Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Life from Beginning to End

Biographies of US Presidents - Hourly History #32

by Hourly History

Franklin D. Roosevelt * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. One of America’s most influential presidents was a man who could not walk. The polio that struck Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he was a future political star did not diminish him. Instead, against all expectations, it was the agent that forged his destiny. He came from an affluent family; a cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, had been president; another Roosevelt cousin, Eleanor, would become the wife who transformed the role of First Lady into her version of the bully pulpit. However, FDR’s path to politics was far different from the one that Theodore traveled. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Roosevelt Son, Mother, Wife ✓ Politics and Infidelity ✓ Roosevelt, the Paraplegic ✓ Eleanor, FDR's Cousin and First Lady ✓ The United States Enters War ✓ The Death of the Longest Serving President And much more! The pampered son of an elderly father and the strong-willed Sara Delano Roosevelt showed no particular acumen in his youth. FDR was not a scholar or an athlete of great renown. His romantic endeavors were awkward. What, then, created the dynamic leader who inspired a nation to believe in itself when it was reeling from the Great Depression and the shadow of war across the ocean? Perhaps it was adversity itself that transformed the golden boy into the tested president who vowed that America would not fall, that the economy would recover, that liberty would triumph over oppression. He had seen in his own life how, deprived of the use of his legs, he was nonetheless able to mobilize a nation by his energetic example. It’s true that Franklin Delano Roosevelt could not walk. But it was because of him that the United States of America was able, in the tumultuous years of the Great Depression and World War II, to remain standing when nations all around the world were falling.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, World War II, Ebooks, United States, Presidents

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2017

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Reviews

[Anil Swarup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Physical handicap did not deter Franklin Roosevelt from taking hard decisions and then following these decisions with well planned execution. The book brings forth the courage of Roosevelt as he first handled the fall out of the Great Depression and then led his nation to victory in the Second World War. The book has an interesting take on his wife Eleanor and crucial role played by her as the First Lady. One chapter has been devoted to her.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"“Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.”

"—Eleanor Roosevelt"

Oh, how very true!
***

In comparatively recent decades, say later half of 20th century increasingly so, there has been undue emphasis on extramarital relationships of Jack Kennedy as well as of Franklin Delano Roosevelt - FDR - and surprisingly similar misbehaviour in terms of lack of family loyalty by several other public figures has gone uncriticised.

Two prominent examples thereof are Ronald Reagan who, once he divorced his first wife and married another, is known to have rarely seen his children from his first wife.

Another example is Stephen Hawking who divorced his wife and mother of his first few children, to marry the woman - wife of a friend - who had nursed him through his severe illness of years.

So one has to deduce that this criticism of, and focus on, the extramarital connections of JFK and FDR is merely to create a duststorm that veils their tremendous achievements in face of huge adversities.

And in light of what's disclosed in this work, at an early stage, one must say that FDR comes across as a thorough gentleman, neither forcing a wife physically nor throwing out his marriage, but instead caring about her as an equal companion while struggling with problems that faced a president of US as WWII followed the Great Depression.

One must say, having always heard of her name being taken in reverence except by those who'd put women down, nevertheless, until one is halfway through the chapter on Eleanor Roosevelt in this volume, one hasn't quite a grasp on just how much she did - and how truly the couple were partners in matters of importance!
***

"But for Franklin Roosevelt, his time as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy provided a valuable apprenticeship for the future when he would serve as the commander-in-chief, with all branches of the military under his control. He could not have known in 1918 when he crossed the English Channel to inspect American naval facilities in Great Britain and France, that his meeting with Winston Churchill, then serving in the British government, would not be the last time that the two men would meet as representatives of their country during a war with the Germans."

Goosebumps moment!

Of which there must be more to come.
***

"While Franklin worked to strengthen the Navy, and while the world was at war, his private home was not entirely at peace either. In 1916, he had begun an affair with Eleanor’s social secretary, Lucy Mercer, who had worked in a dress shop until Eleanor hired her in 1914. She blended in well with the family and Eleanor was fond of her. But the summer of 1916 saw Eleanor and the children on vacation while Franklin remained in Washington. Shortly after, Lucy Mercer’s employment with the Roosevelts ended, whether because Eleanor fired her or because she chose to leave is unknown. In 1917, Mercer enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to work in Franklin’s office. There was gossip in Washington D.C. regarding the frequency with which the young woman and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy were seen together. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, former President Theodore Roosevelt’s outspoken daughter, invited the couple to dine with her. She approved of the affair because she felt that Franklin deserved a good time. Her reason? “He was married to Eleanor.”"

And the pseudos ridiculed the immensely popular Indian teleseries, circa 1990s on, with depictions of family and clan problems, which were no worse than an Alice Roosevelt Longworth and her comment against another woman - who happened to be a cousin of her own!
***

"“I took economic courses in college for four years and everything I was taught was wrong.”

"—Franklin D. Roosevelt"

He certainly invented Lend-and-Lease, whether or not New Deal was invention. And while latter was vital to survival of people in US, former was so for survival of UK (which then stood alone against nazis) - and thus to survival of the human civilisation.
***

"Engrossed in their internal problems and struggling with an economy that remained stalled, Americans preferred to ignore the worsening situation in Europe. In 1933, the year that Franklin Roosevelt took office as president of the United States, Adolf Hitler had been named chancellor of Germany. ... "

Ones reminded of the moment in The Neverending Story when, just as Atreyu begins his journey to save his world, Gmork opens his eyes in the dark cave- and races off in pursuit.

" ... Keenly aware of the international situation, Roosevelt’s America was committed to neutrality, but after the Nazis had taken control of France, Great Britain was left to fight alone, and Roosevelt favored providing the British with military aid."

Oh, how much has author thereby refrained from even mentioning, never mind quoting!

Readers ought to go through Upton Sinclair's World's End series, and works by William Shirer, to get the full picture.

It's worth the effort a hundred times over.
****


"America was still in its infancy when a political dynasty appeared. The Adams presidents, father and son, were followed by the Harrisons, William Henry and his grandson Benjamin, and the George Bushes are the most recent additions to the family combos. But these presidents are not among the top-tier occupants of the executive branch. Their names do not resound with the accolades of historians for their achievements as leaders. There was a family, however, whose representatives consistently rank among the best of American presidents. They came from two different branches of the family, and they represented different political parties, but both were imbued with an irrepressible sense of purpose and optimism that redefined their eras. The America that they led is still imprinted with the legacy of the Roosevelts."

Glad and relieved about the list of those whose "names do not resound with the accolades of historians for their achievements as leaders", especially the latest ones.

One may query why the Kennedy clan wasn't included, although there was only one president Kennedy; Its perhaps the only family distinguished with two assassination victims, one sitting president and another a candidate in the run for president, at height of popularity when assassinated.

In addition, it's unclear if JFK Jr too was in reality assassinated, with a convenient accident over ocean of the plane he piloted - all too easy to arrange with a nut or bolt fixed wrong? - although that question wasn't asked very forcefully.

But that query about inclusion of the Kennedy name answers itself when one realises that it can be seen two ways - that there was only one president Kennedy, and that the Kennedy clan remains unique in that there were more than one Kennedy men assassinated in relation with presidential position.
***

And so one comes to the next paragraph, introducing the other clan distinguished above all the US families or clans with more than one president.

"The two Roosevelts, Oyster Bay branch’s Theodore and Hyde Park’s Franklin, were fifth cousins, and the families were split on their political affiliations. When it came to politics, family took a back seat, and throughout campaigns, the Roosevelts did not hesitate to back their party rather than their bloodlines. When it came time to marry, however, Franklin married his fifth cousin Eleanor, who was Theodore Roosevelt’s niece. Theodore Roosevelt continued to be a role model for the younger Franklin, but for the man who would break traditions left and right, serving four terms when the tradition was half that, a different set of tools was needed for the task of repairing the United States."

But they were so similar in one regard, that of legislation for good of people that wasn't in accord with corporate will, that one confuses one with another in regard to the story about an exasperated Roosevelt saying about Upton Sinclair - "tell him to stop writing for a while and let me govern this country alone", or words to that effect.

This confusion isn't helped by senior Roosevelt having passed legislation regarding meat packing industry, presumably after the stink raised by The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, and similar ones about coal, oil, etc, on one hand, while the author wrote of FDR with a more than justified adoration in his epic work, the 11-volume World's End series beginning after end of WWI and going through subsequent years upto post WWII Berlin dividing between East and West Berlin.
***

"Franklin Roosevelt came to power at a time when the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. Franklin could not travel the nation to inspire Americans due to his disability, but no one was better at communicating his will, thanks to the use of his radio “fireside chats” and the mobility of his First Lady. Eleanor Roosevelt fought for union workers, African-Americans, women, and the poor as a tireless advocate of the downtrodden.

"Members of Roosevelt’s class despised him for what they regarded as his betrayal of the principles of the elite. Political enemies attacked him for the manner in which he expanded the powers of the presidency. But FDR was a fighter, and he took on all his naysayers with the same zeal that, after December 7, 1941, he would take on the Axis Powers in World War II. Americans voted him into office for four consecutive terms, knowing that, when FDR fought, America won."

Why isn't author mentioning the unforgettable and well documented fact of the only publicly delivered challenge, even gauntlet, to Hitler having been delivered by FDR, long before anyone else did so and in such an open manner from such a position? It's goosebumps even reading accounts thereof!

It took as much farsighted wisdom as courage of adherence to truth!
***

"“The highest ideal I could hold up before our boy (was for him) to grow up to be like his father, straight and honorable, just and kind, an upstanding American.”

"—Sara Delano Roosevelt"

Did she live to see just how much - beyond all possible average humanly expectations - successful her upbringing of him was?
***

"Eleanor told her husband that she didn’t like living in a house that represented someone else’s taste and preferences and was not hers in any way. Nor did she particularly enjoy the sexual intimacy of marriage, regarding it with the Victorian attitude that intercourse was something that women had to endure. Quite the opposite of her mother-in-law, who had relished caring for her son, bathing him and reading to him when he was an infant, Eleanor didn’t enjoy little children and felt that motherhood did not suit her."

Funny, they keep labelling it "Victorian attitude", despite the obvious contradiction - the Queen that it's named after, Victoria, was not only crazy about her husband and mourned his death throughout herons years of widowhood by wearing black, but had nine children despite openly declared dislike for the whole process of pregnancy, childbirth and even her own children.

So perhaps the label is fraudulent, named actually more after misconceptions by male attitudes more prevalent in Victorian era than, say, post-sixties in 20th century.
***

"Franklin, who had been admitted to the bar although he didn’t graduate from law school, had found work with a New York City law firm but, like Eleanor in her role as a mother, he was dissatisfied. It was time for Franklin to find his niche. With the Roosevelt name prominent in the political realm, it was only a matter of time before Franklin would explore opportunities in that direction."

And humanity ought to be thankful he did.
***

"Franklin remained in his post for the demobilization of the American troops and was resistant to any intentions of dismantling the Navy. World War I had disillusioned the world and even the victors shrank from the thought that they might have to fight again. Franklin, although he wanted the Navy to be prepared to defend the nation in another military threat, was also in favor of President Wilson’s belief that the League of Nations could prevent a second global war. The hope was forlorn, as the United States rejected Wilson’s dream of a League of Nations, and the seeds for World War II were already planted in the grounds of a devastated and embittered Germany."

This was and has been the lie perpetrated by Germany and others who find it convenient forgetting that in the first place, Germany began the two world wars, was the major aggressor on both fronts, wreaked havoc all throughout Europe, and never paid any reparations for any damages, thefts, or genocides perpetrated by Germany.

Seeds of the two wars were in German notion of superiority that existed before nazis, and the drive to kill others to clear a lebensraum, a drive that is as old as crusades - when germans, insteadof taking thetroubleto go fight for Jerusalem, instead massacred Prussians in east, took over the land and wiped out traces of a whole people with a language called Prussian.
***

"“I took economic courses in college for four years and everything I was taught was wrong.”

"—Franklin D. Roosevelt"

He certainly invented Lend-and-Lease, whether or not New Deal was invention. And while latter was vital to survival of people in US, former was so for survival of UK (which then stood alone against nazis) - and thus to survival of the human civilisation.
***


"The rich and powerful might not have liked what he was doing, but the voters did, and he was re-elected in 1936. Infused with the mandate of his election, Roosevelt tried to increase the size of the Supreme Court to fifteen because the justices’ rulings sought to undo the New Deal legislation that he’d put forth.

"He didn’t win his battle to pack the court, but what he was winning was the loyalty of the American voter. There were still eight million people unemployed, and the economy was far from where it needed to be, but the common people saw in the Ivy League, patrician Roosevelt someone who was willing to fight for them. Franklin reveled in the hostility of the Republicans who were suspicious of the administration and its intentions, and he was unperturbed when he was compared to Lenin and Marx for his actions. The venom of those who opposed him, however, helped to support the public view that Roosevelt was the man defending the working classes against those who sought to keep them powerless. FDR let the accusations against him go on, knowing that his detractors were demonstrating how intractable they could be even when the country was still struggling to get back on its economic feet. The Wagner Act gave labor unions a dynamic burst of political influence, and they used their new clout to support the president who had supported them. One worker, trying to explain his confidence in President Roosevelt, said, that FDR was the first “man in the White House who knows that my boss is a son of a bitch.”"

Hence, too, loyalty and adulation from Upton Sinclair, who'd seen the said bosses in action.
***

"Eleanor insisted on leading by example, even when her methods displeased her husband. In order to conduct a no-frills lifestyle at the White House, she enlisted Cornell University’s home economics faculty to advise on the preparation of nutritious meals that didn’t cost a lot of money. Those meals proved to be tasteless. So she hired a woman named Henrietta Nesbitt to plan the White House meals. President Roosevelt complained that, even though he wanted chicken a la king to be served as the meal for his fourth inauguration, he was given chicken salad. The news of the White House’s lack of culinary distinction spread and guests knew that they should eat at home before showing up for dinner at the Roosevelts. The first couple was not known for their grand hospitality.

"Even though she had enemies, the First Lady refused Secret Service protection. She sought economic solutions to the poverty of a West Virginia coal town and showed up not only to help but also to socialize, taking part in square dances with the miners. Her advocacy revealed that some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens were women and minorities. She chaired the White House Conference on the Emergency Needs of Women because she had noticed that government programs failed to take the problems of unemployed women seriously."

One must say, having always heard of her name being taken in reverence except by those who'd put women down, nevertheless, until one is halfway through this chapter on Eleanor Roosevelt, one hasn't quite a grasp on just how much she did - and how truly the couple were partners in matters of importance!
***

"Eleanor Roosevelt’s views on civil rights were ahead of her time. When she attended the Southern Conference for Human Welfare, she sat next to an African-American, but she had to move because Alabama’s racial policies forbade white and black people to sit next to each other. Eleanor had the distance measured between the white section and the black section. She then placed her chair exactly in the middle.

"Her views were also distinctly at odds with mainstream thought in Washington D.C., which was racially segregated at the time. In 1940, the request by Howard University to have African-American singer Marian Anderson perform at the Daughters of the American Revolution Auditorium, the largest auditorium in the nation’s capital, was denied. The donors who had funded the building of the auditorium stipulated that only white performers could appear on stage. Eleanor Roosevelt had been granted membership in the DAR in 1932, but she was not one of the powerhouses in the organization. But when the DAR failed to recognize Anderson’s talent and worth, Eleanor resigned from the organization, writing that they had been given an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way, but had failed to do so.

"Instead, she chose another way to honor the singer. She invited Anderson to sing at the White House when Great Britain’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth came to the United States. She also agreed to present a medal to Anderson at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s national convention.
***

"Eleanor didn’t do anything in half measures. Harold Ickes, the Secretary of the Interior, agreed with the First Lady that an outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial would be an ideal way to celebrate Anderson’s musical talent while promoting cultural events. Roosevelt gave his approval for the concert.

"On April 9, 1939, the Marian Anderson concert had an audience of 75,000 people, with thousands more listening on the radio. The radio announcer’s version of why the concert was being held was not entirely accurate, "Marian Anderson ....

[F]

The writer suffers from FDR-worship a little but still is able to give the basic facts. He does seem to shine up FDR's faults more than others. All-in-all though I learned a great deal of information and the writing was interesting as well as informative.

[David Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franklin and Eleanore

Where would Sonny be with out Cher? Desi without Lucy?
Great biography given the times we are living in. So many comparisons made between Biden and Franklin.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York on January 30, 1882. Growing up in a wealthy, affluent group, that was New York society, he enjoyed all of the amenities of rank and social position. The Roosevelts were among the first immigrant-settlers, arriving from the Netherlands somewhere between 1638 and 1649 and settling in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (now Manhattan Island, New York). The Rosenvelt family soon changed their surname to Roosevelt and prospered as they multiplied. The Roosevelt family split into many facets, but two, the Oyster Bay Roosevelts and the Hyde Park Roosevelts soon became politically prominent. As chance would have it, each fraction was stout supporters of the opposing American political spectrum; the Oyster Bay fraction being corpulent Republicans, and the Hyde Park devout Democrats. One of Franklin’s Oyster Bay relatives (his fifth cousin), Theodore Roosevelt, became the 26th President of the United States. Franklin hadn’t, thus far, shown any particular talent, gift, or ambition but that was soon to change. When he married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (niece to Teddy Roosevelt) in 1905, his long career in politics would soon begin. If ever the saying: “the woman makes the man,” this was a prime example. Eleanor was such an integral and essential part of Franklin’s personal and political life, this brief history is as much about her as it is about her husband. She championed women and the down trodden, regardless of sex, race, or creed, endearing her to the public and setting the bar for all future First Ladies. In turn, with her undying and vigorous support, FDR transformed his position to a level that hadn’t been reached since Abraham Lincoln.
This short history comes nowhere near to cover the life of the 32nd, and longest serving President of the United States. It succeeds, however, in fanning the flame of curiosity and inspiring further research.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York on January 30, 1882. Growing up in a wealthy, affluent group, that was New York society, he enjoyed all of the amenities of rank and social position. The Roosevelts were among the first immigrant-settlers, arriving from the Netherlands somewhere between 1638 and 1649 and settling in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (now Manhattan Island, New York). The Rosenvelt family soon changed their surname to Roosevelt and prospered as they multiplied. The Roosevelt family split into many facets, but two, the Oyster Bay Roosevelts and the Hyde Park Roosevelts soon became politically prominent. As chance would have it, each fraction was stout supporters of the opposing American political spectrum; the Oyster Bay fraction being corpulent Republicans, and the Hyde Park devout Democrats. One of Franklin’s Oyster Bay relatives (his fifth cousin), Theodore Roosevelt, became the 26th President of the United States. Franklin hadn’t, thus far, shown any particular talent, gift, or ambition but that was soon to change. When he married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (niece to Teddy Roosevelt) in 1905, his long career in politics would soon begin. If ever the saying: “the woman makes the man,” this was a prime example. Eleanor was such an integral and essential part of Franklin’s personal and political life, this brief history is as much about her as it is about her husband. She championed women and the down trodden, regardless of sex, race, or creed, endearing her to the public and setting the bar for all future First Ladies. In turn, with her undying and vigorous support, FDR transformed his position to a level that hadn’t been reached since Abraham Lincoln.
This short history comes nowhere near to cover the life of the 32nd, and longest serving President of the United States. It succeeds, however, in fanning the flame of curiosity and inspiring further research.

[D. Thrush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franklin Roosevelt was the Democratic 5th cousin to the previous Republic President Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin was elected to 4 terms despite being in a wheelchair due to polio. His wife, Eleanor, became one of the most influential first ladies advocating for civil and women’s rights. They both came from wealth, yet they worked to tirelessly uplift the American people after the Depression. Through his New Deal policies, Franklin regulated banks and the stock market (forming the SEC), enacted Social Security, provided unemployment and disability insurance, and created jobs while updating infrastructure. He worked to create a League of Nations with our allies. I hadn’t realized how much he’d accomplished that still affects our lives today. However, this short 56-page book doesn’t document how his hardball approach to Japan contributed to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It’s still a fascinating account of one of our most influential American Presidents.

[Jennifer Hilliger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short read

I enjoyed this book but I thought the author got a bit too in depth on aspects of WWII and a bit too far away from FDR. I realize some background information is necessary but I might have preferred shorter background info and gotten to what decisions he made using the information quicker.

[Holly Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with so much in info in a very readable and factual way

I loved the way each chapter broke down the info and made succinct and summarized. FDR
and Eleanor Roosevelt are two of the most influential people of our lives. Always ready to learn more about them. He is my favorite President along with President Obama.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent information

Excellent book that gives you just enough information to peak your interest to learn more about this great man. So many things can be said about his powerful wag he commanded a room to his affair, to his creating a retreat in warm springs.

[Julian Orozco, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The Man

Great book to read at this time in our country. FDR's ultra liberal views are ringing in the air again. Some might work and some might not. I encourage more people to read this short read. Just wish there were more covered. Not disappointed.

[allison Parkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and informative.

Enough information to see the reasoning behind the man his decisions cause, effect and outcome. Also a strong wife with high social values. Really good read

[richard stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed

I was disappointed with the writer not mentioning anything about the president ignoring the concentration camps and why the president did nothing to help the Jewish people.

[coli james campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

God bless America

Great read about a great man 👍 I enjoyed this book a lot this president should have lived to see the end of the war and see what he helped to win the war what a great man and what a great author who wrote this book

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

I absolutely loved this. I knew so very little about FDR and this filled in the holes. My goodness do we need someone like him now.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative in a nicely condensed version.

[Robin Dix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked more about his personal life and less about the war. I did learn a lot and he was certainly lived by the American people.

[georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

don’t ask.

[Terri's Dangerous When Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short biography is well worth the read.

[Gian Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say 'you just can't please them all.'
Which I believe to be quite appropriate when it come to such an important and controversial personality like FDR.
The first and only president to serve four terms, he leads America through World War II, the Great Depression, he took America off the gold standard and launched the New Deal.
A quick, informative read about the personal and public life of one of the most known US Presidents in history.

[Chelsey Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arguably the best president of the US. This biography traces the Roosevelt family lineage and details FDR's major accomplishments throughout the Great Depression––how his New Deal came to be, how his unprecendented social welfare programs laid the foundation for the social welfare we as a society rely on today, especially during the pandemic. An inspiring and empowering narration of his life.

[Ian Hawthorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

A very good read, well written with an easy flow. Knew very little about this President so this was a good insight.

[George Polansky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is picture of the "Anointed". The most dishonest administration.