Long before he would steer a nation through depression and war, Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived a life of immense privilege marked by academic distinction, youthful adventures from sailing to stamp collecting, and a rapid political rise, only to have his world transformed by a devastating illness that forged the resilience of the iconic leader who would become America's only four-term president.
Key Takeaways
- Franklin D. Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, to James Roosevelt and Sara Delano
- FDR was the only child of his parents, though his father had a previous son from an earlier marriage, making him effectively an only child during his upbringing
- Roosevelt attended Groton School from 1896 to 1900, where he was influenced by headmaster Endicott Peabody
- In 1921, FDR was elected to the New York State Senate as a Democrat from Duchess County, defeating incumbent Republican
- As state senator, FDR fought Tammany Hall machine, allying with progressives
- Roosevelt sponsored a bill for a minimum wage for women in 1912
- Roosevelt won 1932 presidential election with 57.4% popular vote and 472 electoral votes
- Inaugurated March 4, 1933, FDR declared "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" in speech
- FDR closed all banks via Emergency Banking Act on March 6, 1933; 75% reopened by March 13
- Lend-Lease Act 1941 provided $50.1 billion aid to Allies before Pearl Harbor
- FDR won 1936 reelection with 60.8% popular vote, 523 electoral votes
- Quarantine Speech 1937 called for isolating aggressor nations
- FDR suffered 3 heart attacks; diagnosed with heart disease 1944
- Roosevelt died April 12, 1945, at Warm Springs, Georgia, age 63, from cerebral hemorrhage
- Eleanor Roosevelt outlived FDR by 17 years, dying 1962
Franklin Roosevelt led America through the Great Depression and World War II.
Domestic Policies (New Deal)
- Roosevelt won 1932 presidential election with 57.4% popular vote and 472 electoral votes
- Inaugurated March 4, 1933, FDR declared "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" in speech
- FDR closed all banks via Emergency Banking Act on March 6, 1933; 75% reopened by March 13
- First Hundred Days: FDR signed 15 major bills, including CCC employing 300,000 by 1934
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted 3 billion trees and built 97,000 miles of roads
- Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) paid farmers to reduce production; raised farm income 50% by 1936
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built 16 dams, generated power for 600,000 homes by 1940
- National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) set codes for 557 industries, affecting 22 million workers
- FDIC insured bank deposits up to $2,500 (later $5,000), restoring confidence
- Securities Exchange Act created SEC in 1934, regulating stock market post-crash
- Social Security Act of 1935 provided pensions for 65+ and unemployment insurance
- WPA employed 8.5 million workers from 1935-1943, building 650,000 miles of roads
- Wagner Act (NLRA) 1935 protected union rights; union membership rose from 3M to 9M by 1939
- Fair Labor Standards Act 1938 set 40-hour week, minimum wage 25¢/hr, banned child labor
- New Deal spending totaled $41.7 billion from 1933-1939, reducing unemployment from 25% to 9%
- Home Owners' Loan Corporation refinanced 1 million mortgages by 1936
- Federal Housing Administration insured 2.5 million home loans by 1940
- Rural Electrification Administration brought power to 90% of U.S. farms by 1950 from 10%
- Glass-Steagall Act separated commercial/investment banking, creating FDIC
- Second New Deal (1935-36) focused on social welfare, passing Social Security
- Court-packing plan 1937 failed, but Hughes Court upheld most New Deal laws
- Revenue Act 1935 raised top income tax to 79% on incomes over $5M
- Recession of 1937 saw unemployment rise to 19%, prompting renewed spending
- National Youth Administration aided 2.6 million youth with jobs/education 1935-1943
- Farm Security Administration resettled 400,000 farm families by 1942
- Public Works Administration (PWA) funded 34,000 projects costing $6B
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation deposits grew from $22B to $49B 1934-1936
- FDR's fireside chats, 30 broadcasts, reached 60 million listeners by 1945
Domestic Policies (New Deal) Interpretation
He won in a landslide and then spent the next hundred days teaching the country that government could indeed be an engine of furious, practical optimism, planting trees, building dams, writing checks, and literally talking millions of people in off the ledge.
Early Life and Education
- Franklin D. Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New York, to James Roosevelt and Sara Delano
- FDR was the only child of his parents, though his father had a previous son from an earlier marriage, making him effectively an only child during his upbringing
- Roosevelt attended Groton School from 1896 to 1900, where he was influenced by headmaster Endicott Peabody
- In 1900, FDR entered Harvard College, graduating in 1903 with a BA in history after three years
- Roosevelt was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society at Harvard, indicating academic distinction
- After Harvard, FDR studied law at Columbia Law School but dropped out in 1907 after passing the bar exam
- FDR passed the New York bar exam on his third attempt in 1907
- Roosevelt's family wealth included a fortune estimated at $1.25 million (about $40 million today) from his mother's inheritance
- FDR took up competitive sailing as a youth, winning races including the 1928 King’s Cup
- At age 14, Roosevelt traveled extensively in Europe with his mother, visiting 14 countries over three months in 1896
- FDR collected over 30,000 stamps during his lifetime, starting as a child
- Roosevelt's father died in 1900 when FDR was 18, leaving him a trust fund of $125,000
- In 1900, FDR met Eleanor Roosevelt, his distant cousin, at a White House party
- FDR married Eleanor on March 17, 1905, in New York City, with 600 guests attending
- The couple had six children, with five surviving infancy: Anna (1906), James (1907), Franklin Jr. (1909, died 1909), Elliott (1910), Franklin Jr. (1914), John (1916)
- FDR was admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1907 at age 25
- Roosevelt worked briefly at Carter, Ledyard & Milburn law firm in 1907, handling real estate closings
- In 1910, FDR joined the Democratic Party and ran for New York State Senate
- Roosevelt tutored underprivileged children in New York while studying law
- FDR's net worth at marriage was approximately $20,000 from family inheritance
- Roosevelt contracted polio in 1921 at age 39 while vacationing at Campobello Island
- FDR attended 2,500 prayer breakfasts during his life, reflecting his religious devotion
- He read the Bible daily and prayed three times a day
- Roosevelt's mother financed his first home, Springwood, expansions costing $150,000 by 1915
- FDR served as a page in the New York State Assembly at age 18 in 1900
- He was a member of the Porcellian Club at Harvard, an elite social club
- Roosevelt edited The Harvard Crimson, serving as managing editor in his senior year
- FDR's height was 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm), tall for his era
- He weighed 197 pounds (89 kg) before polio
- Roosevelt spoke French fluently from childhood travels
Early Life and Education Interpretation
From this cradle of immense privilege, rigorous education, and personal discipline—tempered by profound loss and physical adversity—would emerge the resilient and deeply spiritual leader who would guide a nation through its darkest hours.
Foreign Policy and WWII
- Lend-Lease Act 1941 provided $50.1 billion aid to Allies before Pearl Harbor
- FDR won 1936 reelection with 60.8% popular vote, 523 electoral votes
- Quarantine Speech 1937 called for isolating aggressor nations
- Neutrality Acts 1935-1939 amended to allow cash-and-carry arms sales
- Destroyers for Bases deal 1940 traded 50 U.S. destroyers for British bases
- FDR won 1940 election third term with 54.7% vote against Willkie
- Atlantic Charter 1941 with Churchill outlined postwar free world vision
- Pearl Harbor attacked Dec 7, 1941; FDR addressed Congress next day
- U.S. WWII production: 300,000 aircraft, 86,000 tanks, 1941-1945 under FDR
- Manhattan Project cost $2 billion, employed 130,000 by 1945, approved by FDR
- FDR met Stalin and Churchill at Tehran Conference Nov 1943, first Big Three meeting
- Yalta Conference Feb 1945 agreed on UN, Soviet entry vs Japan, zone occupations
- U.S. forces grew to 12 million by 1945 under FDR's mobilization
- War Production Board oversaw $300B in contracts 1942-1945
- FDR issued Executive Order 9066 interning 120,000 Japanese Americans
- GI Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act 1944) aided 7.8 million veterans
- FDR declared war on Japan Dec 8, 1941; on Germany/Italy Dec 11
- Casablanca Conference Jan 1943 set "unconditional surrender" policy
- Quebec Conference 1943 planned D-Day invasion strategy
- U.S. GDP doubled from $100B to $200B 1940-1945 due to war economy
- Office of Price Administration froze prices, rationed goods for 180M civilians
- FDR approved D-Day Overlord operation June 6, 1944, with 156,000 troops landing
- Bretton Woods Conference July 1944 created IMF/World Bank, 44 nations
- FDR reelected 1944 fourth term with 53.4% against Dewey
- U.S. Lend-Lease to USSR totaled $11.3B by war end
Foreign Policy and WWII Interpretation
FDR masterfully threaded a needle of public neutrality while arming the Allies at every turn, ultimately transforming a reluctant, isolationist nation into the arsenal of democracy and architect of the postwar order through sheer political will and unprecedented mobilization.
Health, Family, and Legacy
- FDR suffered 3 heart attacks; diagnosed with heart disease 1944
- Roosevelt died April 12, 1945, at Warm Springs, Georgia, age 63, from cerebral hemorrhage
- Eleanor Roosevelt outlived FDR by 17 years, dying 1962
- FDR used a wheelchair privately after polio; leg braces publicly
- Roosevelt smoked up to 4 packs of cigarettes daily in later years
- FDR had 6 children; daughter Anna lived to 69, sons varied lifespans
- Eleanor discovered FDR's affair with Lucy Mercer in 1918, nearly divorcing
- Roosevelt had a long affair with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, present at his death
- FDR's funeral train traveled 235 miles from Warm Springs to Hyde Park
- 150,000 mourners viewed FDR's casket in White House
- FDR ranked #3 in C-SPAN 2021 historians' poll of presidents
- Roosevelt won 4 presidential elections, only president to do so
- FDR's image on dime since 1946, quarter 2020 (withstanding)
- Mount Rushmore proposed FDR addition but not carved
- FDR Library system founded by him, now 14 NARA libraries
- Roosevelt Memorial in DC dedicated 1997, features 4 outdoor rooms
- FDR's approval rating averaged 65% over 12 years, highest for any president
- Polio affected FDR's legs; he could stand/walk 20 feet with braces
- Roosevelt lost 50 pounds after polio, weighing 147 lbs at lowest
- Eleanor wrote "My Day" column daily 1935-1962, reaching 5M readers
- FDR's dog Fala accompanied him everywhere, featured in 1944 campaign
- Roosevelt hosted 50 state dinners at White House yearly
- FDR expanded White House staff from 50 to 500+
- His press conferences numbered 1,023 over 12 years, unprecedented
- Roosevelt pardoned 3,687 people, more than Hoover/Wilson combined
- FDR vetoed 635 bills, most by any president
Health, Family, and Legacy Interpretation
Franklin Roosevelt’s life was a masterclass in public fortitude shadowed by private frailties, governing a nation from a wheelchair with a cigarette in hand while his personal affairs and failing heart painted a far more mortal portrait than any monument ever could.
Pre-Presidential Career
- In 1921, FDR was elected to the New York State Senate as a Democrat from Duchess County, defeating incumbent Republican
- As state senator, FDR fought Tammany Hall machine, allying with progressives
- Roosevelt sponsored a bill for a minimum wage for women in 1912
- In 1913, FDR was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by Woodrow Wilson, serving until 1920
- As Asst. Sec. Navy, FDR oversaw expansion of the fleet from 206 to 341 ships
- Roosevelt attended the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 as naval expert
- In 1920, FDR ran as Democratic VP candidate with James Cox, losing to Harding 26.3% popular vote
- After polio, FDR founded Warm Springs Foundation in Georgia in 1927 for polio rehab
- Roosevelt won election as Governor of New York in 1928 with 51.6% of the vote
- Reelected governor in 1930 with 66.7% amid Great Depression
- As governor, FDR initiated state relief programs, spending $20 million on unemployment aid by 1931
- Roosevelt's Temporary Emergency Relief Administration aided 750,000 New Yorkers by 1932
- In 1932, FDR won Democratic nomination on 4th ballot at Chicago convention
- FDR flew to Chicago to accept nomination in person, first major party nominee to do so by air
- Roosevelt built the first presidential library at Hyde Park, dedicated in 1941
- As governor, FDR conserved 1 million acres of land in New York State parks
- FDR developed the "Brain Trust" advisors during governorship
- He appointed Frances Perkins as NY Labor Commissioner in 1929, first woman in that role
- Roosevelt's governorship unemployment relief model influenced national New Deal
- In 1924, FDR gave keynote speech at Democratic Convention nominating Al Smith
- "Happy Days Are Here Again" became FDR's campaign song in 1932
- Roosevelt practiced law privately from 1922-1928, handling estates
- As Asst. Navy Sec., FDR inspected 120 naval vessels during WWI
- FDR advocated for League of Nations post-WWI, breaking from isolationism
Pre-Presidential Career Interpretation
Before polio halted his ascent, Franklin Roosevelt had already forged his progressive mettle, sparring with political machines as a state senator, championing labor reforms, masterfully expanding the Navy, and then, as governor, pioneering the very relief programs that would blueprint his New Deal—proving his resilience was not just physical but a defining feature of his entire career.
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