Eleanor Roosevelt

Early Life and Background

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City, into one of the most prominent families of the Gilded Age.[1][3][5] Her father, Elliott Roosevelt, was the younger brother of future president Theodore Roosevelt, and her mother, Anna Hall Roosevelt, came from the socially elite Livingston and Hall families.[1][10] Despite this wealth and status, Eleanor’s childhood was marked by instability and loss. Her mother died of diphtheria in 1892, when Eleanor was eight; her adored, but alcoholic and mentally troubled father died less than two years later.[1][10][13] She and her younger brothers were sent to live with relatives, an experience that contributed to her lifelong empathy for the vulnerable.

Shy, self-conscious, and often made to feel plain by her beautiful mother and relatives, Eleanor developed an inner resilience that would later underpin her public courage.[2][12] Her early education in New York was conventional for an upper-class girl, emphasizing social skills more than intellect. A turning point came when she was sent to the progressive Allenswood Academy near London in 1899, where she studied under headmistress Marie Souvestre, a radical educator who encouraged independent thinking, social responsibility, and engagement with international issues.[5][13] At Allenswood Eleanor blossomed intellectually and gained confidence; she later cited Souvestre’s influence as formative in her commitment to social justice and human rights.[10]

Career Beginnings and Development

Returning to New York in 1902, Eleanor re-entered American society as a debutante but felt uncomfortable with its emphasis on superficial social rituals.[5] She began volunteering with charitable organizations, including the Riverside Day Nursery, where she encountered the realities of urban poverty.[2][10] These experiences deepened her interest in settlement house work and progressive reform.

On March 17, 1905, Eleanor married her distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a New York ceremony at which President Theodore Roosevelt gave her away.[5][12] The marriage marked her formal entry into a rising Democratic political family. Early in their union, Eleanor played the conventional role of wife and mother, bearing six children, five of whom survived infancy: Anna, James, Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John.[5][12] The family spent years moving between New York and Washington, D.C., as Franklin’s career progressed from New York state senator to Assistant Secretary of the Navy in Woodrow Wilson’s administration.

A personal crisis altered the trajectory of their relationship and Eleanor’s role. In 1918 she discovered Franklin’s romantic involvement with Lucy Mercer, her social secretary.[5] The revelation deeply hurt Eleanor and led to a redefinition of their marriage. While the couple remained together for political and familial reasons, Eleanor gained new independence and sought a life beyond the confines of being a supportive spouse.[2][10] This emotional turning point coincided with her increasing involvement in reform organizations.

When Franklin contracted polio in 1921, losing the use of his legs, Eleanor became crucial in sustaining his political career.[5] She encouraged him to remain active, cultivated alliances with party leaders, and served as his public surrogate at events he could not easily attend.[2][3] At the same time, she expanded her own public activities, joining the League of Women Voters, the Women’s Trade Union League, and the Democratic Women’s Committee of New York, among other groups.[2][10] She taught at the Todhunter School for Girls and organized women around policy issues and campaigns, developing skills in public speaking, organizing, and political strategy.

Rise to Public Prominence: First Lady of New York and the United States

Franklin’s election as Governor of New York on November 6, 1928 brought Eleanor into the role of First Lady of New York.[5] In Albany, she used her position to deepen her engagement with social reform networks, especially those concerned with labor conditions, public housing, and women’s political education.[2] She traveled extensively across the state, visited institutions and relief organizations, and reported her observations to Franklin, thus influencing his policies.

Franklin’s successful presidential campaign in 1932 elevated Eleanor to national prominence. On March 4, 1933, with FDR’s inauguration as the 32nd president, she became First Lady of the United States.[5] Unlike her predecessors, she refused to limit herself to ceremonial duties. In the context of the Great Depression, she toured mining towns, relief projects, and impoverished rural areas, functioning as her husband’s "eyes and ears" and relaying detailed reports about conditions and the effectiveness of New Deal programs.[1][8][12]

On March 6, 1933, only two days into the new administration, Eleanor held her first women-only press conference at the White House.[1][5] By excluding male reporters, she compelled newspapers to assign female journalists if they wanted access to her briefings. This initiative made her the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences and significantly advanced women’s professional opportunities in journalism.[1][2] Through these sessions she highlighted issues ranging from relief programs and civil rights to women’s employment and youth policies.

Eleanor also embraced emerging mass media. She delivered radio talks and, in 1933, began writing magazine columns, though precise start dates are less clearly documented.[5][2] On August 8, 1935, she launched her daily syndicated newspaper column "My Day", which would run until shortly before her death.[5] In it she described her daily activities, commented on public events, and discussed social and political issues in accessible language.[2] The column became a key conduit between the White House and the public, especially for women, and represented a major innovation in how presidential spouses communicated with citizens.

Major Works, Initiatives, and Barrier-Breaking Achievements

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Eleanor Roosevelt constructed a portfolio of influential work that extended far beyond traditional First Lady duties.

• Women-only press conferences (from March 6, 1933): By holding regular press conferences restricted to women reporters, she expanded women’s roles in political journalism and ensured a gendered perspective in coverage of New Deal policies.[1][2]
• "My Day" column (from August 8, 1935): Her daily column offered commentary on the New Deal, civil rights, youth issues, and international affairs, making her the first First Lady with a sustained, nationally syndicated voice in print media.[5][2]
• Advocacy for civil rights: She publicly supported anti-lynching legislation, invited Black guests such as Mary McLeod Bethune to the White House, and in 1939 famously resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution after it refused to allow Black singer Marian Anderson to perform in Constitution Hall, then helped arrange Anderson’s historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial.[2][9]
• Support for youth and labor: She championed the National Youth Administration and the American Youth Congress, arguing that government had a responsibility to provide education and employment opportunities for young people during the Depression.[2][7]

Her barrier-breaking extended into overtly political arenas. On July 18, 1940, she addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, becoming the first presidential spouse to speak at a national party convention.[5] Her speech urged delegates to put national unity and global responsibility above factional disputes, helping secure support for Franklin’s unprecedented third-term nomination.[3][12]

During World War II, Eleanor continued to push boundaries. She visited defense plants, military hospitals, and training centers, advocating for improved conditions and fair treatment of women and minority workers.[8][9] On August 17, 1943, she departed on a month-long trip to the Pacific warfront, including visits to Guadalcanal and other forward areas, making her the first First Lady to travel to an active war zone.[1][12] She met thousands of service members, listened to their concerns, and relayed recommendations back to Washington. Her willingness to face wartime dangers underscored her belief that leadership required direct engagement with those bearing the costs of conflict.

Transition to International Diplomacy and Human Rights Leadership

The death of Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 12, 1945 ended Eleanor’s formal role as First Lady, but it did not diminish her public influence. Initially she considered withdrawing from political life, but President Harry S. Truman urged her to continue. On December 21, 1945, he appointed her as a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.[5] The appointment recognized her stature as a moral leader and her experience with social policy.

At the UN, Eleanor quickly became a prominent figure. She served on the Economic and Social Council and was involved in committees dealing with refugees, nuclear issues, and the structure of international cooperation.[3][10] In February 1946 she was elected the first Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, a newly established body tasked with drafting a global statement of fundamental rights.[5][13]

As chair, Eleanor worked with an international drafting committee that included figures such as René Cassin of France, Charles Malik of Lebanon, and P.C. Chang of China.[5] She played a decisive role in mediating ideological differences between Western liberal democracies, socialist states, and representatives of colonized or newly independent countries. She insisted that the emerging text include both civil and political rights—such as freedom of speech and protection from arbitrary arrest—and economic and social rights, including rights to work, education, and social security.[2][13]

On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris.[5] Eleanor’s leadership and advocacy were crucial to securing broad support; the Declaration passed with a large majority, with only a few abstentions and no negative votes.[3] The UDHR became the foundational document of modern international human rights law, inspiring subsequent treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as being echoed in many national constitutions and rights charters.[2]

For her contributions, Truman famously called her the "First Lady of the World", a title reflecting her global influence.[3][11] She continued to serve as a U.S. delegate to the UN until 1952, and remained involved with human rights issues through the 1950s and early 1960s, including participation in the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, established by President John F. Kennedy.[2][13]

Awards, Honors, and Recognition

While precise dates for some honors are not always detailed in major references, Eleanor Roosevelt received extensive recognition during and after her lifetime. She was awarded numerous honorary degrees from universities in the United States and abroad, reflecting the academic world’s acknowledgement of her contributions to social justice and international cooperation.[2][3]

She was widely celebrated in the press and by civic organizations. Polls and historical rankings have consistently rated her among the most influential First Ladies and among the most admired American women of the twentieth century.[3][12] After her death, institutions ranging from the United Nations to human rights NGOs cited her as a foundational figure in the global rights movement.

Her legacy has been institutionalized through sites such as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site at Val-Kill in Hyde Park, New York, managed by the U.S. National Park Service, which preserves her home and documents her life and work.[8] The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project at George Washington University serves as a major research resource, publishing her papers and analyzing her contributions to U.S. and world history.[10][13]

Personal Life, Relationships, and Intellectual Work

Eleanor’s personal life was complex and intertwined with her public roles. Her marriage to Franklin was both a partnership and a site of tension. After the discovery of his affair with Lucy Mercer, their relationship shifted toward a political and familial alliance rather than conventional romantic companionship.[5] Eleanor developed a series of close friendships that provided emotional sustenance and intellectual companionship, including with journalist Lorena Hickok, educator Esther Lape, and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune.[2][10] Scholars have debated the nature of some of these relationships, but there is consensus that they were central to her emotional life and to her political development.

As a mother, Eleanor’s relationship with her children was sometimes strained, in part due to the demands of public life and the expectations of their social milieu.[12] Nevertheless, she remained deeply involved in their welfare and often intervened in their careers and marriages, reflecting both her sense of responsibility and her belief in the importance of family support.

Eleanor was also a prolific author. In addition to her "My Day" column, she wrote books including "This Is My Story" (1937), "This I Remember" (1949), and "The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt" (compiled from earlier memoirs), along with works on citizenship, democracy, and youth.[14][12] Her writings offered both personal narrative and reflections on public life, reinforcing her role as a moral interpreter of contemporary events.

Later Life and Death

After leaving the UN in 1952, Eleanor continued to play a prominent role in American political and social debates. She supported Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaigns, advocated for civil rights and social welfare, and maintained a demanding schedule of lectures, radio and television appearances, and writing.[2][12] In the early 1960s, she served on President John F. Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women, which examined legal and economic inequalities facing women in the United States and laid groundwork for later feminist policy initiatives.[2][13]

Her health began to decline in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, complicated by tuberculosis and ultimately heart failure.[1][3][11] Despite these ailments, she remained active as long as possible, continuing to write and meet with activists and political leaders.

On November 7, 1962, Eleanor Roosevelt died in New York City at the age of 78.[1][3][12] According to medical accounts, the cause of death was heart failure associated with aplastic anemia and disseminated tuberculosis.[1][3][11] Her passing prompted tributes from around the world; editorial pages, public officials, and ordinary citizens praised her courage, compassion, and steadfast commitment to human dignity.

She was buried at the Roosevelt estate in Hyde Park, New York, beside Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a simple grave near the rose garden.[4] The site, now part of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, is a place of pilgrimage for those interested in the intertwined histories of the New Deal and the international human rights movement.[8]

Legacy and Historical Impact

Eleanor Roosevelt’s legacy is vast and multifaceted. As First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, she fundamentally redefined the role, demonstrating that a president’s spouse could be an independent political actor, policy advocate, and public communicator.[3][5] Her travels, press conferences, radio talks, and "My Day" column created new norms for engagement between the White House and citizens.

Her influence on civil rights is particularly notable. By publicly supporting Black leaders, resigning from discriminatory organizations, and pushing for anti-lynching legislation, she used her moral authority to challenge systemic racism at a time when many white political elites avoided or opposed such advocacy.[2][9] Her actions helped prepare the ground for the postwar civil rights movement and underscored the importance of cross-racial alliances.

Internationally, Eleanor’s work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established her as a key architect of the modern human rights framework. The UDHR has been invoked by activists around the world—from anti-apartheid campaigners in South Africa to dissidents in Eastern Europe and Latin America—as a benchmark to hold governments accountable.[2][13] Her insistence that human rights included not only political freedoms but also economic security and education expanded global understandings of social justice.

In women’s history, Eleanor stands as a transitional figure between the Progressive Era and second-wave feminism. She exemplified how women could wield power in largely male-dominated institutions without holding formal elected office. Her participation in Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women contributed to the policy infrastructure that would support later feminist reforms on employment, education, and legal equality.[2][13]

Through institutions such as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site and the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project, her life continues to be studied as a case study in leadership, citizenship, and moral courage.[8][10] She remains an enduring symbol of what it means to use privilege and visibility on behalf of those with less power, and her example continues to inspire activists, diplomats, and ordinary citizens committed to human dignity and democratic values.