Eleanor Roosevelt was the first politically active First Lady in the history of American democracy. She supported the formation of the United Nations and was a delegate to the UN General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. Early on, she supported child welfare laws, equal pay and employment legislation, and civil and women's rights.
Name: Eleanor Roosevelt
Birth Date: October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962
Job Functions: International Diplomat, Writer and Philanthropist, Social Activist
Known For: American First Lady, International Diplomat, Writer and Philanthropist
A Troubled but Privileged Beginning
Eleanor Roosevelt came from a very wealthy but troubled family. Her father, Elliot Roosevelt, the younger brother of Theodore Roosevelt, was an alcoholic, addicted to opiates, and suffered from depression. Eleanor's mother, Anna Hall Roosevelt, was emotionally distant, superficial and cared a great deal about image and appearances in upper-class society. She was dismayed by the way her daughter looked. During her childhood, Eleanor was made to feel unattractive, which did little for her self-esteem, and she suffered from a strong inferiority complex.
By the time Eleanor was 10 years old, both parents had died. In 1899 when she was fifteen, she was enrolled in Allenwood, a school for young women in South Fields, England. The French headmistress, Marie Souvestre, a free thinker and daughter of a well-known French philosopher and novelist, saw in Roosevelt what others from upper crust society could not see. Souvestre was the first to recognize the intellect and compassion that Eleanor possessed, and she nurtured them. She instilled in Eleanor and her other students a sense of duty to society. During school breaks, Eleanor traveled with Souvestre, learned about art and was encouraged to think for herself.
Eleanor returned to New York in 1902 on her family's insistence because they wanted her to participate in the New York social scene and make her debut at the Assembly Ball. Her fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, began to court her because he was attracted by her compassion and caring attitude, and they married in 1905. Eleanor's mother-in-law Sara Delano Roosevelt lived next door and was an extremely domineering woman whom Eleanor grew to resent.
Political Life and Personal Crisis
In 1910, Franklin was elected to a seat in the New York Senate, then three years later he was appointed assistant secretary of the navy in President Woodrow Wilson's administration. In September 1918, when Eleanor was 33, she discovered her husband was in love with her personal secretary, Lucy Page Mercer. This was devastating to Eleanor, and many of the self-doubts she had previously held resurfaced. Her confidence and pride were severely tested.
Franklin's mother told him that if he divorced Eleanor and left his children, she would disinherit him. In addition, anyone with political aspirations who divorced at that time could expect their career to end. Those were strong motivators for Franklin to decline the divorce. His indiscretion also liberated Eleanor and gave her the upper hand in the marriage. She told her husband she would remain under two conditions: there would be no more sexual relations between them and he could no longer see Lucy Mercer. He agreed.
During World War I, Eleanor organized Red Cross efforts and worked in military canteens. Eleanor came into-her-own during the 1920s and pursued a path of social and political activism. She held leadership positions in the following organizations in the 1920s and 1930s:
- League of Women Voters: An organization that promoted active involvement in government.
- Women’s City Club: Sought better working conditions for women.
- Women’s Trade Union: Concerned with better working conditions for women. They sought maximum hours and minimum wages for women. Eleanor would occasionally picket a recalcitrant firm.
- National Consumers’ League: Focused on the welfare of consumers and workers.
- Women’s Division of the New York State Democratic Committee
- Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Eleanor developed friendships with many women activists, and with Molly Dewson she was instrumental in getting more women appointed to influential government posts.
Building Influence Through the 1920s
In 1921, Franklin contracted poliomyelitis, which resulted in paralysis of his legs. During the seven years of his rehabilitation, his political adviser Louis Howe and Eleanor kept him informed on the pressing issues of the day. She became Franklin's surrogate, filling in for him at meetings, state inspections and public appearances. Eleanor supported Franklin fiercely, even when his mother suggested he retire from political life because of his disability.
Eleanor and her two friends Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman operated a nonprofit Early American furniture manufacturing company out of a cottage Franklin had built for her on their property. The organization provided jobs for unemployed workers. The three friends also bought Todhunter School in New York, a private school for girls from elementary to high school. Eleanor taught the older girls American History, current events and English Literature, and took them on field trips to courtrooms and into tenements so they could gain practical knowledge.
Throughout the 1920s, Eleanor, Nancy Cook, Marion Dickerman, Caroline O'Day and Elinor Morgenthau advocated for public housing, unemployment insurance, child labor legislation and the eight-hour workday. In 1928, Franklin ran for governor of New York and won. Eleanor kept busy visiting hospitals, homes and prisons on his behalf and reported back to him.
First Lady and Champion of the Vulnerable
In 1932, Franklin ran as the Democratic presidential candidate and won against Herbert Hoover. He was inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States on March 4, 1933. Eleanor was now First Lady and remained in that position for three terms until Franklin died in 1945. She used her position to champion her causes and secure social and political reforms.
On the advice of her close friend, journalist Lorena Hickok, Eleanor held weekly press conferences for women only. This ensured that media organizations had women on staff in Washington, D.C., and that some of the news in the country was told from the perspective of women. She supported the appointment of women to government positions, with a major win being Frances Perkins, who served as secretary of labor throughout Franklin's administration.
During the Great Depression, Eleanor believed it was the government's responsibility to assist the most vulnerable in society. She traveled across the country observing the public's plight, made the administration accessible so people could write in and have their letters forwarded to agencies, and promoted aid at every turn. She supported legislation to create the National Youth Administration. Through her newspaper columns and radio broadcasts, she became the voice for those in need, including working women, African Americans, youth and farmers. She also created equal opportunities for writers, artists, musicians and theatre people, and visited wounded soldiers overseas during World War II to boost morale.
Civil Rights and a Global Legacy
Eleanor worked with officials from the NAACP and supported anti-lynching laws that her husband refused to endorse, fearing the loss of Southern votes. In 1939, she resigned her membership from the Daughters of the American Revolution after they denied African American singer Marian Anderson the right to perform at Constitution Hall. Eleanor organized an alternate venue for the performance at the Lincoln Memorial.
In 1946, after Franklin's death, Eleanor was appointed as a delegate to the UN General Assembly, a role she held until 1952. She was elected chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and traveled across the globe to support humanitarian causes. Her most significant diplomatic achievement was the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. The previous day, she delivered a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in Paris calling for its adoption.
Eleanor Roosevelt's actions and influence effected change and made a difference in the lives of countless others.
Lessons from Eleanor Roosevelt
- Being born into wealth does not give you a free pass in life. Eleanor's mother was a beautiful socialite who was dismayed that her daughter did not inherit her good looks. As a child, Eleanor was made to feel very unattractive.
- A group of small, committed citizens can make a difference.
Works Cited/Referenced
Encyclopedia of World Biography
UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography
American Home Front in World War II
American Women Writers
Americans at War
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History in America
Encyclopedia of the Great Depression
Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library
West’s Encyclopedia of American Law
Women in World History
Related articles
- Hazel Rowley, Franklin and Eleanor: An extraordinary marriage (whisperinggums.wordpress.com)
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