Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) was the
thirty-second President of the United States. He was President
fr om
1932 until his death and is therefore the longest-serving President
in history.
Originally from Hyde Park, New York, Roosevelt
was educated at Harvard and Columbia Universities. After marrying
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt in 1905, FDR passed the state bar examination
and took a job practicing corporate law on Wall Street. Unfulfilled
and drawn to Democratic politics, he ran for a seat in the New
York Senate in 1910 and won. In 1913, FDR accepted a position as
assistant secretary of the navy and moved to Washington, remaining
there until after he lost a bid for the Vice-Presidency in 1920.
In 1921, at age 39, Roosevelt was stricken with polio which resulted
in the paralysis of his legs. Determined to fight against his physical
circumstances,  Roosevelt
continued to undergo water therapy throughout the decade and was
eventually persuaded by Alfred Smith to return
to politics.
In 1928, FDR became the governor of New York and worked
to institute numerous progressive measures that would provide the
state's citizenship with some economic relief as the Depression
deepened. As a result, Roosevelt obtained the Democratic presidential
nomination in 1932, promising the delegates a "new deal" for
the American people. During his first term as President, FDR called
Congress into a special session and in the first "hundred
days", as well as throughout 1935, proposed and passed a sweeping
program aimed at providing economic relief and reform. Although
his measures' successes were questionable, Roosevelt was re-elected
in 1936, and despite attacking the Supreme Court as well as angering
Congress during his second term, won again in 1940. Throughout
his tenure, Roosevelt hoped to avoid war and achieve peace through
the creation of the United Nations. Nevertheless, he continued
to provide aid and supplies to the anti-German allies, and when
Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese on Dec. 7, 1941, neutrality
became impossible.
Although FDR was re-elected to his fourth term
in 1944, he was quite ill, suffering from hypertension and heart
disease. He died, unexpectedly, on April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs,
Georgia. He was 63 years old.
Audio files:
| Excerpt of acceptance of nomination at 1932 Democratic
National Convention - Broadcast on CBS, 1932 |
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| First fireside chat - Broadcast on March 12, 1933 - Roosevelt
talks about the banking situation in the U.S. |
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| Charles Dawes and FDR speak on Brotherhood Day, 1936 |
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| Franklin Roosevelt; fireside chat on reorganization of
the judicial system, March 9, 1937 |
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| FDR asks Congress to declare war on Japan, 12/8/41 |
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| FDR - Pearl Harbor Day fireside chat; Dec 9, 1941 |
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| FDR reads first number of draft; mother in audience screams,
1941 |
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| Rexford Tugwell describes and plays tapes of FDR's first
inauguration - Recorded by L.L. Carey, March 4, 1975 |
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