Eleanor Roosevelt From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (/ˈɛlᵻnɔːr ˈroʊzәvɛlt/; October 11, 1884 – Eleanor Roosevelt November 7, 1962) was an American politician, diplomat, and activist.[1] She was the longest­serving First Lady of the United States, having held the post from March 1933 to April 1945 during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office,[1] and served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952.[2][3] President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights 1st Chair of the Presidential Commission on the achievements.[4] Status of Women In office Roosevelt was a member of the January 20, 1961 – November 7, 1962 prominent American Roosevelt and Livingston families and a niece of President John F. Kennedy President Theodore Roosevelt's.[3] She Preceded by Position established had an unhappy childhood, having Succeeded by Esther Peterson suffered the deaths of both parents and 1st United States Representative to the United one of her brothers at a young age. At 15, Nations Commission on Human Rights she attended Allenwood Academy in London and was deeply influenced by its In office feminist headmistress Marie Souvestre. 1947–1953 Returning to the U.S., she married her President Harry S. Truman fifth cousin once removed, Franklin Preceded by Position established Delano Roosevelt, in 1905. The Roosevelts' marriage was complicated Succeeded by Mary Pillsbury Lord from the beginning by Franklin's 1st Chair of the United Nations Commission on controlling mother, Sara, and after Human Rights discovering an affair of her husband's In office with Lucy Mercer in 1918, Roosevelt 1946–1952 resolved to seek fulfillment in a public Preceded by Position established life of her own. She persuaded Franklin to stay in politics after he was stricken Succeeded by Charles Malik with debilitating polio in 1921, which First Lady of the United States cost him the use of his legs, and In role Roosevelt began giving speeches and March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 appearing at campaign events in his place. Following Franklin's election as President Franklin D. Roosevelt Governor of New York in 1928, and Preceded by Lou Henry Hoover throughout the remainder of Franklin's Succeeded by Bess Truman public career in government, Roosevelt First Lady of New York regularly made public appearances on his behalf, and as First Lady while her In role husband served as President, she January 1, 1929 – December 31, 1932 significantly reshaped and redefined the Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt role of that office during her own tenure Preceded by Catherine Dunn and beyond, for future First Ladies. Succeeded by Edith Altschul Though widely respected in her later Personal details years, Roosevelt was a controversial First Born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Lady at the time for her outspokenness, particularly her stance on racial issues. October 11, 1884 She was the first presidential spouse to New York City, New York, U.S. hold regular press conferences, write a Died November 7, 1962 (aged 78) daily newspaper column, write a monthly New York City, New York, U.S. magazine column, host a weekly radio Resting place Home of FDR National Historic Site, show, and speak at a national party Hyde Park, New York convention. On a few occasions, she publicly disagreed with her husband's Political Democratic policies. She launched an experimental party community at Arthurdale, West Virginia, Spouse(s) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1905–45) for the families of unemployed miners, Children Anna later widely regarded as a failure. She James advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of Franklin African Americans and Asian Elliott Americans, and the rights of World War Franklin Delano Jr. II refugees. John Religion Episcopalianism Following her husband's death in 1945, Signature Roosevelt remained active in politics for the rest of her life. She pressed the United States to join and support the United Nations and became its first delegate. She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Later she chaired the John F. Kennedy administration's Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. By the time of her death, Roosevelt was regarded as "one of the most esteemed women in the world"; she was called "the object of almost universal respect" in her New York Times obituary.[5] In 1999, she was ranked ninth in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century.[6] Contents 1 Personal life 1.1 Early life 1.2 Marriage and family life 1.3 Other relationships 2 Public life before the White House 3 First Lady of the United States (1933–1945) 3.1 American Youth Congress and National Youth Administration 3.2 Arthurdale 3.3 Civil rights activism 3.4 Norvelt 3.5 Use of media 3.6 World War II 4 Years after the White House 4.1 United Nations 4.2 Other postwar activities and honors 4.3 Sunrise at Campobello 5 Death 6 Posthumous recognition 6.1 Recognition and awards 6.2 Places named for Roosevelt 7 Cultural references 8 See also 9 References 10 Bibliography 11 Historiography 12 External links Personal life Early life Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born at 56 West 37th Street in Manhattan, New York City,[7][8] to socialites Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt (1860–1894) and Anna Rebecca Hall (1863–1892).[9] From an early age, she preferred to be called by her middle name (Eleanor). Through her father, she was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919). Through her mother, she was a niece of tennis champions Valentine Gill "Vallie" Hall III (1867–1934) and Edward Ludlow Hall (1872–1932). Her mother nicknamed her "Granny" because she acted in such a serious manner as a child.[10] Her mother was also somewhat ashamed of Eleanor's plainness.[10] Eleanor had two younger brothers: Elliott Jr. (1889–1893) and Gracie Hall Roosevelt, usually called Hall (1891–1941). She also had a half brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann (1891–1976), through her father's affair with Katy Mann, a servant employed by the family.[11] Roosevelt was born into a world of immense wealth and privilege, as her family was part of New York high society called the "swells".[12] Her mother died from diphtheria on December 7, 1892, and Elliott Jr. died of the same disease the following May.[13] Her father, an alcoholic confined to a sanitarium, died on August 14, 1894 after jumping from a window during a fit of delirium tremens. He survived the fall but died from a seizure.[14] Eleanor's childhood losses left her prone to depression throughout her life.[14] Her brother Hall later suffered from alcoholism.[15] Before her father died, he implored her to act as a mother towards Hall, and it was a request she made good upon for the rest of Hall's life. Eleanor doted on Hall, and when he enrolled at Groton School in 1907, she accompanied him as a chaperone. While he was attending Groton, she wrote him almost daily, but always felt a touch of guilt that Hall had not had a fuller childhood. She took pleasure in Hall's brilliant performance at school, and was proud of his many academic accomplishments, which included a master's degree in engineering from Harvard.[16] After the deaths of her parents, Eleanor was raised in the household of her maternal grandmother, Mary Livingston Ludlow (1843–1919) of the Livingston family in Tivoli, New York.[14] In his Pulitzer Prize­winning biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor and Franklin: The Story of their Relationship, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt's Private Papers (1971), Joseph P. Lash describes her in childhood as insecure and starved for affection, and she considered herself the "ugly duckling".[12] However, Roosevelt wrote at 14 that one's prospects in life were not totally dependent on physical beauty: "no matter how plain a woman may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her."[17] Roosevelt was tutored privately and, at the age of 15, with the encouragement of her aunt Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt, the family sent her to Allenswood Academy, a private finishing school in Wimbledon, outside London, England,[18] from 1899 to 1902. The headmistress, Marie Souvestre, was a noted feminist educator who sought to cultivate independent thinking in young women. Souvestre took a special interest in Roosevelt, who learned to speak French fluently and gained self­confidence.[19] Roosevelt and Souvestre maintained a correspondence until March 1905, when Souvestre died, and after this Eleanor placed Souvestre's portrait on her desk and brought her letters with her.[19] Eleanor's first cousin Corinne Douglas Robinson, whose first term at Allenswood overlapped with Eleanor's last, said that when she arrived at the school, Eleanor was "'everything' at the school. She was beloved by everybody."[20] Roosevelt wished to continue at Allenswood, but in 1902 was summoned home by her grandmother to make her social debut.[19] In 1902 – at age 17 – Roosevelt returned to the United States, ending her formal education, and was presented at a debutante ball at the Waldorf­Astoria hotel on December 14. She was later given her own "coming out party".[21] She said of her debut in a public discussion once (as later recounted in her New York Times obituary), "It was simply awful. It was a beautiful party, of course, but I was so unhappy, because a girl who comes out is so utterly miserable if she does not know all the young people.