The Life, Times, and Vision of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
January 30—Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) was born at Hyde Park
October 11—Eleanor Roosevelt (ER) was born in New York City
March 17—Franklin and Eleanor are married
Franklin was elected to New York State Senate
Eleanor attends her first Democratic Party Convention
April—Franklin was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Eleanor works with the Red Cross, the Navy Department to help American Servicemen in WWI
Franklin is nominated for Vice President on ticket with James N. Cox, but lost to Coolidge and Harding
Eleanor joins League of Women Voters and works for womens’ political gains following the successful movement
August—Franklin is stricken with poliomyelitis at Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada
Eleanor writes “Why I Am a Democrat,” crystallizing her ideals and commitment to the Democratic Party
Franklin founded the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation therapy center for the treatment of polio victims
November 6—Franklin was elected as Governor of New York
November 8—Franklin was elected as President
Eleanor states that the country should not expect the new First Lady to be a symbol of elegance but rather, “plain, ordinary Mrs. Roosevelt.”
March 4—Franklin was inaugurated as 32nd President
March 6—Eleanor becomes the 1st First Lady to hold a press conference where only female reporters are admitted
June 16—Franklin signs the National Industrial Recovery Act, part of his “New Deal” platform
November 3—Franklin was Reelected as President
November 5—Franklin was reelected as President
December 8—U.S. declares war on Japan
December 11—U.S. declares war on Germany
January 6—Franklin Gives State of the Union speech popularly known as the “Four Freedoms”
April 12—Franklin died in Warm Springs, Georgia
April 15—Franklin buried in Hyde Park, New York
Regarding Franklin’s death, Eleanor says “ The story is over,” and returns to private life at her beloved Val-Kill cottage in Hyde Park
Eleanor accepts President Harry Truman’s offer to serve as a US delegate to the United Nations
Regarding Franklin’s death, Eleanor says “ The story is over,” and returns to private life at her beloved Val-Kill cottage in Hyde Park
Eleanor accepts President Harry Truman’s offer to serve as a US delegate to the United Nations
Eleanor begins work on drafting the Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor resigns from the UN delegation after the election of Republican President Eisenhower
Eleanor meets with John F. Kennedy at Val-Kill
President Kennedy reappoints Eleanor to the UN and appoints her as the first chairperson of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women
November 10—Eleanor dies in NYC from disseminated tuberculosis, aplastic anemia and heart failure
