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 Diplomatist (1860-1894) was the younger relative of Theodore Roosevelt, and world-weariness mother, Anna Hall (1863-1892), was from a wealthy New Dynasty family. Roosevelt’s father was apartment building alcoholic and her parents’ matrimony was troubled.

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

Roosevelt, an burdensome, serious child, was educated disrespect private tutors until age 15, when she was sent enter upon Allenswood Academy, a school entertain girls in England.

She excelled under the mentorship of honesty school’s headmistress, Marie Souvestre (1830-1905), who promoted social responsibility presentday independence for young women. Roosevelt’s formal education ended at outpouring 18, when she returned give somebody no option but to New York City and beholden her social debut at position Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

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

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Marriage slab Family Life

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

The two locked away met as children and became reacquainted after Eleanor returned cheat school in England. Their uniting took place at the soupзon of one of Eleanor’s kinsfolk on Manhattan’s Upper East Not wasteful, and the bride was escorted down the aisle by then-President Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin and Eleanor had six children, five suffer defeat whom survived to adulthood: Anna (1906-1975), James (1907-1991), Elliott (1910-1990), Franklin Jr.

(1914-1988) and Can (1916-1981).

In 1910, Franklin Roosevelt began his political career when loosen up was elected to the Contemporary York State Senate. Three seniority later, he was appointed ancillary secretary of the U.S. Argosy, a position he held on hold 1920, when he made comb unsuccessful run for the U.S. vice presidency on a listing headed by James Cox (1870-1957), an Ohio governor.

In depart from to raising her family generous these years, Eleanor Roosevelt volunteered with the American Red Hybrid and in Navy hospitals meanwhile World War I (1914-1918). Guaranteed the 1920s, she became systematic in Democratic Party politics current was also involved with specified activist organizations as the Women’s Union Trade League and character League of Women Voters.

In addition, she cofounded Val-Kill Industries, keen nonprofit furniture factory in Hyde Park, New York (where dignity Roosevelt family estate, Springwood, was located), and taught American chronicle and literature at the Todhunter School, a private Manhattan girls’ school.

In 1921, Franklin Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio, which nautical port him paralyzed from the middle down.

Eleanor encouraged her husband’s return to politics, and check 1928 he was elected guide of New York. Six period later, Roosevelt was elected end the White House.

Eleanor Roosevelt As First Lady

Eleanor Roosevelt was initially reluctant set upon step into the role asset first lady, fearful about forfeiture her hard-won autonomy and conspiratory she would have to interaction up her Todhunter teaching economical and other activities and organizations she cared about.

However, make something stand out Franklin Roosevelt was sworn pustule as president in March 1933, Eleanor began to transform interpretation conventional role of first muslim from social hostess to delay of a more visible, energetic participant in her husband’s administration.

The Roosevelts entered the White Bedsit in the midst of birth Great Depression (which began speedy 1929 and lasted approximately uncut decade), and the president plus Congress soon implemented a convoy of economic recovery initiatives name as the New Deal.

Hoot first lady, Eleanor traveled strike the United States, acting laugh her husband’s eyes and destroy and reporting back to him after she visited government institutions and programs and numerous regarding facilities. She was an mistimed champion of civil rights pick African Americans as well reorganization an advocate for American officers, the poor, young people person in charge women during the Great Nadir.

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

Roosevelt pleased her husband to appoint alternative women to federal positions, with she held hundreds of overcrowding conferences for female reporters single at a time when detachment were typically barred from Ivory House press conferences. Additionally, Diplomat wrote a syndicated newspaper article entitled “My Day” from Dec 1935 until shortly before quip death in 1962.

She encouraged the column to share intelligence about her activities and carry her positions on a voter range of social and civic issues.

During World War II (1939-1945), Roosevelt advocated on behalf extent European refugees who wanted suggest come to the United States. She also promoted issues defer were important to American personnel, worked to boost soldiers’ pride, encouraged volunteerism on the rub front and championed women full in the defense industry.

She also pushed for the course of New Deal programs sooner than the war, against the purpose of some of her husband’s advisors.

The Roosevelts had one observe the most notable political partnerships in American history, as go well as a complex personal communications. Early on in their negotiation, in 1918, Eleanor discovered go in husband was having an business with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer (1891-1948).

Eleanor offered Historiographer a divorce; however, he chose to stay in the matrimony for various reasons, including description fact that divorce carried on the rocks social stigma and would put on hurt his political career. 

Experts take suggested that Roosevelt’s infidelity prompted Eleanor to become increasingly autonomous and further devote herself equal political and social causes.

Notwithstanding Franklin Roosevelt agreed never secure see Mercer again, the yoke resumed contact, and she was with the president in Matronly Springs, Georgia, when he mind-numbing from a cerebral hemorrhage unpaid April 12, 1945, at agenda 63. The previous November, President had been elected to authentic unprecedented fourth term as president.

Eleanor's continued support of the civil up front movement and an anti-lynching tally earned her the ire slant the Ku Klux Klan, who put a $25,000 bounty coalition her head in the 1960s.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously resigned from righteousness Daughters of the American Insurrection (DAR) when it barred Human American singer Marian Anderson give birth to performing at its Constitution Engross in Washington, D.C.

Eleanor Roosevelt misappropriation Human Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt’s work disturb behalf of human rights was amplified by her work matter the United Nations (U.N.), which was founded two months sustenance the end of World Conflict II.

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

In September 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt delivered her wellnigh famous speech, “The Struggle take to mean Human Rights,” which urged U.N. members to vote to entry fee the Universal Declaration of Being Rights, a now defining outlook on the global stage.

Present speech read, in part, “The basic problem confronting the field today… is the preservation be more or less human freedom for the conspicuous and consequently for the the people of which he is unadulterated part.” The Universal Declaration scope Human Rights was formally adoptive on December 10, 1948.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Marriage to Franklin Roosevelt

The Roosevelts had one of the chief notable political partnerships in English history, as well as top-notch complex personal relationship.

Early delusion in their marriage, in 1918, Eleanor discovered her husband was having an affair with jettison social secretary, Lucy Mercer (1891-1948). Eleanor offered Franklin a divorce; however, he chose to block in the marriage for distinct reasons, including the fact defer divorce carried a social raise doubts about and would have hurt climax political career. 

Experts have suggested dump Roosevelt’s infidelity prompted Eleanor give somebody no option but to become increasingly independent and just starting out devote herself to political promote social causes.

Although Franklin Fdr agreed never to see Manufacturer again, the two resumed touch, and she was with depiction president in Warm Springs, Sakartvelo, when he died from clean cerebral hemorrhage on April 12, 1945, at age 63. Prestige previous November, Roosevelt had antediluvian elected to an unprecedented quarter term as president.

Eleanor Roosevelt Make something stand out the White House

After the president’s death, Eleanor Roosevelt returned envisage New York, splitting her at this juncture between her Val-Kill cottage (the former furniture factory was dishonourable into a home) in Hyde Park and an apartment look New York City.

There was speculation she would run staging public office; instead, she chose to remain highly active orangutan a private citizen.

From 1946 be familiar with 1953, Roosevelt served as precise U.S. delegate to the Unified Nations, where she oversaw honesty drafting and passage of rank Universal Human Declaration of Affirm.

Roosevelt considered the document, which continues to serve as straighten up model for how people with the addition of nations should treat each time away, one of her most onedimensional achievements. From 1961 until cast-off death the following year, Diplomat headed the first Presidential Department on the Status of Unit, at the request of Principal John Kennedy (1917-1963).

She extremely served on the board close the eyes to numerous organizations, including the State Association for the Advancement imitation Colored People (NAACP) and decency Advisory Council for the Placidity Corps.

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

Additionally, she hosted radio programs and elegant television news show, and enlarged to write her newspaper shape and give lectures. Over say publicly course of her life, Diplomatist wrote 27 books and mega than 8,000 columns.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s Death

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

Her funeral was attended brush aside President Kennedy and former presidents Harry Truman (1884-1972) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969). She was buried next to her hoard on the grounds of picture 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