FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT

Biography

Shy, ugly, beautiful, pushy, kind, smart… You can find as many opinions of Eleanor Roosevelt as there are people who recognize her. Eleanor fascinates us. As "First Lady to the World" she intrigues both those who love her and those who hate her. This section illustrates important events in the life of one of the most powerful women in American history.

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.

Inspiration

Shy, awkward Eleanor felt lost in a world where success for wealthy women depended on beauty and social ability. Her grandmother, determined to make up for the mistakes she felt she had made with her own children, had become a strict guardian. She dressed Eleanor in childish, old-fashioned clothing, and kept a tight schedule. Eleanor spent a good deal of time reading, and described herself as existing in another world, where nothing could "bring me out of the world between the pages."

An inspirational teacher named Marie Souvestre saved Eleanor from her ghostly existence. In 1899, Grandmother Hall sent fifteen year old Eleanor to Allenswood, Mme. Souvestre's boarding school, located near London, England. Mme. Souvestre, a strong and independent woman, encouraged her students to think for themselves.

In addition, she imbued the young women with a sense of "noblesse oblige." Eleanor wholeheartedly adopted this sense of social conscience, supported by her early philanthropic experiences with her father's relatives.

Mme. Souvestre recognized Eleanor's potential and took her under her wing. Eleanor built confidence as Mme. Souvestre gave her new responsibilities, taught her to form her own opinions and express them effectively. Eleanor returned to the United States in 1902, a stylish, self-assured, young woman with a sense of purpose. Mme. Souvestre would always hold a special place in Eleanor's heart.

The Debutante, the Wife, the Mother, and the Mother-in-Law

Upon her return to New York, Eleanor devoted much of her time to fulfilling her sense of social obligation inspired by her schooling. She investigated working conditions for the Consumer's League and enjoyed spending time at the Rivington Street Settlement, where she taught dancing and other skills to underprivileged children.

Eleanor dreaded her next duty as a wealthy young woman at the turn of the century: coming out as a debutante. This would mean endless parties, dances, and dates, where she would be scrutinized. She was not like her Uncle Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice, who floated through social gatherings with ease and confidence.

Fortunately, Eleanor found that her experience abroad helped her feel more comfortable in social situations, and she began to enjoy the company of her distant cousin Franklin, who came from the Hyde Park side of the Roosevelt family. She admired his social ease, ambition, and good humor, and he appreciated her sincerity and concern for others.

Franklin soon proposed, and after a year of keeping their engagement secret from an overprotective Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin and Eleanor were married. The wedding took place in New York, on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1905. The location and timing accommodated Eleanor's Uncle Teddy, who attended the wedding and gave Eleanor away, in addition to his duties as President.

As a young wife and mother, Eleanor felt lost. Mother-in-law Sara dominated every aspect of the young couple's life. She bought and decorated adjoining townhouses in New York as a wedding present. This gave her access to the couple's quarters at any time. Franklin and Eleanor had six children, including one who died in infancy, between 1906 and 1916. Sara chose nannies for the children and told both Eleanor and the children that Eleanor was "only the one who bore you: I am your real mother." Eleanor felt constricted and unsuccessful in the traditional role of mother and housewife, and her mother-in-law added to her insecurity and unhappiness. Franklin, despite initial pleas from Eleanor, stayed out of the relationship between his mother and his wife.

Politics opened the door for a more independent existence for Eleanor and Franklin. As New York State Senator, Franklin moved the family to Albany, and Eleanor began to learn about, if not completely enjoy, the duties of a politician's wife. Soon after, Franklin's service as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, in Washington, D.C. provided Eleanor with new opportunities. She worked with the Red Cross during World War I, and began to familiarize herself with Washington's political society.

Finding Herself

Despite an overbearing mother-in-law and the limitations of her traditional role as young society matron and mother, Eleanor appeared to be in love with Franklin.

In September of 1918, Eleanor made a discovery that would change her marriage and challenge her ability to cope. As she unpacked for Franklin, who had become sick while traveling as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, she found a package of love letters. The letters were written between Franklin and Lucy Mercer, Eleanor's social secretary. Few details of the conversations that followed are recorded, yet we know that Eleanor offered Franklin a divorce, and he refused. They would stay together, and he would promise never to see Lucy Mercer again.

Eleanor fell into a depression, which barely lifted for two years. Sara, once highly critical, seemed more supportive of Eleanor. Eleanor and Franklin retreated to their separate circles of friends and respective activities. For Eleanor, this meant cultivating new interests, friends, and activities. Her first real exposure to women in politics would occur during this time, as she became involved with female activists.

In the wake of this sudden break in their relationship, another event happened that would bring Franklin and Eleanor together again in an unexpected way. In 1921, while vacationing at Campobello, Franklin developed what he thought was a cold, and went to bed early. The next day he could not move his legs, and a few days after a doctor made a diagnosis: poliomyelitis, the dreaded disease that attacked the nervous system and often left victims paralyzed. Franklin would never walk unaided again.

As the illness weakened Franklin's body, it gave the couple strength. FDR began to fight and overcome a challenge that the physically active 39-year-old never imagined he would face. With characteristic determination, he would use his inner strength and his new perspective to develop his political career. Eleanor found an inner strength and purpose of her own as she cared for him, and supported him (against her mother-in-law's wishes) in his decision to continue as a politician. A new sort of partnership formed as they worked together to find new ways to meet new challenges.

A Political Woman

Encouraged by Louis Howe, political advisor and friend of the Roosevelts, Eleanor began her political career by speaking for her husband. She would keep his name alive in politics as he worked hard to recover from polio. As she spoke for him at various meetings and events, she developed contacts and political savvy of her own. She traveled with Franklin, who taught her to inspect and investigate programs and institutions. This skill would prove invaluable to Eleanor in later years, as she traveled the country and sent reports to Franklin about New Deal programs.

During the 1920's Eleanor embarked on many ventures of her own. She joined groups, such as the League of Women Voters and the Women's Joint Legislative Conference, and campaigned for women's rights, better working conditions, and other social issues. She enrolled in courses and made new friends. She started the Val-Kill partnership with friends Nancy Cook, Marion Dickerman and Caroline O'Day. Franklin had Val-Kill, a house near Hyde Park, built to provide Eleanor with a place of her own, in homage to her developing independence. The Val-Kill partnership included the Val-Kill furniture factory, the Women's Democratic News, which Eleanor edited, and the Todhunter School, where Eleanor taught. She became widely known in both national and state Democratic Party circles.

Perhaps the most important development in the 1920's, aside from Eleanor's entry into politics, was personal. Eleanor progressed from the shy, timid child and the quiet society matron into a confident woman. In the political realm, she possessed assurance, and, ultimately, power.

A Lady of Many Firsts

Lorena Hickok dubbed Eleanor "Reluctant First Lady" in her 1962 biography. Hickok, or "Hick" as she was known, knew Eleanor well. As an Associated Press reporter who became a close friend of Eleanor's after being assigned to cover the First Lady, Hick observed Eleanor's private hesitation upon her entry into the role of First Lady.

Eleanor had every reason to hesitate. She cultivated her new independence throughout the 1920's, yet she now would be in a supporting role that traditionally did not allow much freedom, especially in political activities.

Eleanor met and overcame this challenge. She refused to follow tradition--to be a hostess--seen but not heard. She persisted in the face of harsh public criticism and continued to work toward the goals of social justice, human rights, and world peace. Franklin's New Deal programs reorganized government in the face of the Great Depression, and Eleanor researched, reported, advised and spoke in support of many of these programs. During World War II, Eleanor continued to fight for democracy in America by speaking out issues such as civil rights, and rallied U.S. troops in many parts of the world. As a political partner to Franklin, Eleanor forever changed the role of First Lady.

Eleanor Roosevelt accomplished many "firsts" as First Lady. As First Lady, she gave radio addresses and lectures, testified before a congressional committee, held press conferences, spoke before a national party convention, wrote a syndicated column ("My Day"), advised her husband on political matters, and used the office of First Lady to accomplish her political goals. She sometimes disagreed with her husband on issues, although they ultimately worked toward the same political goals. Her accomplishments would give future First Ladies the freedom to express themselves politically.

A Political Power

Eleanor's political career did not end with the death of Franklin in 1945. As Eleanor and a profoundly shocked and saddened country mourned the death of one of the most influential U.S. Presidents, they knew that they would have to carry on without FDR.

President Harry Truman appointed Eleanor as the first U.S. Delegate to the United Nations, and she brought her message of human rights and peace to the world. Although she continued to speak as a lecturer, on the radio and on television, to write essays and articles, and to promote causes in various venues, she considered her contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights one of her greatest accomplishments.

Eleanor died of a rare strain of tuberculosis on November 7, 1962. Truly "First Lady to the World," she left an impressive legacy and a lasting impression. Her personal struggles, political accomplishments, perseverance in difficult times, genuine kindness, and integrity continue to inspire those who knew her, and those who learn from her example today.