The FDR Years (Presidential Profiles)
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PRESIDENTIAL PROFILES THE FDR YEARS William D. Pederson Presidential Profiles: The FDR Years Copyright © 2006 by William D. Pederson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, record- ing, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pederson, William D., 1946– The FDR Years / William D. Pederson. p. cm. — (Presidential profiles) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-5368-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Politicians—United States—Biography. 2. United States—Politics and government—1933–1945. 3. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882–1945—Friends and associates. 4. United States—History—1933–1945— Biography. 5. United States—Biography. I. Title. II. Presidential profiles (Facts on File, Inc.) E747.P43 2006 973.917—dc22 2005016260 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Text design by Mary Susan Ryan-Flynn Cover design by Nora Wertz Printed in the United States of America VB Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS w PREFACE iv INTRODUCTION v BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY A–Z1 APPENDICES Chronology 275 Principal U.S. Government Officials of the FDR Years 295 Selected Primary Documents 305 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 433 INDEX 461 PREFACE w he FDR Years is part of Facts On File’s Pres- son’s career in relation to FDR, the Great T idential Profiles reference series. This vol- Depression, and World War II. Though most ume contains biographical sketches of nearly of these individuals interacted directly with the 300 individuals during the longest presidential president, a few are selected because they administration in American history, which reflect the larger social milieu on which the shaped public policy during the Great Depres- New Deal exerted influence. sion of the 1930s and World War II during the Several appendices are contained in the vol- 1940s. Special emphasis is given to the executive ume, including a chronology of events during branch officials, justices of the U.S. Supreme FDR’s presidency. Because the FDR presidency Court, members of Congress, and governors was the nation’s longest (1933–45), the chronol- and cultural icons of the period, in addition to a ogy highlights Franklin Roosevelt’s life, particu- few of the political leaders abroad with whom larly the events in which FDR participated Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) dealt. during his administration. This is followed by a Biographical entries begin with the name of list of Roosevelt’s cabinet for each term, the the individual and his or her date of birth and members of the Supreme Court, and the lead- death, followed by the name of the office held ership of the U.S. Congress. A number of FDR’s in the Franklin Roosevelt administration or the most important speeches are also included. The position or occupation for which the subject volume concludes with a selected bibliography, was most noted during that time. The entries with an emphasis on publications since 1995. are meant to capture the essence of each per- —William D. Pederson iv INTRODUCTION w ranklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency Weimar Republic or in the United States, as F established a benchmark for democratic too outmoded to address the massive problems leadership. He proved worthy of Mount Rush- facing nations in the 20th century. However, more status, not only for his unprecedented Franklin Roosevelt, with his energetic and flex- four presidential electoral victories, but also for ible character, working within the framework meeting the two overlapping great challenges of the world’s oldest written constitution, suc- of the 20th century that spanned his presi- cessfully transformed the executive branch by dency: the Great Depression and World War creating what is referred to as the modern pres- II. He prevailed against these two defining idency, thereby refuting critics and affirming crises in American history and still managed to the Founders’ great experiment in democracy. transform the presidency itself while altering Born on January 30, 1882, into a secure and the direction of American domestic and for- serene family of wealth and privilege among eign policy. Moreover, FDR accomplished all New York’s Hudson River aristocracy, the boy this while remaining within the bounds of who entered Groton School hardly seemed a democratic constraints, unlike his major chal- future great leader who would transform lengers at home and abroad. It is for these rea- America and the world. Like his role model sons that scholars rank FDR with George and distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt, one of Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the tri- the four Mount Rushmore presidents, Franklin umvirate of greatest American presidents. Delano Roosevelt graduated from Harvard Indeed, polls of scholars consider FDR second University in 1903. He attended Columbia only to Abraham Lincoln. Law School without graduating but was admit- FDR’s democratic leadership becomes even ted to the bar in 1907. FDR had found the law more impressive when considered with respect dull, and although he failed two law courses, to the world of that era. He was first elected in the young aristocrat, as one might expect, soon 1932 during an age when communist and fas- joined a prestigious Wall Street law firm. Early cist regimes, totalitarian systems in which dic- on, he had given clues to the direction he tators could conceive and implement executive wanted his career to take. decisions without constitutional checks, were On St. Patrick’s Day 1905, he married his romanticized as the wave of the future. Critics fifth cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, favorite dismissed the ponderously slow and inefficient niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, who democratic model, whether in Germany’s gave the bride away. Within five years FDR v vi The FDR Years the Wilson administration; “Uncle Ted” had held the same position in the William McKin- ley administration. The Roosevelt name and World War I catapulted FDR to prominence as the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1920. The Democratic ticket failed that year in voter backlash against the activism of the Wil- son administration, but FDR’s spirited cam- paign solidified his reputation as a rising star among national Democrats. Equally important, FDR had observed the blunders Wilson made in foreign policy because of his psychological rigidity as well as blunders that TR made because of his occasional excesses, and he learned from them. Franklin Roosevelt never achieved the scholarly heights of Woodrow Wilson or Teddy Roosevelt; he focused more on practical politics. Although not their aca- demic equal, FDR nevertheless absorbed the intellectual lessons from pragmatism. He had been introduced to pragmatism, America’s unique philosophical school, in classes at Har- vard taught by the philosophy’s founder, William James. This enabled FDR to avoid the Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt at Hyde Park, costly political mistakes that TR and Wilson N.Y., 1905 (FDR Library) had made. His full grasp of pragmatism would soon reveal itself. ran for political office for the first time. His In 1921, FDR was stricken with polio. The role model “Uncle Ted” was Republican, but devastating illness not only threatened his life FDR ran as a Democrat and won a seat in the and permanently paralyzed his legs but also New York State senate. At the same time, for- threatened to halt his political momentum. In mer Princeton University president Woodrow the same way that FDR had looked to TR as Wilson also took electoral office for the first his political role model, TR’s resiliency and tri- time as governor of New Jersey. FDR won umph over major personal crises—overcoming reelection to the state senate in 1912, while a sickly childhood and enduring the deaths of Democrat Wilson was elected president of the his first wife and mother on the same day— United States, thanks to the Republican Party served as inspiration for FDR as he battled split that Teddy Roosevelt (TR) caused with polio and the paralysis that followed. Rather his third-party Bull Moose campaign. than yield to paralysis, Roosevelt spent several As TR’s political star was fading, FDR’s was years in physical therapy with limited success in its ascendancy. FDR was on the same path- while he focused on resuming his political way that TR had followed to the White House. career. Eleanor, one of the gifted inner circle For example, he resigned his state senate seat in that surrounded him, helped him to keep his 1913 to become assistant secretary of state in name politically alive while he convalesced. She Introduction vii evolved into his full political partner and equal lican landslide that year. Reelected governor in in the White House and remained a political 1930, FDR experimented with programs to deal power in her own right until her death. with the growing economic depression that had New York governor Al Smith, the Demo- resulted from the 1929 Wall Street crash. As cratic Party presidential candidate in 1928, per- governor of the nation’s most populous state suaded FDR to run as his successor. Roosevelt and a successful campaign veteran, FDR was a narrowly won, becoming one of the few leading contender for the 1932 Democratic Democrats to survive Herbert Hoover’s Repub- presidential ticket.