd had gathered at the Roosevelt’s summer

home—Franklin, Eleanor, their five children,

several guests, the children’s tutor, and a number of

Chapter5

Franklin D. Roosevelt often enjoyed sailing at Campobello.

Stricken


• 45 •

servants. Sara Roosevelt was traveling in Europe and

would not be back until the end of August.

Franklin stayed busy all day, deep-sea fishing and

baiting other people’s hooks. He even fell overboard

into the always frigid waters of the Bay of Fundy.

Laughing it off, Roosevelt scrambled back onto the

boat, feeling a bit stunned by the coldness of the

water.

Two days later, the weather was still beautiful,

and Roosevelt wanted to be outdoors. Even though

he did not feel well and his body ached, he took

Eleanor and the children out on his sailboat. Early

that afternoon, the family spotted a forest fire on

another small island. They sailed to the island, went

ashore, and beat hot flames with evergreen branches

for hours until the fire was under control.

Returning to Campobello, Roosevelt suggested

a swim in a freshwater lake two miles (3 km) down a

dirt road. Although exhausted, the family jogged to

the secluded lake with its soft, sandy

beach. After a swim in the warm

lake water, they followed Roosevelt’s

typical routine and walked to the

Atlantic shore to take an icy plunge

in the salt water. This time, however,

Sailing

James Roosevelt taught his son to sail when Frank-lin was six years old. At 16, Franklin got his own sloop, the New Moon. It was a gift from his father.

Essential Lives

• 46 •

Roosevelt did not feel the usual exhilaration. The

family raced back to the cabin.

As Roosevelt sat on the porch in his wet swimsuit

reading a stack of newspapers, he felt a violent chill.

His muscles began to ache. Too tired to get dressed,

he went straight to bed. By morning, after a nearly

sleepless night, Roosevelt could not swing his legs

out of bed. His left leg dragged and nearly collapsed

when he tried to stand up. In great pain, he shaved

and then stumbled back to bed.

The children left that morning for a three-day

camping trip with friends of the family. Eleanor

stayed with Franklin, who had a temperature of

102° Fahrenheit (39° C). That day, the pain in

his legs and back became worse, and Eleanor sent

for a doctor. The doctor diagnosed

Roosevelt’s ailment as an unusually

bad cold. Roosevelt knew it was

more serious. The stabbing pain

that spread throughout his entire

body was different than he had ever

experienced.

Eleanor called another doctor,

who suggested deep massage. For

hours at a time, Eleanor and

Belly Punch

Roosevelt maintained a cheery outlook on his disease. One of his visi-tors at the hospital was visibly shaken to see him paralyzed. Roosevelt told him to come closer and punched him in the stom-ach. Jokingly, he added that he was not an invalid, but rather someone who could “knock you out.”1


• 47 •

Louis Howe took turns massaging

Roosevelt’s limp legs. It was an

agonizing experience for Roosevelt,

whose body had become extremely

sensitive to touch.

The paralysis spread quickly. By

late Thursday on August 11, Roosevelt

could barely stand. On Friday, he

was unable to get up and had lost the

ability to move his legs. The muscles

in his back, shoulders, arms, and

fingers were nearly useless. His fever continued to

climb. The man who loved life and pursued noble

dreams now fell into utter despair. He later admitted

that he had temporarily lost his strong faith in God.

He had been convinced that God had chosen him to

play an important role in history. But now, he felt

God had abandoned him. His belief in himself as

God’s special instrument was fading away. Hour after

painful hour, he felt utterly alone and useless.

When his children returned from their camping

trip, Roosevelt courageously tried to calm their

fears and shock over what had happened to him. For

several weeks, 39-year-old Franklin Roosevelt lay

paralyzed from the waist down.

Side Effects

For some polio victims, new problems arose later in life. Some struggled with less endurance and fatigue as well as new joint and muscle pain. Muscles grew weaker, and breathing became more difficult. Some peo-ple required more braces, canes, or a wheelchair. Roosevelt may have been afflicted with these late effects of polio in the mid-1940s before he died.

Essential Lives

• 48 •

PolioFinally, a specialist from Boston correctly

diagnosed

Roosevelt. He

had contracted

a virus called

poliomyelitis—

commonly known

as infantile

paralysis or polio.

The disease usually

struck children.

Some were

paralyzed for the

rest of their lives;

others died. It was

the most dreaded

disease at that

time in the United

States.

On September

13, Roosevelt

traveled to a New

York City hospital.

But his condition

Polio

The highly contagious polio virus randomly

struck and suddenly crippled thousands of

victims each year. Most were young children.

In 1926, Roosevelt founded the Warm Springs

Foundation, which raised millions of dollars

for polio treatment and research. It would later

be known as the National Foundation for In-

fantile Paralysis. Outbreaks of polio increased

in the 1930s. In 1934, the city of Los Angeles

reported 50 new cases a day. Polio reached

epidemic proportions in the 1940s and 1950s.

In 1955, scientist Jonas Salk discovered a polio

vaccine. A nationwide vaccination program

was quickly carried out. In 1962, the Salk vac-

cine was replaced by the longer lasting Sabin

oral vaccine.

At Roosevelt’s time, individuals with disabili-

ties were usually kept at home by families who

were ashamed of them. Even doctors viewed

people disabled by polio as a burden to the

community. Believing that the nation would not

accept a “cripple” as its president, Roosevelt

rarely appeared in public in his wheelchair.

Some referred to it as his “magnificent decep-

tion.” Only a few of the thousands of photos of

Roosevelt show him in his wheelchair. How-

ever, Roosevelt’s illness had a major impact on

the public’s view of people with disabilities.

Audiences cheered for him as he struggled to

walk and admired his determination to over-

come his physical limitations.


• 49 •

did not improve. Finally, Roosevelt

decided that he would not remain

helpless for the rest of his life. His

strength and optimism returned. He

began to concentrate on his muscles,

one at a time. Focusing on the muscle

in his big toe, he tried to move it.

Then he focused on the muscles in

his feet, legs, and back. When he

left the hospital on October 28, his

chart noted, “Not improving.”2 But Roosevelt told

a friend, “I’ll be walking on crutches in a few weeks.

The doctors say there is no question but that by this

spring, I will be walking without any limp.”3

Determined to SucceedBy spring 1922, Roosevelt had regained the use

of his upper body, so only his legs remained unable

to move. He spent much of his time in a wheelchair.

But, on occasion, he donned steel and leather leg

braces to support the dead muscles in his legs. With

the braces and the help of crutches, he could stand.

He made up his mind that he would learn to walk,

even if it meant having his son—or someone else—

assist him on either side.

Mental Muscle

In order to remove any fears his children had about his disease, Roosevelt made it into a game. He rewarded them for memorizing the names of his damaged muscles. Whenever he success-fully moved a muscle, the children joined him in a cheer.

Essential Lives

• 50 •

With the help of Louis Howe,

Roosevelt put his political career back

in motion. Howe had successfully

kept it alive by taking care of

Roosevelt’s political and business

affairs. Howe encouraged Eleanor

to participate in Democratic Party

events so she could tell her husband what was going

on. Eleanor often spoke in her husband’s place at

conferences and conventions. She also kept up with

her work for the League of Women Voters and the

Women’s Trade Union League.

By 1924, Roosevelt was again ready for an active

role in politics. He emerged from his disease a

different man. He was stronger, more courageous,

and possessed endless patience and determination.

He often laughed heartily at his crippling disease and

called it a turning point in his life. His keen mind

and speaking ability would raise him up above his

disability to the heights of his political life.

Newfound Courage

Eleanor Roosevelt would one day call her hus-band’s polio “a blessing in disguise, for it gave him a strength and courage he had not had before.” 4


• 51 •

Franklin D. Roosevelt, seated at right, is shown with his campaign manager, Louis Howe, standing.

• 52 •

O n June 26, 1924, Franklin Roosevelt

gave his first public speech since being

stricken with polio three years earlier. The occasion

was the Democratic National Convention at Madison

Square Garden in New York City. He was asked

Chapter6

Franklin D. Roosevelt, left, speaks with other Democrats in Hyde Park, New York, after his return to politics.

Governor Roosevelt


• 53 •

to give the nomination speech for Democratic

presidential hopeful, Alfred E. Smith.

Sixteen-year-old James escorted his father to

the platform. It was a struggle to make it through

the people and down the aisle. Roosevelt held on

tightly to his son’s arm and gripped his crutches with

his other hand. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his

breathing became labored. His braces, which made

him unable to bend his knees, clanked as he walked

stiff-legged past the silent delegates.

James and his father finally reached the stage.

Now it was time for Roosevelt to walk the rest of

the way alone. He placed a crutch under each arm,

smiled at the hushed crowd, and began the agonizing

journey to the front of the platform. He reached the

podium at last, leaned forward, raised his hand, and

waved to the people. The crowd cheered and roared

for several minutes. He was a popular man, more

popular now than he had ever been before.

His eloquent speech praised Smith, calling him

the Happy Warrior of the political battlefield. Smith

failed to get the nomination. But Roosevelt had

shown that he had returned to political life. The New

York Herald Tribune said it was Roosevelt who stood out

that day as the real hero of the convention.

Essential Lives

• 54 •

Warm SpringsAlthough Roosevelt had returned to politics, he

still needed physical therapy. That fall, Franklin and

Eleanor traveled to Warm Springs, Georgia, to visit

a run-down resort. Warm water high in minerals

flowed from a nearby spring on the Pine Mountain

hillside. Roosevelt remembered his father’s belief

in the healing properties of mineral springs. The

water maintained a constant year-round temperature

of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31°C). When Roosevelt

first sank into the therapeutic pool, he described a

“heavenly warmth” that flowed over his legs. In 1926,

convinced that the water would help him walk, he

purchased the resort and 1,200 acres (486 ha) of

surrounding land. He restored the buildings and

turned them into a treatment center for people

with polio. He hired doctors, nurses, and physical

therapists to treat polio victims who came to Warm

Springs from all over the world. Most of them were

children.

In New York, Howe kept up with Roosevelt’s

political matters. In 1928, Alfred Smith won the

Democratic nomination for president. In order to

win against Republican candidate Herbert Hoover,

Smith needed a strong supporter in New York.


• 55 •

He was convinced that a popular

Democrat in the governor’s race

would help him win the large New

York vote. Roosevelt refused to run

for governor. But Smith would not

take “no” for an answer. Roosevelt

also realized that if he ever again

wanted the support of the Democratic

Party, he would have to help Smith.

Once more, Roosevelt hit the campaign trail. He

won a close race for governor. However, Smith lost

the presidential election to Herbert Hoover in the

biggest landslide victory of any presidential election.

Eleanor made arrangements to move into the

governor’s mansion in Albany. By now, all of their

children were out on their own. Anna was married

and had a child. Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John were

all at Groton. James was at Harvard.

Franklin Roosevelt immediately worked on

economic and social reforms in New York. He asked

lawmakers to spend more money on schools, parks,

and hospitals. And he championed the cause of

the elderly, working people, and the unemployed.

Unemployment was not only a state issue. The entire

country was in an economic crisis.

A Second White House?

Roosevelt reportedly spent two-thirds of his personal wealth on the renova-tion and expansion of Warm Springs. He spent so much time there that after he became presi-dent, it became known as the second White House.

Essential Lives

• 56 •

The CrashOn October 24, 1929, about nine months after

Roosevelt became governor, prices on the New York

Stock Exchange drastically dropped. Five days later,

the stock market collapsed. Panicked stockholders

tried desperately to sell their shares at any price. The

nation’s economy nearly shut down. People were

afraid to spend their money, and factories slowed

down production. The nation’s economy sank into

what came to be called the Great Depression.

In 1930, there were 4 million jobless Americans.

By 1931, the number had increased to 6 million. Just

one year later, 12 million people were out of work.

One quarter of the workforce was unemployed, while

another quarter was underemployed,

working fewer hours than before.

The United States did not have

programs such as unemployment

insurance or Social Security to help

its citizens. People depended on

relatives and charitable organizations

to survive. Across the country, people

waited in bread lines and outside

soup kitchens for free or cheap food.

Countless homeless people lived in

Hoovervilles

In the 1930s, shantytowns appeared in cities all over the nation. Shanties were makeshift houses made of any material available—metal, plastic, plywood, and cardboard. These areas were sometimes called “hobo jungles” or “Hoovervilles” because people blamed the Great Depression on President Hoover.


• 57 •

tents or abandoned cars. Others built makeshift

ramshackle shanties.

As conditions worsened, Roosevelt pressed

harder for reform in New York. To promote his

ideas, he used a new technology—radio. Millions of

Americans had radios in their homes. In a series of

radio programs, Roosevelt encouraged citizens to

write letters to their lawmakers. Many of Roosevelt’s

proposals were passed. In 1930, he won another

term as governor, this time by a huge margin.

Migrant families looking for work often lived in abandoned cars.

Essential Lives

• 58 •

The Roosevelts had grown comfortable in the

governor’s mansion. The ornate house where Grover

Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt had once lived

was frequently filled with visitors. The nine guest

rooms were usually

occupied, and the

Roosevelt children

and grandchildren

often visited and

brought their

friends. Books

and magazines

were plentiful,

and movies were

shown frequently

in the third-floor

hallway. A large

German shepherd

named Chief and

a black Scottish

terrier named

Murray romped

throughout the

house.

The Governor’s Mansion

The New York governor’s mansion sits atop

a hill overlooking the Hudson River in Albany.

Officially, the residence is called the Empire

State’s Executive Mansion. The building, con-

structed in 1856, was originally a banker’s pri-

vate home. Since 1875, the mansion has been

the residence of New York governors.

Each of the 29 governors who has lived in

the mansion has had an impact on the build-

ing. Alfred Smith had a zoo built, and Theodore

Roosevelt constructed a gymnasium. In 1922,

Franklin Roosevelt put in a heated swimming

pool as therapy for his polio. Later, it was filled

in and converted to a greenhouse. Nelson

Rockefeller added the tennis courts and direct-

ed restoration of the first floor after a 1961 fire.

The greenhouse was restored to a pool under

Governor Mario Cuomo. There also has been

a tradition of planting memorial trees on the

grounds. The weeping elm in back of the man-

sion was planted by Governor Charles Whit-

man on the birth of his son. The grove of apple

trees was planted by Governor Hugh Carey to

mark his stay. In the 1990s, donations made it

possible for the Executive Mansion Preserva-

tion Society to restore the building. The kitchen

was remodeled, some windows were replaced,

and central air conditioning was installed.


• 59 •

Large groups joined the

Roosevelts for lunch, dinner, or

grand state receptions. Eleanor, no

longer a shy, insecure woman, hosted

the numerous social activities. She

also had her own teaching career,

took an active part in politics, and

defended women’s rights. Often, she

filled in for her husband when he was

physically unable to participate.

However, while joyful guests

enjoyed the elegant affairs at the

governor’s mansion, the people of

the nation were becoming more

destitute. President Hoover believed

it was the responsibility of local

governments and charities, not the

federal government, to help the

unemployed. He felt the economy

would one day correct itself. At first,

Roosevelt agreed with Hoover. But as time went

on and conditions grew worse, he realized that if

Hoover would not help the nation, then at least the

state of New York must help its own citizens.

The “Kingmaker”

Louis McHenry Howe (1871–1936) has often been called “the man behind Roosevelt” or the “kingmaker.” His dedication to Roosevelt was strong and long last-ing. For 20 years before Roosevelt became presi-dent, Howe mentored him, campaigned for him, and kept his political ma-chine running.

As Roosevelt’s closest adviser, Howe had great inner strength. His char-acter, however, did not match his outward ap-pearance. He was fragile, sickly looking, and un-tidy. Howe and Roosevelttalked daily. Howe’s con-stant advice influenced what Roosevelt said and did and greatly affected the course of Franklin’s long political career.

Essential Lives

• 60 •

Before the state legislature,

Roosevelt declared:

One of these duties of the State is that of

caring for those of its citizens who find

themselves the victims of such adverse

circumstances as makes them unable to

obtain even the necessities for mere existence

with the aid of others.1

In 1931, Roosevelt asked the state

legislature to designate $20 million

for a Temporary Emergency Relief

Administration (TERA). The agency

would attempt to provide jobs for the

unemployed. If work could not be found, then food,

clothing, and shelter would be provided for the

needy. Roosevelt’s plan was passed, and he quickly

gained national status as the governor doing the most

to deal with unemployment. By 1932, TERA was

helping approximately one in every ten needy New

York families. A presidential election was coming up

that year. The successful Governor Roosevelt would

emerge as a prime candidate.

Hoover’s Deeds

Although the Great De-pression was blamed largely on President Her-bert Hoover (1929–1933), he did make important progress during his term. He cracked down on gangsters, preserved 3 million acres (1.2 million ha) for national parks, and built the San Francisco Bridge. Hoover also en-couraged tax breaks for low-income Americans, reorganized the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and insti-tuted prison reform.


• 61 •

Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1932

• 62 •

F ranklin Roosevelt—“FDR,” as he was

commonly called—knew he could

not win the presidential race alone. He needed

knowledgeable people to advise him. Louis Howe

was still his top adviser. Roosevelt also depended on

Chapter7

Roosevelt leaving Chicago by train in 1932, bound for St. Paul.

The Road to the White House


• 63 •

Raymond Moley, a bright professor from Columbia

University with good sense and political experience.

Sam Rosenman, a shrewd lawyer and one of

Roosevelt’s closest consultants, wanted to bring in a

few professors to discuss problems Roosevelt might

face as president.

Soon, brilliant Columbia law professors began

traveling to Albany to have dinner with Roosevelt.

After the meals, Roosevelt would shoot questions at

new advisers. When news of Roosevelt’s intellectual

advisory group made the papers, a reporter dubbed

it the Brain Trust.

One outcome of the sessions was a strategy to

attack Hoover’s “trickle-down” economic policy.

Hoover had declared: “If we help big business,

everyone will benefit—the trickle-down effect

will help everyone get back to work.”1 Roosevelt

stated that government should not help just banks

and corporations. It must also come to the aid of

farmers, small business owners, and homeowners.

He called for government leaders to “put their faith

once more in the forgotten man at the bottom of the

economic pyramid.”2

That year, 1932, the Democratic Convention was

held in Chicago. Roosevelt did not attend but kept

Essential Lives

• 64 •

in close contact with Howe and other supporters at

the convention. On the fourth ballot, after a tough

battle, Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination

for president. Immediately, he chartered an airplane

to fly to Chicago. He was going against tradition by

accepting the nomination in person. But he felt his

candidacy needed to start off with dramatic fanfare.

Flying HighAirplane travel was still in its infancy. It had

only been five years since Charles Lindbergh had

made his historic transatlantic flight. No American

president or presidential candidate had ever traveled

by plane. But Roosevelt did not have

the time to travel by train. He had to

get to Chicago before the convention

adjourned. On July 2, 1932,

Roosevelt arrived at the convention.

“The whole hall was electrified

as he came in on his son’s arm,”

recalled one conventioneer. “People

were crying and hugging each other,

even if they didn’t really like him, just

because it was so exciting.”3 Roosevelt

again made his way to the platform

Flying to Great Heights

In 1933, after an elegant formal dinner, Eleanor Roosevelt accompanied famous female pilot Ame-lia Earhart on a round-trip flight from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore, Mary-land, and back.

In 1940, on a visit to Tuskegee flying school, Eleanor flew with pilot C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson. The First Lady’s willing-ness to fly with a black pi-lot brought great publicity and support to Tuskegee’s pilot training program.


• 65 •

with the help of his son James. Then

he walked alone to the podium and

addressed the delegates. He ended

with these words:

I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal

for the American people. … This is more

than a political campaign; it is a call to

arms. Give me your help, not to win votes

alone, but to win in this crusade to restore

America to its own people.4

The words “new deal” quickly

became Roosevelt’s campaign slogan.

He traveled throughout the country

during some of its darkest days.

Franklin campaigned for hope—to

end the Depression and for a bright

future. Few doubted that he would

defeat Hoover, a man who had

become a symbol of the Depression.

Roosevelt won by more than 7

million votes and carried 42 of the

48 states in the electoral college. But

he had to wait four months to take

office as the thirty-second president

Understanding the Electoral College

The electoral college is made up of electors who indirectly elect the presi-dent. The number of elec-tors equals the total of both houses of Congress (100 senators and 435 representatives) plus three electors designated for Washington, D.C. A pres-idential candidate must receive a majority of elec-toral votes (270) in order to win the election. Since the most populous states have the most members in Congress, they also have the most electors. Currently, California has the most (55), followed by Texas (34), and New York (31). On four occasions—1824, 1876, 1888, and 2000—the presidential candidate who received the most individual votes did not become presi-dent because he did not receive at least 270 elec-toral votes.

Essential Lives

• 66 •

The CCC and the TVA

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was

created during the Hundred Days in 1933

to provide jobs for men. The CCC hired only

single unemployed men between the ages of

18 and 25. Under the supervision of the army,

the men worked for the Forest and National

Park Services in southeastern states. Men were

divided into groups of approximately 200 and

sent off to camps for six months at a time. By

1935, there were more than 500,000 men at

1,500 camps throughout the nation. Their work

included improving parks, beaches, and his-

toric sites. They also worked on flood control,

built fire observation towers, and cleared and

planted forests.

Another agency, the Tennessee Valley

Authority (TVA), was created to restore the

flooded Tennessee Valley basin. This huge

area snaked through seven states in the South,

where floods regularly ravaged the valley.

Farmers went without electricity, and disease

was widespread. Families had scarcely enough

to eat. Many survived on a diet of pork and

cornmeal. The purpose of the TVA was to pro-

duce and distribute electricity to residents and

farmers. The workers built dams and hydro-

electric projects that produced electric power

for factories, farms, and homes. These projects,

also designed to control flooding, brought

jobs and improvement to one of the nation’s

poorest areas.

of the United States. This was a dismal time, as the

Great Depression took its toll on the nation.

Skies over

midwestern states

were black with

smoke from crop

fires. Farmers had

set their own fields

ablaze when no one

would buy their

crops. Automobile

workers rioted in

Detroit, Michigan,

and hunger

marches broke out

in New York and

Chicago. Factories

lay empty, and all

across the country,

banks failed as

frightened people

withdrew their

money. By January

1933, people were

starving. Overseas,


• 67 •

a Japanese army was advancing on

China. On January 30, 1933, as

Roosevelt celebrated his fifty-first

birthday, crowds in Germany cheered

for their new chancellor—Adolf

Hitler.

On March 4, 1933, outside the

U.S. Capitol, Roosevelt took his oath

of office. As a light drizzle fell, a

confident FDR turned and spoke to

approximately 100,000 people:

This great Nation will endure as it has

endured, will revive and will prosper. So,

first of all, let me assert my firm belief that

the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.5

People in the crowd wept as their new leader gave

them courage and direction. By radio, Americans

heard Roosevelt explain his plan to put people back

to work and restore hope.

The Hundred DaysThe next day, Sunday, was typically a day of rest,

but Roosevelt and his administration went to work.

On Monday, banks were ordered to close down for

Assassination Attempt

On February 15, 1933, Giuseppe Zangara, an unemployed bricklayer, took aim at President-elect Roosevelt in Miami, Florida. As he shot, he shouted “Too many peo-ple are starving to death!” He missed Roosevelt but fatally wounded Chicago Mayor Anton Cernak. Zangara later said, “I don’t hate Mr. Roosevelt personally. ... I hate all officials and everybody who is rich.”6

Essential Lives

• 68 •

three days. This “bank holiday” would stop people

from withdrawing and hoarding money.

On March 9, Roosevelt began to work with a

special session of Congress. It was the beginning of

what would be called the “Hundred Days,” a period

of rapid-fire legislation to deal with the Great

Depression. The first law Congress passed was the

Emergency Banking Act. On March 12, Roosevelt

spoke by radio to as many as 60 million Americans.

In this first Fireside Chat, as they were called, he

began,

My friends, I want to talk for a few minutes with the people

of the United States about banking. … It is safer to keep your

money in a reopened bank than it is under the mattress. 7

Millions of people did what their president

suggested. Within a month, seven out of every ten

banks were open. Americans had deposited $31

billion. Nearly every day, Congress passed a new bill.

New agencies such as the Tennessee Valley Authority

(TVA) to provide public power and the Civilian

Conservation Corps (CCC) to help preserve the

environment sprang up. In time, the Works Progress

Administration (WPA) also provided jobs as part

of a massive relief program. It employed millions


• 69 •

of people to build schools, playgrounds, libraries,

hospitals, roads, airports, and post offices. Doctors

were hired to set up clinics, and teachers taught adult

education classes. Artists, musicians, and writers

were employed for special projects such as painting

murals, performing concerts and plays, and writing

books.

Some people criticized the programs for wasting

government money. They called the New Deal the

President Roosevelt sits at the head of a mess table for lunch at CCC Camp Fechner in Big Meadows, Virginia.

Essential Lives

• 70 •

“Raw Deal” and claimed that big

spending was going to bankrupt the

country. The president’s New Deal

was changing the way people worked,

farmed, and banked. The plan’s three

main goals—the “three Rs” of Relief,

Recovery, and Reform—were working

despite criticism.

In June 1933, the Hundred Days

were over, and Roosevelt turned

his attention to foreign affairs. Hitler blamed

Germany’s problems on its Jewish citizens. In

1935, Germany passed the Nuremburg Laws, which

classified Jews as German subjects instead of citizens.

Signs proclaiming “No Jews Allowed” dotted streets

and business windows. Hitler, who wanted a racially

“pure” Germany, did not tolerate Jewish people.

The United States had an isolationist policy—it

would not get involved in foreign affairs. But

Hitler’s army had grown dramatically. On March 7,

the German army marched on the Rhineland, the

first of many German occupations. Other countries

were also set to expand through force. Roosevelt

did not believe the United States should remain

isolated.

Hard Times and a New Deal

The New Deal was a set of federal laws and pro-grams designed to help people survive and to re-vive the economy. Some of these programs—for example, the Securities and Exchange Commis-sion (SEC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corpo-ration (FDIC)—still exist today.


• 71 •

Roosevelt often addressed the nation through Fireside Chats.Roosevelt often addressed the nation through Fireside Chats.

• 72 •

Chapter8

Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1936 election year

Prelude to War

N ovember 1936 was an election month.

Franklin Roosevelt was running for

a second term against Kansas Governor Alfred

M. Landon. Roosevelt’s campaign focus was the

economy, and he defended government spending.


• 73 •

Almost every newspaper criticized him, but most

Americans strongly supported him. “He gave me a

job,” some shouted on his campaign trail. Others

yelled, “He saved my home.” Signs proclaimed,

“Thank God for Roosevelt.” Roosevelt kept the

presidency by the biggest landslide in the history of

the nation.

Roosevelt began his second term with a

strengthened economy and support of the people.

The stock market was strong and unemployment had

dropped. Income for farmers had nearly doubled.

Social Security was underway.

Roosevelt enjoyed the presidency, and he enjoyed

people, even those who opposed him. With a relaxed

smile and a friendly greeting, he welcomed reporters

and visitors. They interviewed him as he swam in

the White House pool, while he got ready in the

morning, or during lunch at his desk. The White

House was a comfortable place where the president’s

grandchildren and Scottish terrier, Fala, ran about

freely. In the evenings, the president watched movies

in the wide second-floor hallway. He also liked to

work on his sizable stamp collection.

Roosevelt vacationed often at Warm Springs and

Hyde Park, which he considered home. As always,

Essential Lives

• 74 •

Four Terms

Franklin Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms. He was elected four times, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. On February 2, 1951, the Twenty-second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed, setting a limit of no more than two four-year terms for presidents.

Sara was deeply involved in her

son’s affairs. She enjoyed her role as

mother of the president.

The First Lady was also involved

in her husband’s affairs, but she was

making her own mark on the world.

For the first time, a president’s wife

was playing a major political role.

Eleanor worked for human rights

and justice, traveling throughout

the world on speaking tours. She

reached millions all over the world with her views

on equal rights for women and blacks. Although

Eleanor never quite got over her husband’s affair

with Lucy Mercer, Franklin and Eleanor still

respected and cared for each other. Franklin was

enormously proud of Eleanor and even approved of

the occasional controversies she stirred up. “You go

right ahead and stand for whatever you feel is right,”

he once told her.1

Roosevelt also supported his children, who

led tumultuous lives. However, the president’s

concerns for his family often took a back seat to

what was happening in the nation. Despite some

improvement, unemployment remained a problem,


• 75 •

and farm prices were falling. The New Deal was

receiving strong criticism, and the president found

himself defending his program and his ideals.

Workers were striking, and companies were fighting

back. Violent quarrels broke out on picket lines, and

police were called in to stop the bloody beatings. The

gruesome clash in Chicago on Memorial Day 1937—

called the Memorial Day Massacre—was the worst.

Troubled TimesThe nation’s problems paled in light of what

was going on in the rest of the world. Germany and

Italy had formed an alliance that would later include

Japan and several smaller countries. The Axis

Powers, as they were called, planned to dominate

Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Japan

invaded China that year. And on November 5, 1937,

Hitler held a secret meeting and declared his plans to

acquire “living space” for the German people. The

slogan for the Nazi Party confirmed its goal: “Today

Germany—Tomorrow the World.”

The concerned president attempted to build up

the nation’s military. But his critics accused him

of focusing on international events to cover up his

failures at home. Congress protested and insisted on

Essential Lives

• 76 •

isolation—to stay neutral and not take sides with the

aggressor or the victim.

As 1938 began, Roosevelt requested more than

$1 billion to bolster what he called an inadequate

national defense. In March, Hitler occupied Austria

and stepped up his persecution of the Jews. Roosevelt

sent a personal telegram to Hitler, stating that war

was unnecessary and unjustifiable. Hitler did not

answer.

On November 10, 1938, the Nazis burned 195

synagogues, herded 25,000 Jews to concentration

camps, and shattered windows in 8,000 Jewish

shops. It was called Kristallnacht—Night of Broken

Glass. Roosevelt told the press, “I myself could

scarcely believe that such things could occur in a

twentieth-century civilization.”2 Then he ordered

Hugh Wilson, U.S. ambassador to Germany, to

return to the United States.

On January 4, 1939, Roosevelt warned Americans

that isolationism was no defense against aggression.

While Roosevelt tried to convince Congress to end

the nation’s neutrality, Hitler struck again. This

time, the Nazis marched into Czechoslovakia. One

month later, Italy conquered Albania, and the

Japanese moved closer to the Philippines.


• 77 •

Roosevelt was angry. He asked the German,

Italian, and Japanese dictators not to attack a list of

31 independent nations for a period of ten years.

His request was received with ridicule. One German

leader implied that Roosevelt had a brain disorder.

Mussolini said the message was absurd and likely a

result of creeping paralysis. Hitler’s response was

mocking and sarcastic.

The World at WarAt 3:00 a.m. on September 1, 1939, the

American ambassador to France woke Roosevelt

A pedestrian looks at the wreckage of a Jewish shop in Berlin, Germany, on November 10, 1938, the day after the Kristallnacht rampage.

Essential Lives

• 78 •

with a telephone call. German troops were invading

Poland, fighting was fierce, and bombers were over

Warsaw, Poland. The president replied, “… it’s come

at last. God help us all.”3

France and England promised to support Poland

and declared war on Germany. More and more

countries—collectively known as the Allies—began

joining the fight against the Axis Powers. The

president knew his country could not remain

neutral. But the Neutrality Act of 1935, which

prohibited the United States from selling arms to

any warring powers, made it impossible for him to

sell war supplies to fighting nations, even friends.

In January 1940, FDR gave his annual State of

the Union address. Without hesitation, he voiced his

concern over the United States’ attitude toward the

war:

There is a vast difference between keeping out of war and

pretending that this war is none of our business. For it becomes

clearer and clearer that the future world will be a shabby and

dangerous place to live in—yes, even for Americans to live

in—if it is ruled by force in the hands of a few.4

Soon, the world did indeed become a more

dangerous place to live. On April 9, 1940, Hitler


• 79 •

Royalty

In the summer of 1939, England’s King

George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the

United States. It was the first time English roy-

alty had visited. On a sweltering afternoon, the

Roosevelts hosted a large garden party for the

couple, followed by an elegant state dinner

and reception at the White House. Before the

festivities began, Eleanor waited with Diana—

the young daughter of one of the president’s

closest advisors—in the second-floor hallway

of the White House to see the queen. When

Queen Elizabeth emerged in her white gown,

precious jewels, and glistening tiara, Diana

gasped that she had just seen the Fairy Queen.

After visiting Mount Vernon and the Tomb

of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia,

the royal couple traveled by car to Hyde Park.

At Springwood, Roosevelt took the opportunity

for a long private discussion with the king about

the world situation. Both men thought war was

unavoidable. Roosevelt promised to be helpful

and even hinted that the United States might

enter the war if London were attacked. The roy-

al visit ended with an old-fashioned American

picnic. It was the first time the king and queen

had ever eaten hot dogs. Eleanor’s heart was

heavy when she thought of the cloud that hung

over the royal couple and what their country

would likely face. In just 11 weeks, Britain was

at war with Germany.

invaded Denmark and Norway. Four weeks later,

German tanks rolled through the Netherlands,

Belgium, and Luxembourg, and made their way to

Paris. On June 22,

France surrendered

to Nazi power.

The American

people were

stunned. Roosevelt

immediately

proposed a massive

increase of military

and naval forces

and the production

of 50,000

airplanes a year. A

record $1.7 billion

was earmarked for

military growth.

In the

president’s

fifteenth Fireside

Chat—one of his

regular radio

addresses to the

• 80 •

Essential Lives

American people, he declared:

Tonight over the once peaceful roads of

Belgium and France millions are now

moving, running from their homes to

escape bombs and shells and fire and

machine gunning, without shelter, and

almost wholly without food. … I speak to

you of these people because each one of

you that is listening to me tonight has a

way of helping them.”5

He warned the American people

that no longer could the nation live

in isolation from the rest of the

world. He reminded them that the country must

build its defenses and defend its freedom.

One More TermAfter months of indecision, Roosevelt decided

to run for a third term as president. No U.S.

president had ever served more than two terms. As

the campaign heated up, the war raged in Europe.

Britain was now being attacked by the Nazis. From

July to August 1940, Nazi planes tried to destroy

the Royal Air Force (RAF) in daytime air raids over

Growing the Military

Between 1933 and 1940, the U.S. Navy fight-ing personnel rose from 79,000 to 145,000. The army nearly doubled from 1933 to 1940. It was also equipped with modern weapons and 5,640 air-planes, including long-range bombers and fast pursuit planes. The num-ber of pilots nearly tripled to more than 3,200 of the best fighter pilots in the world. The number of modern tanks and ar-mored cars increased from 48 to 1,700.


• 81 •

the English Channel. In September, the Germans

began a weeklong bombing of London and other

British cities. But on September 15, 1940, just two

days before Hitler’s plan for an all-out invasion of

Britain, the RAF shot down 60 German aircraft.

The Nazis retreated, but only briefly. They began

nighttime air raids that continued into 1941.

Britain’s prime minister, Winston Churchill,

pleaded for help from the United States. Churchill

requested American destroyers to patrol the Atlantic

Ocean and protect Britain’s supply routes. Sending

the ships was a risk for Roosevelt. Isolationists

would see it as U.S. involvement in the war. But the

president was convinced that even a day’s delay in

helping Britain could mean the end of civilization.

He bypassed Congress and issued an executive order

to send 50 old destroyers to Britain in return for a

number of military bases. The act clearly ended the

nation’s neutrality.

Helping BritainRoosevelt won the presidential election in

November and stepped up his aid to Britain. The

British did not have enough money to pay for U.S.

supplies and ships, so Roosevelt came up with a plan.

• 82 •

Essential Lives

Why not just provide the war supplies and equipment

to Britain and worry about payment later? Roosevelt

reasoned:

Suppose my neighbor’s home catches on fire, and I have a length

of garden hose four or five hundred feet away. If he can take

my garden hose and connect it up with his hydrant, I may

help him put out the fire. Now what do I do? I don’t say to

him before that operation, “Neighbor, my garden hose cost

me fifteen dollars; you have to pay me fifteen dollars for it.”

No! What is the transaction that goes on? I don’t want fifteen

dollars—I want my garden hose after the fire is over.6

Roosevelt assured Congress that the Lend-Lease

Act, as he called it, was not an act of war. The debate

in Congress was fierce. Mail poured into the White

House. Isolationist groups staged sit-ins. A huge

rally was held in Madison Square Garden to protest

the United States’ involvement in the war. After two

months of deliberation, Congress passed the Lend-

Lease Act by an overwhelming margin.

U.S. involvement, however, did not stop Hitler.

Germany soon occupied Greece and Yugoslavia

and invaded Russia, its former ally. Sophisticated

German U-boats attacked ships carrying supplies to

Britain. To protect ships in the Atlantic, Roosevelt


• 83 •

transferred ships from the U.S.

Navy’s Pacific Fleet even though he

was worried about taking ships from

the Pacific. It might encourage the

Japanese to invade more countries.

A Secret MeetingFor three days in early August,

Roosevelt and Churchill met secretly

off the coast of Newfoundland,

Canada. The meeting resulted in

the Atlantic Charter—a vision of

freedom in the post-World War

II world, in which the two leaders

pledged themselves to the ideals of

self-determination, free trade, and

defeat of the Axis powers. But that

summer, Germany was closing in on

Moscow, and Japan was threatening

the Philippines. Roosevelt urged

Japan to retreat, but his message

was ignored. He then issued an

executive order to cut off trade with

Japan. Meanwhile, the U.S. Army

broke Japan’s secret code and began

The Atlantic Charter

The Atlantic Charter, issued on August 14, 1941, included the fol-lowing principles:1. No territorial gainswould be sought by theUnited States or Britain.2. Territorial adjustmentswould agree with thewishes of the peopleconcerned.3. Nations should have the right to self-determi-nation.4. Nations should strive for global economic co-operation and advance-ment.5. Nations should have freedom from want and fear.6. The seas should be free.7. Any aggressor nations should be disarmed and there should be common postwar disarmament.

Although the charter was created between the United States and Brit-ain, many other countries eventually adopted the principles of the charter. It proved to be the first step in the establishment of the United Nations.

Essential Lives

• 84 •

intercepting messages. Something big was about to

happen. But Roosevelt did not have enough navy to

protect both oceans.

On September 7, 1941, in the midst of great

international uncertainty, 86-year-old Sara

Roosevelt died suddenly. Franklin Roosevelt deeply

mourned his mother’s death but quickly turned his

attention back to the war and the nation’s defense.

Roosevelt attempted to negotiate, but Japanese

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto already had a secret

plan in place—a surprise attack on the U.S. fleet in

Hawaii. Leaders in Washington, D.C., knew some

cruel plan was in motion, but no one knew how

to stop it. On December 6, 1941, Roosevelt made

a personal appeal to Japan’s Emperor Hirohito.

He urged friendship between the two countries to

prevent further death and destruction in the world.

Hirohito rejected Roosevelt’s plea. “This means

war,” the president declared.7

A few hours later, at 7:53 a.m. Hawaiian time,

and as Roosevelt worked quietly on his stamp

collection at the White House, Japanese bombs fell

on U.S. ships and planes. On December 8, 1941,

the United States declared war on Japan and entered

World War II.


• 85 •

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is greeted by Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is greeted by Britain’s Prime Minister

• 86 •

Chapter9

U.S. Army recruiting station staff gather around a radio to listen to President Roosevelt’s special message about the attack on Pearl Harbor.

War!

T he president immediately mobilized more

than 15 million members of the military.

But the United States was not prepared for war. As

thousands of the nation’s men went to war, women

joined the workforce to fill positions previously


• 87 •

held by men. The nation began to mass produce

military supplies and weapons. Roosevelt called

for the immediate manufacture of 60,000 planes,

25,000 tanks, and 20,000 antiaircraft weapons.

The following year, the president increased those

numbers.

Pressure on Roosevelt was mounting to end the

suffering of Jewish people in concentration camps

throughout Europe. As the existence of the camps

was exposed, some officials wanted to bomb the rail

lines that led to them. The Allies, however, focused

on defeating Germany in order to ultimately help

the Jews.

By the end of 1942, the Allies had made progress.

Victories were won against Japan, and Russia had

Germany under siege at Stalingrad, Russia. In North

Africa, the British sent the Nazis retreating with

many casualties. U.S. troops landed in Morocco and

Algeria, trapping Hitler’s forces.

Churchill and Roosevelt met nine times during

the war, sometimes for weeks at a time at the White

House or Hyde Park. Conferences also included

other Allied leaders such as Russia’s Joseph Stalin

and China’s Chiang Kai-shek. Roosevelt, Churchill,

and Stalin became known as the “Big Three.”

Essential Lives

• 88 •

By the end of 1943, Allied countries were on the

offensive. The Nazi army was pushed out of Africa,

and Italy surrendered. Russia stopped Germany

from taking Stalingrad, and U.S. forces took

Guadalcanal from

Japan in a brutal

battle.

Marching Toward Victory

The march to

victory started on

June 6, 1944. U.S.

General Dwight

D. Eisenhower

led Allied

forces across the

English Channel

and swarmed

the beaches of

Normandy, France.

On D-Day, as it

was called, 2,700

Allied vessels

deposited more

Internment Camps

The atmosphere in the United States was

not good for Japanese Americans during World

War II. Fear of Japanese people increased

greatly after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in

December 1941. In February 1942, Roosevelt

gave in to public pressure and approved the

confinement of 120,000 Japanese people in

the United States. Although ethnic origin was

not mentioned in the president’s executive or-

der, it was understood that the order targeted

Japanese Americans. Eleanor Roosevelt told

her husband of her serious misgivings about his

decision. But Roosevelt asked her not to bring

up the subject again.

Japanese Americans were sent to ten intern-

ment camps in remote desert areas in the West.

Most of these Japanese Americans remained

there until the end of the war. Conditions were

poor, and the barracks were crowded. There

were no plumbing or cooking facilities and little

heat. Residents of the camps had to buy their

own food, which was rationed out and served

in a mess hall. Eventually, Japanese people

were allowed to leave the relocation centers if

they enlisted in the army. Approximately 1,200

chose to join. In 1944, before the end of World

War II, Roosevelt withdrew his order. All the

camps closed down by the end of 1945.


• 89 •

than 170,000 soldiers on French shores. In one

of the bloodiest battles of the war, 1 million Allied

troops pushed their way into France. By the end of

August, the Allies had liberated Paris.

In the midst of these brutal battles, Roosevelt

knew that victory was at hand. But the 62-year-

old president was tired and in poor health. His

third term as president was almost over, and he

did not want to run again. At that time, there was

no limit to the number of terms someone could

serve as president. Roosevelt wanted to return to

private life at Hyde Park, but he left the decision

up to the American people. To the chairman of the

Democratic Party, he wrote:

If the people command me to continue in this office and in

this war I have as little right to withdraw as the soldier has to

leave his post in the line. For myself I do not want to run. …

I repeat that I will accept and serve in this office, if I am so

ordered by the Commander in Chief of us all—the sovereign

people of the United States.1

Roosevelt won the election by more than 3.5 million

votes.

German troops were now being pushed back into

their own country. Allied bombs were devastating

• 90 •

Berlin. In February 1945, a weary Roosevelt met

with Churchill and Stalin at the eight-day Yalta

Conference. The leaders discussed ways to restore

worldwide peace after the war.

A Tired LeaderWhen Roosevelt returned to Washington,

D.C., members of Congress were shocked at his

appearance. In a joint session of Congress on March

2, 1945, Roosevelt arrived in his wheelchair and

spoke sitting at a table. He had never done either

Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, seated left to right, were known as the Big Three.


• 91 •

before. In a shaky voice, the president reported on

the plan for future peace and said he was looking

forward to the United Nations Conference, aimed at

setting up a world organization.

The war had sapped the president’s strength. He

told Vice President Harry S. Truman that he was

going to the Little White House, as it was called, in

Warm Springs. He arrived on March

30, exhausted and thin.

News of imminent victory in the

war encouraged him. But on the

morning of April 12, 1945, Roosevelt

woke with a headache and a stiff neck.

That day he pored through official

documents, signed a bill, and wrote

an upcoming speech. With a shaky

hand, he penned the last sentences:

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow

will be our doubts of today. Let us move

forward with strong and active faith.2

At about 1:00 p.m. Roosevelt’s

cousin Daisy Suckley noticed that the

president had his head forward at his

desk. When she approached to find

The United Nations

The United Nations, Roosevelt’s brainchild, was established after Roosevelt died and after the end of World War II. Its purpose was to help nations settle their con-flicts and avoid war.

The term “United Na-tions” was first used by Roosevelt and Churchill to refer to the Allies dur-ing World War II. In April 1945, about two weeks after FDR’s death, the United Nations Confer-ence on International Or-ganizations was held in San Francisco, California. Two months later, 50 na-tions signed the Charter of the United Nations. Cur-rently, the United Nations is made up of 192 mem-ber nations.

• 92 •

out what was wrong, Roosevelt put his left hand to

the back of his head and said in a low voice, “I have

a terrific headache.”3 Then his arm fell, and his

unconscious body slumped over. Roosevelt’s doctor

tried to revive him, but at 3:55 p.m., the 63-year-

old president of the United States was pronounced

dead.

Churchill and other world leaders mourned the

death of this great man. However, in Berlin, Nazis

celebrated. When Hitler received the news, he was

hiding in his underground bunker beneath the

bombed ruins of Berlin.

On April 13, 1945, a funeral procession led by

an army band and 1,000 infantry wound its way

through Warm Springs. Behind the hearse, Eleanor

Roosevelt rode in an open car with their dog Fala at

her feet. To the beat of a drum, the procession made

its way to the presidential train. Roosevelt’s flag-

draped coffin was lifted into the rear railroad car

and guarded by four servicemen.

As the train made its way north, Americans lined

the way to wave, sing, and kneel in respect for their

departed president—and their dear friend. A strange

mixture of grief and fear sank in as they realized

their leader was gone—and the war was not yet over.


• 93 •

In Washington, D.C., Roosevelt’s coffin was taken

to the White House, where leaders and lawmakers

crowded in for the funeral. Eleanor, Anna, and

Elliot were there. James, Franklin Jr., and John were

overseas serving in the military.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was buried in his

mother’s rose garden at Hyde Park. Now, just a short

distance from the room where he was born, he was

laid to rest—back home at his beloved Springwood

estate in Hyde Park.

Franklin D. Roosevelt funeral processional in Hyde Park, New York

Essential Lives

• 94 •

Sad News

Russian leader Joseph Sta-lin was deeply moved by news of Roosevelt’s death. He made the unusual decision to allow the U.S. president’s picture to be printed on the front pages of Russian newspapers.

When Roosevelt died, Winston Churchill said he felt as though he had been struck a physical blow. He broke down when he shared the news of Roosevelt’s death in a speech to Britain’s House of Commons.

Two weeks later, on April 30, 1945, Hitler shot

himself in his underground bunker. On May 7,

Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.

In August, President Truman ordered the first

atomic bombs to be dropped on the Japanese cities

of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 14, Japan

surrendered unconditionally.

Roosevelt did not live to see the end of World

War II, but he led his country and the Allies to

victory. He was considered one of the greatest

presidents of the United States who won the most

devastating war in the history of humanity. The

United States now took its place as a

world superpower.

Oddly, a man who once

considered himself useless and could

not walk without braces was the one

who brought the nation to that status.

He had identified with the American

people and transformed a suffering

nation that had lost hope. Although

physically limited, Roosevelt left a

legacy of strength.


• 95 •

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his White House office, June 20, 1936President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his White House office, June 20, 1936

• 96 •

Timeline

Essential Lives

1907 1909 1910 1910 1912 1913

Son James is born. Son Franklin Jr. is born (dies at eight

months old).

Son Elliott is born. Roosevelt is elected as New York state

senator.

Roosevelt is reelected as New York state

senator.

Roosevelt accepts position as assistant secretary of the navy

in March.

1882 1896 1900 1905 1906 1907

Frankin Delano Roosevelt is born on

January 30.

Franklin attends Groton School,

starting on September 17.

Roosevelt attends Harvard University,

starting in September.

Roosevelt attends Columbia Law School,

starting in January. He marries

Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17.

Daughter Anna Eleanor is born

in May.

Roosevelt passes the bar exam. He begins

a law career with Carter, Ledyard, and

Milburn.

• 97 •


1907 1909 1910 1910 1912 1913

Son James is born. Son Franklin Jr. is born (dies at eight

months old).

Son Elliott is born. Roosevelt is elected as New York state

senator.

Roosevelt is reelected as New York state

senator.

Roosevelt accepts position as assistant secretary of the navy

in March.

1882 1896 1900 1905 1906 1907

Frankin Delano Roosevelt is born on

January 30.

Franklin attends Groton School,

starting on September 17.

Roosevelt attends Harvard University,

starting in September.

Roosevelt attends Columbia Law School,

starting in January. He marries

Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17.

Daughter Anna Eleanor is born

in May.

Roosevelt passes the bar exam. He begins

a law career with Carter, Ledyard, and

Milburn.

• 98 •

Timeline

Essential Lives

1936 1940 1941 1941 1945 1945

Roosevelt is reelected to second term as

president.

In November, Roosevelt is reelected

to a third term as president of the United States.

Roosevelt secretly meets with Churchill in August and drafts the Atlantic Charter.

On December 8, the U.S. Congress

declares war on Japan and enters World

War II.

Roosevelt attends the Yalta Conference in February and drafts

the idea for the United Nations.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies at Warm Springs,

Georgia, on April 12. He is buried in Hyde

Park, New York.

1914 1916 1921 1926 1928 1932

Son Franklin Jr. is born.

Son John is born. Roosevelt is stricken with polio during a

summer visit to Campobello Island.

Roosevelt purchases a resort at Warm Springs, Georgia,

which he later nicknames “the Little

White House.”

Roosevelt wins elec-tion for governor of

New York.

Roosevelt wins elec-tion as the thirty-sec-ond president of the

United States.

• 99 •


1936 1940 1941 1941 1945 1945

Roosevelt is reelected to second term as

president.

In November, Roosevelt is reelected

to a third term as president of the United States.

Roosevelt secretly meets with Churchill in August and drafts the Atlantic Charter.

On December 8, the U.S. Congress

declares war on Japan and enters World

War II.

Roosevelt attends the Yalta Conference in February and drafts

the idea for the United Nations.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies at Warm Springs,

Georgia, on April 12. He is buried in Hyde

Park, New York.

1914 1916 1921 1926 1928 1932

Son Franklin Jr. is born.

Son John is born. Roosevelt is stricken with polio during a

summer visit to Campobello Island.

Roosevelt purchases a resort at Warm Springs, Georgia,

which he later nicknames “the Little

White House.”

Roosevelt wins elec-tion for governor of

New York.

Roosevelt wins elec-tion as the thirty-sec-ond president of the

United States.

Essential Lives

• 100 •

Essential Facts

Date of Birth

January 30, 1882

Place of Birth

Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York

Date of Death

April 12, 1945

Parents

James and Sara Roosevelt

Education

Groton; Harvard; Columbia Law School

Marriage

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, married March 17, 1905

Children

Anna (1906), James (1907), Franklin Jr. (1909), Elliott (1910), Franklin Jr. (1914), John (1916)

Residences

Hyde Park, New York; Groton, Massachusetts; New York City, New York; Washington, D.C.


• 101 •

Career Highlights

Won election as New York state senator in 1910; reelected in 1912. Became assistant secretary of the navy in March 1913. Elected New York governor in 1928; reelected by a landslide in 1930. Became the thirty-second president of the United States on March 4, 1933. Crafted the New Deal—a program to deal with the ravages of the Great Depression. Declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, ushering the United States into World War II.

Societal Contribution

Roosevelt spent much of his life proposing legislation and creating programs that aided those experiencing economic and social disadvantages.

Conflicts

In his attempt to pull the nation out of the Great Depression, Roosevelt was criticized by many for wasting government money on New Deal programs. Roosevelt was later criticized for supporting U.S. involvement in World War II. Roosevelt also struggled with polio and went to great lengths to downplay the debilitating effects of the disease from the public.

Quote

“This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”—Franklin D. Roosevelt

Essential Lives

• 102 •

Additional Resources

Select Bibliography

Alter, Jonathan. The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Black, Conrad. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. New York: Public Affairs, 2003.

Buhite, Russell D. and David W. Levy, eds. FDR’s Fireside Chats. Norman,: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.

Burns, James MacGregor. Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, 1956, 1984.

Jenkins, Roy. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. New York: Times Books, 2003.

Lash, Joseph P. Eleanor and Franklin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971.

Leuchtenburg, William E. The FDR Years: On Roosevelt and His Legacy. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997.

Lippman, Theo Jr. The Squire of Warm Springs: FDR in Georgia, 1924–1945. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977.

Miller, Nathan. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Double-day & Company, 1983.

Morgan, Ted. FDR: A Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985.

Winkler, Allan M. Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Making of Modern America. New York: Perason/Longman, 2006.

Further Reading

Feinberg, Barbara Silberdick. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gallant President. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1981.

Freedman, Russell. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. New York: Clarion Books, 1990.

Haugen, Brenda. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: The New Deal President. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2006.


• 103 •

Web Links

To learn more about Franklin D. Roosevelt, visit ABDO Publishing Company on the World Wide Web at www.abdopublishing.com. Web sites about Franklin D. Roosevelt are featured on our Book Links page. These links are routinely monitored and updated to provide the most current information available.

Places To Visit

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial West Basin Drive, Washington, DC 20024 202-426-6841 www.nps.gov/fdrm/ Spread over 7.5 acres (3 ha), the FDR Memorial gives tribute to Roosevelt and also depicts the era in which he served as president of the United States.

Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and FDR Presidential Library and Museum 4097 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538 800-FDR-VISIT (800-337-84748) www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/ The Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York, where Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born, includes the FDR Presidential Library and Museum.

National World War II Memorial 17th Street (between Constitution and Independence Avenues), Washington, DC 20036 202-619-7222 www.wwiimemorial.com Located on the Washington National Mall, the memorial honors the 16 million who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home in World War II.

Essential Lives

• 104 •

Glossary

aggression The practice of launching attacks.

aristocracy A group or class considered superior to others.

bread line A line of people waiting to receive food given by a public agency or charitable organization.

fleet A number of warships operating together under one command.

internment The act of confining people, especially in wartime.

isolationism A national policy of staying out of political or wartime relations with other countries.

magazine A storeroom on a warship where ammunition is kept.

Nazi A member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, founded in Germany in 1919 and brought to power in 1933 under Adolf Hitler.

neutrality The policy of not taking sides and not participating in war.

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) The place in New York City where stock reports are displayed and trading is conducted by stockbrokers.

offensive An attitude or position of attack.

persecution Poor treatment of people, especially because of race, religion, gender, or beliefs.


• 105 •

picket line A group or line of people protesting a business or public policy.

poliomyelitis (polio) A highly infectious viral disease that leads to paralysis, muscular deterioration, and deformity.

prefect A student monitor, especially in a private school, who is in charge of discipline.

rector The head of a school, college, or university.

shanty A crudely built, often ramshackle, structure or shack.

soup kitchens Places where food is offered free or at a very low cost to the needy.

squire A country gentleman and landowner.

stock market A market that sells stocks and bonds.

strike A temporary stoppage of work by employees who demand higher pay or improved conditions.

yeomanette A female petty officer in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard assigned to secretarial and clerical duties.

Essential Lives

• 106 •

Source Notes

Chapter 1. “Tora! Tora! Tora!” 1. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 2. James MacGregor Burns. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. 164. 3. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 479. 4. USS Arizona Memorial. National Park Service, Department of the Interior Web site. 10 Feb. 2007 <http://www.nps.gov/archive/usar/ExtendWeb1.html>. 5. James MacGregor Burns. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. 165–166. 6. Ibid. 166. 7. Ibid. 166–167.

Chapter 2. The First 14 Years1. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 20. 2. Ibid. 15.

Chapter 3. Groton, Harvard, and Eleanor 1. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. 27 Mar. 2007 http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/peabody-endicott.htm>. 2. Ted Morgan. FDR: A Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985. 61. 3. Conrad Black. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. New York: Public Affairs, 2003. 24. 4. Ibid. 933. 5. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 239. 6. Joseph P. Lash. Eleanor and Franklin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971. 102. 7. Elizabeth Barrett Browning. “A Woman’s Shortcomings.” About.com: Women’s History. 15 Oct. 2007 <http://womenshistory.about.com/library/etext/poem1/blp2_browning_shortcomings.htm> 8. Joseph P. Lash. Eleanor and Franklin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971. 141.


• 107 •

Chapter 4. Doorway to Politics1. Russell Freedman. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. New York: Clarion Books, 1990. 38. 2. Ibid. 43.

Chapter 5. Stricken1. Kenneth S. Davis. FDR: The Beckoning of Destiny: 1882–1928. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1972. 666. 2. Russell Freedman. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. New York: Clarion Books, 1990. 53. 3. Conrad Black. Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom. New York: Public Affairs, 2003. 141. 4. Ibid. 142.

Chapter 6. Governor Roosevelt1. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 254–255.

Chapter 7. The Road to the White House1. Kai Stinchcombe. “Hoover: How to Deal.” The Standard Daily. 5 Oct. 2004. 31 Mar. 2007 <http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2004/10/5/hooverHowToDeal>. 2. Jonathan Alter. The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 90. 3. Ibid. 118. 4. Roosevelt’s Nomination Address, Chicago, Ill., July 2, 1932. Words of Franklin D. Roosevelt. 31 Mar. 2007 <http:// newdeal.feri.org/speeches/1932b.htm>. 5. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 4. 6. New Deal Network. “Assassination Attempt on President-Elect Roosevelt!” 2003. 2 Oct. 2007 <http://newdeal.feri.org/timeline/1933d.htm>. 7. Franklin D. Roosevelt. “On the Bank Crisis.” First Fireside Chat. Radio address. 12 Mar. 1933. 2 Oct. 2007 <http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/031233.html>

Essential Lives

• 108 •

Source Notes Continued

Chapter 8. Prelude to War 1. Joseph P. Lash. Eleanor and Franklin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1971. 457. 2. “Singular Attitude.” Time. 28 Nov. 1938. Time Web site. 5 Apr. 2007 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,771186,00.html?promoid=googlep>. 3. “The U.S. & the War.” Time. 29 Apr. 1940. Time Web site. 6 Apr. 2007 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,794960-3,00.html>. 4. Annual Message to the Congress: January 3, 1940. The American Presidency Project, University of California Santa Barbara. 7 Apr. 2007 <http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/ index.php?pid=15856>. 5. Russell D. Buhite and David W. Levy, eds. FDR’s Fireside Chats. Norman and London: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992. 153. 6. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 460. 7. Ibid. 476.

Chapter 9. War!1. “As a Good Soldier …” Time. 24 July 1944. 7 Apr. 2007 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,791534,00.html>. 2. Nathan Miller. F.D.R.: An Intimate History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983. 509. 3. James MacGregor Burns. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970. 600.


• 109 •

Albany, New York, 55, 58, 63 Allies, 78, 87–90, 94 atomic bombing, 94 Axis Powers, 12, 75, 78, 83

Bum Baseball Boys, 23

Campobello Island, 35, 36, 42, 44–45 Carter, Ledyard, and Milburn law firm, 35 Churchill, Winston, 81, 83, 87, 90, 91, 92, 94 Civilian Conservation Corps, 66, 68 Columbia Law School, New York, 32 Cox, James M., 40

Eisenhower, Dwight D., 88 Elizabeth, Queen, 79 Emergency Banking Act, 68 Emmet, Marvin, and Roosevelt law firm, 41

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 70 Fidelity & Deposit Company, 41 Fireside Chat, 68, 79

Great Depression, 56–57, 65, 68 Groton School, Massachusetts, 20, 22–24, 27, 28–29

Harvard Crimson, 29, 31 Harvard University, 29–31, 55 Hiroshima, Japan, 94 Hirohito, Emperor, 94 Hitler, Adolf, 67, 70, 75–77, 78, 81–82, 92, 94 Hoover, Herbert, 55, 56, 59, 60, 63, 65 Hopkins, Harry, 8 Howe, Louis, 38, 47, 50, 54, 59, 62 “Hundred Days” legislation, 66, 67–70 Hyde Park, New York, 14, 16, 28, 35, 42, 73, 87, 93

Knox, Frank, 7 Kristallnacht, 76

League of Nations, 40–41 Lend-Lease Act, 82

McKinley, William, 30 Memorial Day Massacre, 75 Moley, Raymond, 62–63

Nagasaki, Japan, 94 Naval Academy, 28 Naval Reserve Act, 39 Navy, 9, 38–39, 83 Neutrality Act, 78 New Deal, 65, 69–70, 74 New York City, New York, 16, 31, 32, 52

Index

Essential Lives

• 110 •

Index Continued

Normandy, France, 88

Oyster Bay, New York, 16, 18, 27

Peabody, Endicott, 23–24, 25, 29 Pearl Harbor, 7–10 polio, 47, 48–49, 50, 52, 54

Rivington Street Settlement House, New York, 31 Roosevelt, Anna (daughter), 35, 55, 93 Roosevelt, Eleanor (wife), 18, 27–28, 30–32, 35, 41–42, 45–46, 50, 55, 59, 64, 74, 79, 88, 92–93 Roosevelt, Elliott (son), 35, 55, 93 Roosevelt, Franklin D. assistant secretary of the Navy, 38 birth, 14–15 childhood, 15–20 death, 91–92 education, 22–24, 29–31, 32 governor, 55, 57, 58–60 law career, 35, 41 marriage, 32, 42, 74 paralysis, 47–50 presidential terms, 64–65, 73, 80 state senator, 36–37

Roosevelt, Franklin Jr. (son, first), 35 Roosevelt, Franklin Jr. (son, second), 35, 55, 93 Roosevelt, James (son), 10, 35, 53, 55, 64, 93 Roosevelt, James (father), 15–17, 20, 29 Roosevelt, John (son), 35, 55, 93 Roosevelt, Sara (mother), 14–17, 29, 34–35, 42, 74, 84 Roosevelt, Theodore (cousin), 25–27, 30, 32, 36 Rosenman, Sam, 63

scarlet fever, 27 Securities and Exchange Commission, 70 shantytown, 56 Social Security, 56 Spanish-American War, 26 Springwood estate, 14, 16, 18, 94 Stalin, Joseph, 87, 90 Stark, Harold, 8

Temporary Emergency Relief Administration, 60 Tennessee Valley Authority, 66, 68


• 111 •

trickle-down economics, 63 91, 94 Truman, Harry S., 91, 94 Tuskegee flying school, 64

U-boat, 38, 40, 41, 82 United Nations, 91 USS Arizona, 8, 9

Warm Springs, Georgia, 48, 54, 73, 91, 92 Wilson, Woodrow, 38, 40 Works Progress Administration, 68 World War I, 38–40 World War II. 86–89. See also Pearl Harbor declaration of war, 10–12 State of the Union address, 78–79 end of war, 94

Yalta Conference, 90 yeomanette, 39

Zangara, Giuseppe, 67

Essential Lives

• 112 •

About the Author

Photo Credits

Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, cover, 3, 13, 14, 21, 22, 34, 43, 44, 52, 57, 61, 71, 72, 93, 96, 97 (top), 98 (top); AP Images, 6, 11, 26, 33, 51, 62, 69, 77, 86, 90, 99; National Archives/AP Images, 18; Brown Bros./AP Images, 37, 97 (bottom); British Official Photo/AP Images, 85, 98 (bottom); Harris and Ewing/AP Images, 95

Sue Vander Hook has been writing and editing books for more than 15 years. Although her writing career began with several nonfiction books for adults, Her main focus is educational books for children and young adults. She especially enjoys writing about historical events and biographies of people who made a difference. Her published works also include a high school curriculum and several series on disease, technology, and sports. Sue lives with her family in Minnesota.

franklin d. roosevelt: 32nd u.s. president (essential lives)

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