Eleanor Roosevelt's first "My Day" column appears, making her the first presidential spouse to write a daily, widely syndicated newspaper column.
On August 8, 1935, Eleanor Roosevelt's first installment of her column "My Day" appeared in newspapers, launching what would become one of the most remarkable journalistic enterprises by any American public figure. The column, syndicated by United Feature Syndicate, ran six days a week for nearly 27 years, ending only shortly before her death in 1962, and comprised nearly 8,000 individual columns.
This made Eleanor Roosevelt the first presidential spouse to author a regular daily newspaper column, an extraordinary journalistic undertaking that combined personal reflection, political commentary, and reporting on her extensive travels. Through "My Day," she discussed everything from her visits to New Deal projects and wartime military installations to her views on civil rights, women's issues, and international affairs.
The column served as a direct, unfiltered channel between the First Lady and millions of American readers, bypassing the traditional press gatekeeping structures and allowing her to shape public opinion and build support for New Deal and later UN-related initiatives.
"My Day" became a model for public figures using regular media platforms to maintain direct relationships with constituents, a practice that anticipates modern political communication strategies. The column's longevity and reach cemented Eleanor Roosevelt's reputation as one of the most influential communicators of her era, and it remains an invaluable historical record of mid-twentieth-century American life and politics from a uniquely positioned observer.