One day quite a few years ago, one of Mrs. Roosevelt's grandsons, then aged five, asked the late Malvina Thompson, her secretary:
"Tommy, who is Grandmere?"

"Why she's your grandmother, of course," Tommy replied.

"I know that," he said patiently, "but who is she? Daddy listens to what she says. You do what she tells you to do. Everybody stands up when she comes in. Who is Grandmere?"

- From Reluctant First Lady by Lorena Hickok

A DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, the child of Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt. She described herself as an unattractive baby, "by all accounts," yet a joy to her father from day one.

Eleanor's family had wealth and status, yet her parents were troubled. Elliot often drank and partied to excess. Anna, left to take care of the family, often fell into depression. Eleanor's parents fought frequently when they were together.

Eleanor described her father in glowing terms, which reflected Elliot's love and adoration for his daughter. Despite many broken promises and lonely moments waiting for her father, Eleanor's affection for Elliot remained strong. Anna helped keep Eleanor's image of Elliot untarnished, by shielding her from the reality of his excesses and public embarrassments.

Eleanor felt unwanted by her mother Anna, who nicknamed Eleanor "Granny" to describe her serious demeanor even as a young child. Unlike her mother and aunts, Eleanor did not show potential to become a great beauty. Anna counseled Eleanor to focus on good manners, which she believed would be Eleanor's only available route to social success.

Eleanor's childhood shattered in 1892. Following an operation, her mother contracted diphtheria, a condition exacerbated by years of family tension. Her mother soon died. Eleanor was sent to live with her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Valentine Hall. Two years later her father died. His friends and family considered him a victim of his destructive lifestyle.

At the age of ten, Eleanor suddenly found herself alone. She lived with Grandmother Hall and her older aunts and uncles, but her parents were gone. Eleanor would remember this loss all her life. Despite all her achievements, she would always fear abandonment.