Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, the 32nd first lady of the United States, is one of the most respected First Ladies of our country. Eleanor is remembered for her political views and her humanitarianism efforts, and she supported her sickly husband throughout his political career – becoming his eyes, ears, and legs. After the death of her husband in 1948, Eleanor became an ambassador for the United Nations. Her work and dedication has earned her respect and admiration in the the United States and around the world.

When I composed the Eleanor Roosevelt Quotes, I shared some interesting facts about this great woman – now I am following up with more of her life and quotes. She is one of my heroes, and I believe she is a perfect match for our series about the Great Women of the Past and Present.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor was born on October 11, 1884 in New York City. She was the of daughter of Anna Hall and Elliott Roosevelt. President Theodore Roosevelt was her uncle. Eleanor had two younger brothers, Elliott Roosevelt, Jr. (1889–1893) and Hall Roosevelt (1891–1941). She also had a half brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann.

Eleanor was only eight years old when she was sent to live with her grandmother Hall. Her mother had died in 1892 of diphtheria; her father Elliot died two years later. Elliot had been institutionalized for alcoholism and died from a seizure after a failed suicide attempt. Eleanor’s younger brother Elliot Jr. was also taken by diphtheria at the age of 4.

Eleanor was very shy and uncomfortable with her appearance. At fourteen, she had written:

No matter how plain a woman may be – if truth & loyalty are stamped upon her face, all will be attracted to her.

Education

Eleanor was privately tutored as a child. During this time in history, young women were sent to finishing schools to learn how to become good wives and role models in the community. Eleanor was 15 when she was enrolled at The Allenswood Academy, a private finishing school in the outskirts of London. The head mistress believed the young girls needed to develop independence and self-confidence to enable them to embark on the world as an individual. And Eleanor did indeed become a strong, independent woman glutted with self-confidence.

Her cousin and fellow classmate at the finishing school, Corinne Robinson, said “Eleanor was everything”. She returned to the United States when she was seventeen and began teaching at the Rivington Street Settlement House. She would visit homes in the east side slums of New York City as a social worker.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

In 1902, Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, her fifth cousin once removed, engaged in a conversation at her Debutante party. Eleanor intrigued Franklin with her dedication and love for her work with the underprivileged.

They fell in love, but his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, did not approve of the relationship. With intentions of putting a stop to further courting, Franklin was sent on a cruise. It did’t help: when he returned, the couple became engaged but chose to have the engagement remain private until the following year.

President Theodore Roosevelt walked his niece down the aisle to wed Franklin on March 17, 1905. The couple spent a week at Hyde Park setting up their home which was being provided by Eleanor ’s domineering new mother-in-law, Sara Delano. When the week ended, the couple left for Europe for a three-month honeymoon. Eleanor gave up her job as a social worker when the couple started their family. They had six children within eleven years. Unfortunately one son died in infancy.

In 1910, Franklin D. served in the New York State Senate and the couple moved to Albany. Eleanor was helpful and supportive of her husband. This was the first time she could get away from her meddlesome mother in-law; and Sara would remain a constant intruder until the end. Franklin became a leader of a reformists group – a group opposing Manhattan’s Tammany Hall which dominated the state Democratic Party. In 1913, Franklin D. Roosevelt was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by Woodrow Wilson.

Failure means Opportunity: Personal Growth

In September 1918, Eleanor had discovered some love letters written to Franklin from one of the staff members. She was tired of Franklin’s philandering with other women. Throughout their marriage, Franklin had made it a struggle for Eleanor to remain confident in almost everything. She told Franklin she would file for a divorce if he did not immediately end the affair with Lucy Mercer, who was Eleanor’s social secretary.

The couple was encouraged by Sara Delano and Franklin’s political advisers to remain married for the sake of the children and his career. Franklin agreed never to see Lucy again, and Eleanor grew strong and claimed her own identity. This time, it was on her terms. Eleanor used her skills to raise her voice to be heard on her opinions for improvement in human rights. She joined a feminists group dedicated to the abolition of child labor, the establishment of a minimum wage, and the passage of legislation to protect workers.

In her travels, Eleanor made thousands of friends along the way. This put an end to her loneliness as well as to some of her shyness. Eleanor was very articulate. She realized she had a gift for public speaking and began making speeches about social problems.

In 1926, Franklin gave the stone cottage on their Estate in Hyde Park to Eleanor as a present. In 1938, Eleanor caused some excitement while attending the Southern Conference for Human Welfare in Birmingham, Alabama. She refused to obey the segregation ordinance that required her to sit in the white section or the assembly hall, away form her black friends.

In 1939, Eleanor shocked the nation by publicly resigning from the Daughters of the American Revolution. This action came after DAR had barred the black American opera contralto Marian Anderson from its auditorium. Eleanor had arranged for Marian to sing from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to a live audience of 70,000 – and nationwide on the radio.

Growing, again

Franklin D. Roosevelt took a break from politics in 1920, after being defeated by Warren G. Harding in the Vice Presidential Election. The family returned to New York where he joined a legal practice and the newly organized New York Civitan Club.

In 1921 on a vacation, Franklin became ill with a high fever. It was thought to be polio, but later that was questioned. His illness may have been diagnosed today as the Guillain-Barré syndrome.

With the paralyzing effects of the illness, Eleanor became more active with her husband’s career. She traveled, attended meetings on his behalf, being his eyes and ears. Her political activism and savvy proved to be a vital force – the couple made a perfect political team. Together, they mobilized the political and social landscape of the nation at that time.

In 1926, Franklin purchased a resort at Warm Springs, Georgia, where he founded a hydrotherapy center for the treatment of polio patients. The facility is still operating today as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. Franklin taught himself how to walk again with the aid of a cane, and by wearing hip and leg braces. In 1929, he ran for governor of New York and won.

Continue reading Eleanor Roosevelt: Speaking Volumes – Part Two.