{"id":18183,"date":"2024-07-16T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18183"},"modified":"2024-09-03T17:52:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T21:52:22","slug":"32-roosevelt-franklin-d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18183","title":{"rendered":"#32. Roosevelt, Franklin Delano"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013<\/em>Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882 \u20131945) was the 32nd<\/sup> president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945; First Lady Eleanor the same. Yes, that\u2019s a very long time; longer than any president before or since. And, I\u2019d say, the Franklin and Eleanor team stirred up more gossip than any team ever. Yet both Franklin and Eleanor are highly revered today, ranking right up there with George, and Abe, and well, humanity in general. When my grandkids were little I once drew an M on a piece of paper and laid it on the floor. I had one stand on one side, and one on the other. \u201cWhat letter do you see? \u201c I asked. One saw an M, one saw a W, and then I explained point of view<\/em> to them. Let\u2019s use that tactic in looking at the Roosevelts; they were what they were, and they did what they did. And what they did impacts our lives tremendously to this very day. How many things in their own lives were beyond their control? And how many were within? As always, let\u2019s start at the beginning.<\/p>\n

In The Nest With Mother<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, to James Roosevelt, age 54, and his second wife, Sara Ann Delano, age 28. His parents were sixth cousins; both from wealthy New York families. James had another son by his first wife (who had died) \u2013 James Roosevelt Roosevelt, who was called Rosy. Rosy was married to Helen Astor (of the Astor family) and in 1882, when Franklin was born, Rosy and Helen had two children \u2013 James Roosevelt Roosevelt Jr, called Tadd, age 3, and Helen, age 1. So Franklin\u2019s half-brother was 28 (same age as his mother), and his nephew and niece were little playmates. Franklin was 18 when his father died; his mother never remarried. \u201cYou are a Delano, not a Roosevelt\u201d she impressed on Franklin from the beginning. So there\u2019s that. The photo of Franklin at age 2 shows him dressed in the style for wealthy young boys of the time \u2013 unbreeched \u2013 meaning no britches yet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born October 11, 1884 in Manhattan to socialites Anna Rebecca Hall and Elliott Roosevelt. Elliot was the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt (our 26th<\/sup> president), so that makes Eleanor Theodore\u2019s niece. Eleanor had two younger brothers, Elliot Jr and Hall, and a half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann through her father\u2019s affair with Katy Mann, a family servant. Keeping up? The family was immensely wealthy; a part of NY society called the \u201cswells.\u201d Eleanor\u2019s mother was, it is reported, \u201csomewhat ashamed of Eleanor\u2019s plainness,\u201d and called her \u201cGranny\u201d she was so serious in nature. The photo of Eleanor at age 3 shows a serious little girl. Eleanor was 8 when her mother died from diphtheria; her brother Elliot Jr died a few months later of the same disease. Eleanor was 10 when her father died; an alcoholic confined to a sanitarium, he jumped from a window during a fit of delirium tremens, survived the fall, then died from a seizure.<\/p>\n

Before. And Then They Married<\/strong><\/p>\n

Franklin played polo and tennis and golf; he learned to ride, shoot, and sail. He made many trips to Europe and could speak German and French; he was home schooled by tutors until 14, then sent to boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts. College was Harvard; he was editor of the Harvard Crimson, a school cheerleader, a member of Alpha Delta Phi. Franklin graduated in 1903 with a degree in history; then Columbia Law School; he dropped out when he passed the New York Bar exam and took a job with a prestigious law firm. Set.<\/p>\n

Eleanor went to live with her grandmother Mary Hall in Tivoli, New York after her mother died, where she was tutored privately. At 15 she was sent to finishing school in London. She liked it and did well there; she learned to speak French fluently and \u201cwas beloved\u201d by her friends. Her grandmother summoned her home in 1902 (age 18) to make her \u201csocial debut.\u201d About her debutante ball at the Waldorf-Astoria and her \u201ccoming out\u201d party, she wrote \u201cIt was simply awful. I had no friends here. I was miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Remember now, Franklin and Eleanor were cousins, fifth cousins once removed to be exact. And they were childhood acquaintances. In 1903 Franklin (age 21 by now), who had already proposed to one person who turned him down, began courting Eleanor (19 and unhappy). They were married March 17, 1905, against much resistance from Franklin\u2019s mother. The wedding was at a cousin\u2019s house on East 6th<\/sup> in New York, both branches of Roosevelts attended. The bridesmaids carried pink roses, symbolic of the Roosevelt crest; Theodore Roosevelt gave his niece away. The March 17 wedding date was no accident; Theodore had just been inaugurated for his second term as President, and would be in town to make an appearance at the St Patrick\u2019s Day parade that morning (60,000 people); then he could give the bride away, entertain guests at the reception, and in the evening give an after-dinner speech to 600 Irish-Americans at Delmonico\u2019s. Eleanor and Franklin headed for a honeymoon at Hyde Park.<\/p>\n

Houses. Mother Included<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hyde Park house, Springwood, was Franklin\u2019s home, with mother Sara running the household. Sara generously gave Franklin and Eleanor a townhouse in New York, with one for herself alongside, sliding doors between; she also gave them a cottage at Campobello, a family property near the Maine-Canadian border. And Eleanor began having babies. 1906 Anna. 1907 James. 1909 Franklin (who died in infancy). 1910 Elliot. 1914 Franklin Jr. 1916 John. Sara not only managed all the households, she oversaw her grandchildren too, telling them, as James recalled \u201cYour mother only bore you, I am more your mother than your mother is.\u201d Writings exist in which Eleanor confided that \u00a0she \u201chated living in a house that was in no way hers;\u201d she \u201cdisliked sex with her husband but it was an ordeal to be borne;\u201d and \u201cit did not come naturally to me to understand or enjoy little children.\u201d Well then.<\/p>\n

Franklin left all matters of childcare and household management to his mother; he didn\u2019t care for the practice of law either, so stuck his toe into the New York political swirl throwing his support in whichever was the most advantageous direction; even opposing his relative Theodore at one time. In March 1913 his support of Woodrow Wilson landed him an appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy; he liked that; he stayed seven years. After the November 1918 Armistice, he was involved in the demobilization of the Navy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back at Hyde Park, Eleanor discovered \u201cthe letters.\u201d This story is pretty well verified and generally goes like this: in September 1918 Eleanor discovered a \u201cbundle of love letters\u201d from her social secretary Lucy Mercer to Franklin. Clearly Franklin wanted to divorce Eleanor and marry Lucy. Guess who stepped in? Mother. Sara flatly threatened to disinherit Franklin if he jeopardized his career by getting a divorce. The good news for Eleanor? She woke up, finally asserting herself. No more docile-stay-at-home-wife. She basically told Sara, and Franklin, well, you know. I\u2019ll stay, but on my terms.<\/em><\/p>\n

From Then On<\/strong><\/p>\n

Franklin never had a home of his own without his mother, until her death in 1941. Was Sara a domineering mother-in-law, a doting grandmother, or just a smart career strategist? One thing happened that was way beyond Sara\u2019s control \u2013 in August of 1921, as the family was vacationing at Campobello, Franklin got sick, and was diagnosed with polio. At the age of 39, his legs were permanently paralyzed. Sara wanted him to retire. Eleanor said NO. She nursed him. Most of Eleanor\u2019s legacy focuses on all the things she accomplished as a strong and intelligent humanitarian, even after Franklin\u2019s death. How did Eleanor\u2019s support contribute to Franklin\u2019s future?<\/p>\n

In 1920 Franklin\u2019s attempts to hook up with somebody on a presidential ticket didn\u2019t work out; then he got sick. Through political connections and alliances he stayed on stage; he also discovered the therapeutic waters in Warm Springs, Georgia. In 1928 the Democratic presidential nominee Al Smith asked him to run for governor of New York. Al lost; Franklin won. Now he could speak from an important governor\u2019s chair. When the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression began, his ideas about aid to farmers, full employment, and old-age pensions were heard, loud and clear. One more term as NY governor.<\/p>\n

One. Two. Three. Four.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And then. Four terms as an elected president. Look at these election results.<\/p>\n