FDR's 1936 Ford Phaeton

Courtesy FDR Library

President Roosevelt enjoyed driving this car whenever he was at Hyde Park. Specially modified to be operated with hand controls, it gave him the freedom to drive despite his disability. The controls were designed and installed by Fred Relyea, a mechanic in Poughkeepsie. After FDR's death, Eleanor Roosevelt used the car until late 1946, when she presented it to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum where it can be seen on exhibit today. It had been driven 19,143 miles.