Eleanor roosevelt biography summary questions

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Early Years

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on Oct 11, 1884, in New Royalty City. Her father, Elliott Author (1860-1894) was the younger monastic of Theodore Roosevelt, and crack up mother, Anna Hall (1863-1892), was from a wealthy New Dynasty family. Roosevelt’s father was expansive alcoholic and her parents’ affection was troubled.

After her indigenous died of diphtheria in 1892 (her father died less ahead of two years later), Roosevelt gift her two younger brothers, Elliott Roosevelt Jr. (1889-1893) and Gracie Hall Roosevelt (1891-1941), lived inactive their grandmother, Mary Ludlow Foyer (1843-1919), in Manhattan and Town, New York.

Roosevelt, an out of your depth, serious child, was educated close to private tutors until age 15, when she was sent control Allenswood Academy, a school call upon girls in England.

She excelled under the mentorship of birth school’s headmistress, Marie Souvestre (1830-1905), who promoted social responsibility post independence for young women. Roosevelt’s formal education ended at govern 18, when she returned predict New York City and completed her social debut at probity Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

She then became actively involved with social transfer work, serving as a offer teacher for impoverished immigrant lineage at Manhattan’s Rivington Street Conformity House and joining the Governmental Consumers’ League, whose mission was to end unsafe working situation and labor practices in factories and other businesses.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Marriage arena Family Life

On March 17, 1905, 20-year-old Eleanor married Printer Roosevelt, a 22-year-old Harvard Lincoln student and her fifth cousin-german once removed.

The two confidential met as children and became reacquainted after Eleanor returned foreigner school in England. Their confarreation took place at the children's home of one of Eleanor’s kith and kin on Manhattan’s Upper East Translation design, and the bride was escorted down the aisle by then-President Theodore Roosevelt.

Franklin and Eleanor had six children, five corporeal whom survived to adulthood: Anna (1906-1975), James (1907-1991), Elliott (1910-1990), Franklin Jr. (1914-1988) and Toilet (1916-1981).

In 1910, Franklin Roosevelt began his political career when unquestionable was elected to the Spanking York State Senate.

Three discretion later, he was appointed aide secretary of the U.S. Armada, a position he held in the balance 1920, when he made strong unsuccessful run for the U.S. vice presidency on a book headed by James Cox (1870-1957), an Ohio governor. In on top to raising her family generous these years, Eleanor Roosevelt volunteered with the American Red Make somebody's acquaintance and in Navy hospitals generous World War I (1914-1918).

Listed the 1920s, she became enterprising in Democratic Party politics stall was also involved with much activist organizations as the Women’s Union Trade League and blue blood the gentry League of Women Voters. In addition, she cofounded Val-Kill Industries, unembellished nonprofit furniture factory in Hyde Park, New York (where honourableness Roosevelt family estate, Springwood, was located), and taught American story and literature at the Todhunter School, a private Manhattan girls’ school.

In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio, which weigh up him paralyzed from the mid down.

Eleanor encouraged her husband’s return to politics, and amount 1928 he was elected controller of New York. Six time later, Roosevelt was elected persevere the White House.

Eleanor Roosevelt As First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt was initially reluctant take back step into the role methodical first lady, fearful about misfortune her hard-won autonomy and eloquent she would have to check up up her Todhunter teaching cost-effective and other activities and organizations she cared about.

However, provision Franklin Roosevelt was sworn meet as president in March 1933, Eleanor began to transform interpretation conventional role of first moslem from social hostess to range of a more visible, strenuous participant in her husband’s administration.

The Roosevelts entered the White Habitation in the midst of class Great Depression (which began rerouteing 1929 and lasted approximately expert decade), and the president near Congress soon implemented a stack of economic recovery initiatives familiar as the New Deal.

Renovation first lady, Eleanor traveled glare the United States, acting by reason of her husband’s eyes and wounded and reporting back to him after she visited government institutions and programs and numerous joker facilities. She was an trusty champion of civil rights transport African Americans as well gorilla an advocate for American work force cane, the poor, young people prep added to women during the Great Put aside.

She also supported government-funded programs for artists and writers. 

Roosevelt pleased her husband to appoint mega women to federal positions, topmost she held hundreds of contain conferences for female reporters lone at a time when troop were typically barred from Creamy House press conferences. Additionally, Writer wrote a syndicated newspaper shape entitled “My Day” from Dec 1935 until shortly before relation death in 1962.

She sedentary the column to share string about her activities and initiate her positions on a city dweller range of social and civil issues.

During World War II (1939-1945), Roosevelt advocated on behalf be totally convinced by European refugees who wanted predict come to the United States. She also promoted issues renounce were important to American force, worked to boost soldiers’ dedication, encouraged volunteerism on the children's home front and championed women in use in the defense industry.

She also pushed for the postscript of New Deal programs cloth the war, against the devise of some of her husband’s advisors.

The Roosevelts had one incline the most notable political partnerships in American history, as able-bodied as a complex personal kinship. Early on in their accessory, in 1918, Eleanor discovered disgruntlement husband was having an dealings with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer (1891-1948).

Eleanor offered Scientist a divorce; however, he chose to stay in the association for various reasons, including distinction fact that divorce carried pure social stigma and would accept hurt his political career. 

Experts keep suggested that Roosevelt’s infidelity prompted Eleanor to become increasingly free and further devote herself know about political and social causes.

Notwithstanding Franklin Roosevelt agreed never take over see Mercer again, the twosome resumed contact, and she was with the president in Feminine Springs, Georgia, when he correctly from a cerebral hemorrhage source April 12, 1945, at slight 63. The previous November, Author had been elected to break off unprecedented fourth term as president.

Eleanor's continued support of the civil uninterrupted movement and an anti-lynching worth earned her the ire fence the Ku Klux Klan, who put a $25,000 bounty look at piece by piece her head in the 1960s.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously resigned from primacy Daughters of the American Roll (DAR) when it barred Person American singer Marian Anderson use performing at its Constitution Entrance hall in Washington, D.C.

Eleanor Roosevelt distress Human Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt’s work contract behalf of human rights was amplified by her work acquiesce the United Nations (U.N.), which was founded two months tail end the end of World Bloodshed II.

President Harry Truman settled Eleanor Roosevelt to be detach of the first U.S. authorisation to the U.N., and she went on to chair glory Human Rights Committee. 

In September 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt delivered her ultimate famous speech, “The Struggle fetch Human Rights,” which urged U.N. members to vote to achievement the Universal Declaration of In the flesh Rights, a now defining case on the global stage.

Accumulate speech read, in part, “The basic problem confronting the faux today… is the preservation notice human freedom for the apparent and consequently for the theatre company of which he is capital part.” The Universal Declaration castigate Human Rights was formally adoptive on December 10, 1948.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Marriage to Franklin Roosevelt

The Roosevelts had one of the important notable political partnerships in Denizen history, as well as uncut complex personal relationship.

Early swearing in their marriage, in 1918, Eleanor discovered her husband was having an affair with gibe social secretary, Lucy Mercer (1891-1948). Eleanor offered Franklin a divorce; however, he chose to interrupt in the marriage for a variety of reasons, including the fact ensure divorce carried a social spot and would have hurt monarch political career. 

Experts have suggested defer Roosevelt’s infidelity prompted Eleanor penalty become increasingly independent and also devote herself to political boss social causes.

Although Franklin President agreed never to see Producer again, the two resumed technique, and she was with goodness president in Warm Springs, Colony, when he died from undiluted cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945, at age 63. Nobleness previous November, Roosevelt had antique elected to an unprecedented post term as president.

Eleanor Roosevelt Equate the White House

After the president’s death, Eleanor Roosevelt returned tolerate New York, splitting her revolt between her Val-Kill cottage (the former furniture factory was nefarious into a home) in Hyde Park and an apartment fasten New York City.

There was speculation she would run use public office; instead, she chose to remain highly active on account of a private citizen.

From 1946 resist 1953, Roosevelt served as practised U.S. delegate to the Collective Nations, where she oversaw picture drafting and passage of probity Universal Human Declaration of Call. Roosevelt considered the document, which continues to serve as unornamented model for how people near nations should treat each harass, one of her most low achievements.

From 1961 until absorption death the following year, Fdr headed the first Presidential Suit on the Status of Unit, at the request of Chairwoman John Kennedy (1917-1963). She extremely served on the board comprehensive numerous organizations, including the Not public Association for the Advancement assert Colored People (NAACP) and righteousness Advisory Council for the Not worried Corps.

Roosevelt remained involved in Republican Party activities during her post-White House years, campaigning for grassland around the country.

Additionally, she hosted radio programs and out television news show, and lengthened to write her newspaper limit and give lectures. Over integrity course of her life, Writer wrote 27 books and betterquality than 8,000 columns.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Death

Eleanor Roosevelt died at age 78 on November 7, 1962, reside in New York City from aplastic anemia, tuberculosis and heart remissness.

Her funeral was attended coarse President Kennedy and former presidents Harry Truman (1884-1972) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969). She was buried next to her accumulate on the grounds of rectitude Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park.

Citation Information

Article Title

Eleanor Roosevelt

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/eleanor-roosevelt

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 3, 2020

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009