Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) was born in Hyde Park N.Y, son of James and Sara Delano Roosevelt. He attended Groton Preparatory School Mass, and received a BA from Harvard. Then he next studied law at Columbia Uni NY. In 1905 he married a distant cousin Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of Pres Theodore Roosevelt and had 6 children. When he passed the bar examination in 1907, he practiced law with a major NY law firm. He entered politics in 1910, elected to the NY State Senate as a Democrat in 1912.
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Note that the New Deal measures directly involved government in areas of social and economic life as never before and resulted in increased spending and unbalanced budgets. This led of course to right-wing criticisms of Roosevelt's programmes, but working families and farmers supported Roosevelt, and elected additional Democrats to state legislatures. More New Deal legislation followed in 1935 including the establishment of Works Projects Administration, providing jobs for labourers, artists, writers, musicians and authors. And the Social Security Act which provided unemployment compensation, and old-age benefits.
Roosevelt easily defeated his opponents in 1936, 1940 and 1944, becoming the only American President to serve more than 2 terms. Roosevelt took on the critics of the New Deal, namely the Supreme Court which had declared various legislation unconstitutional. He proposed to add new justices to the Supreme Court in 1937 but critics said he was packing the Court and undermining the separation of powers. His proposal was defeated! This setback, coupled with the new Recession that occurred in his second term, was his nadir.
By 1939 when WW2 erupted FDR concentrated on foreign affairs. New Deal reform legislation reduced, and Depression crises didn’t fully abate until the nation mobilised for war. When Germany invaded Poland in Sept 1939, although the U.S was neutral, Roosevelt did not expect them to remain totally inactive against Nazi aggression. Thus he tried to make American aid available to Britain, France and China, and to get an amendment of the US Neutrality Acts. And he tried to build the military, despite isolationist opposition
With France’s fall in 1940, Roosevelt's policy changed quickly. Congress enacted legislation for military conscription and Roosevelt signed a Lend-Lease Bill in Mar 1941 to enable the nation to furnish aid to nations fighting the Axis Powers. Though neutral re the war and still at peace, U.S was becoming the centre of preparedness as its factories were producing like they did pre-Depression.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in Dec 1941 was followed by Germany's and Italy's declarations of war against US, inevitably bringing U.S into the war. Roosevelt exercised his powers as Commander of the Armed Forces, making his Day of Infamy Speech in Congress and asking for a formal declaration of war.
He co-created a Grand Alliance against Axis powers in The United Nations Declaration, Jan 1942, in which all nations fighting the Axis powers agreed not to make a separate peace and pledged a peace organisation on victory. He gave priority to the western European front and had his Chief of Staff plan for the Pacific; they organised an expeditionary force for an invasion of Europe. The Allies invaded North Africa in Nov 1942, Sicily and Italy in 1943. D-Day landings on Normandy beaches June 1944 were followed by Allied invasions of Germany and by 1945 victory over Europe.
The endless strain exhausted Roosevelt and by 1944, heart and circulatory problems appeared. And although he was on a strict medical regime, he suffered a massive stroke and died aged 63. He was buried in his Hyde Park estate, just before complete military victory in Europe and some months before victory over Japan.
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As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt considered the future of his vast document collections in 1940, he believed they should belong to the people. So he created the first ever Presidential Library next to his home in Hyde Park. Today, the FDR Presidential Library and Museum is a very fine historic sites in NY, now a collection of 34,000+ items.
Black Americans, Civil Rights and the Roosevelts 1932-62 is an exhibition that will be open until the end of 2024. It centres on the historical voices of many Black community leaders, wartime servicemen and citizens who engaged the Roosevelt administration directly, examining the President’s politics re racial justice. And new exhibits tell the story of the Roosevelt Presidency from the Great Depression and New Deal to WW2. The Map Room recreates FDR’s secret White House Map Room where the walls featured projections of maps of key battles.
By the time he was President, Roosevelt had amassed one of the nation's finest collections of naval art, Hudson River Valley art, and historical photos. In the New Deal years, he collected examples of art and crafts work produced by Works Progress Administration.
FDR’s Library at Springwood
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Woodrow Wilson appointed Franklin Ass Sec of Navy in 1913, a position he held until 1920. He successfully specialised in naval administration, resulting in his being nominated for Vice-Pres by the Democrats in 1920. However objections to Wilson's plan for US’s participation in the League of Nations made Republican Warren Harding President.
While holidaying in New Brunswick in mid 1921, Roosevelt contracted polio and could never use his legs again. He established a foundation at Warm Springs Georgia to help other polio victims, and directed the March of Dimes project that funded an effective vaccine.
The Roosevelts resumed his political career. In 1928 NY Gov Alfred Smith became Democrats’ presidential candidate and arranged for Roosevelt's nomination to succeed him as NY governor. Smith lost to Herbert Hoover but Roosevelt was elected governor anyhow. By 1930, Roosevelt began campaigning for himself. While the Depression harmed Hoover and the Republicans, Roosevelt's heroic efforts to combat it in N.Y enhanced his reputation. In 1932 he stood as the Democratic presidential candidate, calling for government working on the economy to provide relief and reform. He easily beat Hoover in 1932.
While holidaying in New Brunswick in mid 1921, Roosevelt contracted polio and could never use his legs again. He established a foundation at Warm Springs Georgia to help other polio victims, and directed the March of Dimes project that funded an effective vaccine.
The Roosevelts resumed his political career. In 1928 NY Gov Alfred Smith became Democrats’ presidential candidate and arranged for Roosevelt's nomination to succeed him as NY governor. Smith lost to Herbert Hoover but Roosevelt was elected governor anyhow. By 1930, Roosevelt began campaigning for himself. While the Depression harmed Hoover and the Republicans, Roosevelt's heroic efforts to combat it in N.Y enhanced his reputation. In 1932 he stood as the Democratic presidential candidate, calling for government working on the economy to provide relief and reform. He easily beat Hoover in 1932.
Roosevelt and Churchill aboard the HMS Prince of Wales
Roosevelt Library and Museum Blog
The Depression worsened before Roosevelt's inauguration in Mar 1933. Factories shutting, farm closures and bank failures increased, while unemployment soared. Roosevelt, who faced the greatest crisis in American history since the Civil War, immediately initiated his New Deal programmes. He worked with a special session of Congress during the First 100 Days to pass recovery legislation which established agencies eg the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to support farm prices and the Civilian Conservation Corps to employ young men. Other agencies assisted business and labour, insured bank deposits, regulated the stock market, subsidised home and farm mortgages, reviving confidence in the economy. Direct relief saved millions from starvation.
Note that the New Deal measures directly involved government in areas of social and economic life as never before and resulted in increased spending and unbalanced budgets. This led of course to right-wing criticisms of Roosevelt's programmes, but working families and farmers supported Roosevelt, and elected additional Democrats to state legislatures. More New Deal legislation followed in 1935 including the establishment of Works Projects Administration, providing jobs for labourers, artists, writers, musicians and authors. And the Social Security Act which provided unemployment compensation, and old-age benefits.
Roosevelt easily defeated his opponents in 1936, 1940 and 1944, becoming the only American President to serve more than 2 terms. Roosevelt took on the critics of the New Deal, namely the Supreme Court which had declared various legislation unconstitutional. He proposed to add new justices to the Supreme Court in 1937 but critics said he was packing the Court and undermining the separation of powers. His proposal was defeated! This setback, coupled with the new Recession that occurred in his second term, was his nadir.
By 1939 when WW2 erupted FDR concentrated on foreign affairs. New Deal reform legislation reduced, and Depression crises didn’t fully abate until the nation mobilised for war. When Germany invaded Poland in Sept 1939, although the U.S was neutral, Roosevelt did not expect them to remain totally inactive against Nazi aggression. Thus he tried to make American aid available to Britain, France and China, and to get an amendment of the US Neutrality Acts. And he tried to build the military, despite isolationist opposition
With France’s fall in 1940, Roosevelt's policy changed quickly. Congress enacted legislation for military conscription and Roosevelt signed a Lend-Lease Bill in Mar 1941 to enable the nation to furnish aid to nations fighting the Axis Powers. Though neutral re the war and still at peace, U.S was becoming the centre of preparedness as its factories were producing like they did pre-Depression.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in Dec 1941 was followed by Germany's and Italy's declarations of war against US, inevitably bringing U.S into the war. Roosevelt exercised his powers as Commander of the Armed Forces, making his Day of Infamy Speech in Congress and asking for a formal declaration of war.
He co-created a Grand Alliance against Axis powers in The United Nations Declaration, Jan 1942, in which all nations fighting the Axis powers agreed not to make a separate peace and pledged a peace organisation on victory. He gave priority to the western European front and had his Chief of Staff plan for the Pacific; they organised an expeditionary force for an invasion of Europe. The Allies invaded North Africa in Nov 1942, Sicily and Italy in 1943. D-Day landings on Normandy beaches June 1944 were followed by Allied invasions of Germany and by 1945 victory over Europe.
The endless strain exhausted Roosevelt and by 1944, heart and circulatory problems appeared. And although he was on a strict medical regime, he suffered a massive stroke and died aged 63. He was buried in his Hyde Park estate, just before complete military victory in Europe and some months before victory over Japan.
FDR Presidential Library and Museum built in 1940 and opened in 1941
with his statue in the centre front
Black Americans, Civil Rights and the Roosevelts 1932-62 is an exhibition that will be open until the end of 2024. It centres on the historical voices of many Black community leaders, wartime servicemen and citizens who engaged the Roosevelt administration directly, examining the President’s politics re racial justice. And new exhibits tell the story of the Roosevelt Presidency from the Great Depression and New Deal to WW2. The Map Room recreates FDR’s secret White House Map Room where the walls featured projections of maps of key battles.
By the time he was President, Roosevelt had amassed one of the nation's finest collections of naval art, Hudson River Valley art, and historical photos. In the New Deal years, he collected examples of art and crafts work produced by Works Progress Administration.