Franklin D. Roosevelt

**Franklin Delano Roosevelt** (January 30, 1882 - December 20, 1941), often known by his initials FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States of America, serving from 1933 until his death in 1941. He was a distant cousin of the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, and was married to Theodore Roosevelt's niece, Eleanor Roosevelt. He is generally considered to have been among the United States' best Presidents, given the way his policies alleviated much of the poverty caused by the Great Depression.

## Early Life

Franklin Delano Rosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York on January 30, 1882, to parents Sara Ann Delano and James Roosevelt, Sr. Growing up in a wealthy family, the young Roosevelt picked up many upper-class habits, learning to play golf and polo and acquiring conversational skills in French and German. As a boy, Roosevelt studied at Massachusetts' Groton College, where he gained his liberal views on economic policy; he would later go on to be admitted to the well-renowned Harvard University, where he sharpened his administrative and motivational skills as editor of the University newspaper.

Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1903. He married Eleanor Roosevelt, his fifth cousin, once removed, in 1905; despite Franklin's numerous extramarital affairs (both before and during his presidency), the two would stay married until his death in 1941.

## Early Political Career

A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt entered politics in 1910, winning election to the New York State Senate. During World War I, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. Roosevelt was chosen as the running mate of James M. Cox, the Democratic candidate for the 1920 Presidential election; however, Cox lost to Senator Warren Harding, the Republican Party candidate.

Roosevelt's political career ended for a time after he contracted poliomyelitis in 1921, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. However, he returned to politics several years later, winning election in 1928 as Governor of New York. Roosevelt served as governor for four years before running for president in the 1932 Presidential election. Roosevelt won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1932, and together with his running mate John Garner of Texas, defeated incumbent President Herbert Hoover by a landslide.

## Presidency

Roosevelt became president during the Great Depression, the worst economic crisis in American history. His first hundred days in office saw passage of a profusion of legislation and executive orders to combat the Depression, a political program that became known as the New Deal. Under the New Deal, the country recovered sufficiently to ensure another landslide victory for Roosevelt and Garner over Republican Alf Landon in the 1936 Presidential election.

During his first term, much of Roosevelt's New Deal legislation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court's conservative majority. Roosevelt spent much of his second term and a great deal of political capital in an unsuccessful attempt to expand the size of the Court, thereby allowing him to appoint enough liberal justices to override the Court's conservatives. Although the attempt was unsuccessful, beginning in 1937 several of the court's conservatives resigned or died, allowing Roosevelt to appoint their replacements. By the time of his death in 1941, Roosevelt had appointed seven of the nine justices, though Roosevelt's "court-packing" attempt alienated several members of his own party, including Vice President Garner.

After the legislative elections of 1938, the Senate came to be dominated by a coalition of Republicans and conservative Southern Democrats known as the Conservative Coalition. This alliance (led by future President Robert Taft) would block virtually all of Roosevelt's domestic legislation until his death, effectively putting an end to the New Deal. However, conservatives in Congress largely supported Roosevelt's foreign policy in the chaotic years leading to the outbreak of World War II.

### World War II

After World War II began in Europe, Roosevelt decided to break longstanding precedent and run for a third term in the 1940 Presidential election. Dropping Garner as his running mate, Roosevelt chose his Secretary of Agriculture, Henry Wallace, as his new running mate. Although not as overwhelming as his earlier victories, Roosevelt won 55% of the popular vote and almost 85% of the electoral vote in 1940. Wallace succeeded Garner as Vice President in January 1941.

Roosevelt's third term saw worsening relations with the Japanese Empire, which had seized Manchuria in 1932 and from there invaded China in 1937. An oil embargo established in July 1941 prompted the Japanese to carry out a surprise attack against the American Navy base at Pearl Harbor, in the territory of Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The next day, the United States declared war on Japan; three days after that, Japan's European allies Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

### Death

Roosevelt was still in the early stages of planning the war against Japan, Germany, and Italy when he suffered a fatal stroke on December 20. Roosevelt was succeeded as president by Vice President Wallace.

## Mentions

Roosevelt is featured directly in Part 1 of For All Time. He and his administration are referenced in Parts 2, 3, 6, 37, 43, 51, 62, 66, 71, and 85.