Misplaced Pages

#350649

97-531: With the beginning of World War II, the Authority temporarily suspended its work and concentrated attention on providing additional dwellings for defense workers and, later, for war workers. But expansion of military facilities, such as the Navy Yard and a military highway displaced resident low-income families and necessitated provisions be made for these people. Executive Order 9344, of May 21, 1943, established

194-527: A "backdrop for Bertie ." Eleanor's distress at these precedents was severe enough that Hickok subtitled her biography of Roosevelt "Reluctant First Lady". With support from Howe and Hickok, Roosevelt set out to redefine the position. According to her biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook , she became "the most controversial First Lady in United States history" in the process. Despite criticism of them both, with her husband's strong support she continued with

291-469: A close relationship with Eleanor and F.D.R, and Eleanor was instrumental in successfully advocating for David Gray's appointment as United States minister to Ireland ; a post he held during World War II from 1940 to 1947. In the 1930s, Roosevelt had a very close relationship with aviator Amelia Earhart (1897–1937). One time, the two snuck out from the White House and went to a party dressed up for

388-399: A divorce, the couple remained married. Their union from that point on was more of a political partnership. Disillusioned, Roosevelt again became active in public life, and focused increasingly on her social work rather than her role as a wife. In August 1921, the family was vacationing at Campobello Island , New Brunswick , Canada, when Franklin was diagnosed with a paralytic illness , at

485-506: A failure. She advocated for expanded roles for women in the workplace, the civil rights of African Americans and Asian Americans , and the rights of World War II refugees. Following her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt remained active in politics for the remaining 17 years of her life. She pressed the United States to join and support the United Nations and became its first delegate to the committee on Human Rights. She served as

582-462: A giant teapot that was made to emit simulated steam (to remind voters of Theodore's supposed, but later disproved, connections to the scandal), and countered his speeches with those of her own, calling him immature. She would later decry these methods, admitting that they were below her dignity but saying that they had been contrived by Democratic Party "dirty tricksters." Theodore was defeated by 105,000 votes, and he never forgave her. By 1928, Roosevelt

679-460: A great influence on her later thinking, was also a lesbian. Faber published some of Roosevelt and Hickok's correspondence in 1980, but concluded that the lovestruck phrasing was simply an "unusually belated schoolgirl crush" and warned historians not to be misled. Researcher Leila J. Rupp criticized Faber's argument, calling her book "a case study in homophobia" and arguing that Faber unwittingly presented "page after page of evidence that delineates

776-469: A heavy travel schedule in her twelve years in the White House, frequently making personal appearances at labor meetings to assure Depression-era workers that the White House was mindful of their plight. In one famous cartoon of the time from The New Yorker magazine (June 3, 1933), satirizing a visit she had made to a mine, an astonished coal miner, peering down a dark tunnel, says to a co-worker, "For gosh sakes, here comes Mrs. Roosevelt!" In early 1933,

873-461: A highly personal book about his parents called The Roosevelts of Hyde Park: An Untold Story , in which he revealed details about the sexual lives of his parents, including his father's relationships with mistress Lucy Mercer and secretary Marguerite ("Missy") LeHand , as well as graphic details surrounding the illness that crippled his father. Published in 1973, the biography also contains valuable insights into FDR's run for vice president, his rise to

970-451: A mother towards Hall, and it was a request she made good upon for the rest of Hall's life. Roosevelt doted on Hall, and when he enrolled at Groton School in 1907, she accompanied him as a chaperone. While he was attending Groton, she wrote him almost daily, but always felt a touch of guilt that Hall had not had a fuller childhood. She took pleasure in Hall's brilliant performance at school, and

1067-532: A new landscape type in its own right, one forged from an interaction of urban and rural land use . Its definition shifts depending on the global location, but typically in Europe where suburban areas are intensively managed to prevent urban sprawl and protect agricultural land, the urban fringe will be characterised by certain land uses which have either purposely moved from the urban area or require much larger tracts of land. As examples: Despite these urban uses,

SECTION 10

#1732775985351

1164-491: A number of Jews, including Elinor and Henry Morgenthau Jr. , Bernard Baruch , Edith and Herbert H. Lehman , and Rose Schneiderman . In the 1930s, once she had become first lady, she began speaking out against the growing antisemitism in Europe and the United States and advocating for allowing more Jewish refugees into the United States. However, according to historian Michelle Mart, while serving as first lady, "Although it

1261-420: A picnic at Val-Kill for delinquent boys, her granddaughter Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves assisted her. She was close to her grandmother throughout her life. Seagraves concentrated her career as an educator and librarian on keeping alive many of the causes Roosevelt began and supported. In 1924, Eleanor campaigned for Democrat Alfred E. Smith in his successful re-election bid as governor of New York State against

1358-704: A picnic on the White House lawn where they were addressed by Franklin from the South Portico. The President admonished them to condemn not merely the Nazi regime but all dictatorships . The President was reportedly booed by the group. Afterwards, many of the same youth picketed the White House as representatives of the American Peace Mobilization . Among them was Joseph Cadden, one of Roosevelt's overnight boarders. Later in 1940, despite Roosevelt's publication of her reasons "Why I still believe in

1455-532: A reporter, Hickok soon resigned her position with the AP to be closer to Roosevelt, who secured her a job as an investigator for a New Deal program. There is considerable debate about whether or not Roosevelt had a sexual relationship with Hickok. It was known in the White House press corps at the time that Hickok was a lesbian. Scholars, including Lillian Faderman and Hazel Rowley , have asserted that there

1552-530: A response to Elliott's book. A sequel to An Untold Story with James Brough, published in 1975 and titled A Rendezvous With Destiny , carried the Roosevelt saga to the end of World War II. Mother R.: Eleanor Roosevelt's Untold Story , also with Brough, was published in 1977. Eleanor Roosevelt, with Love: A Centenary Remembrance , came out in 1984. Eleanor had a close relationship with her aunt, Maude Livingston Hall. The younger sister of Eleanor's mother, Maude

1649-453: A sapphire ring Hickok had given her. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover despised Roosevelt's liberalism, her stance regarding civil rights, and criticisms of Hoover's surveillance tactics by both her and her husband, and so Hoover maintained a large file on Roosevelt, which the filmmakers of the biopic J. Edgar (2011) indicate included compromising evidence of this relationship, with which Hoover intended to blackmail Roosevelt. Compromised as

1746-406: A serious manner as a child. Anna emotionally rejected Eleanor and was also somewhat ashamed of her daughter's alleged "plainness". Roosevelt had two younger brothers: Elliott Jr. and Hall . She also had a half-brother, Elliott Roosevelt Mann, through her father's affair with Katy Mann, a servant employed by the family. Roosevelt was born into a world of immense wealth and privilege, as her family

1843-513: A special interest in Roosevelt, who learned to speak French fluently and gained self-confidence. Roosevelt and Souvestre maintained a correspondence until March 1905, when Souvestre died, and after this Roosevelt placed Souvestre's portrait on her desk and brought her letters with her. Roosevelt's first cousin Corinne Douglas Robinson , whose first term at Allenswood overlapped with Roosevelt's last, said that when she arrived at

1940-523: A supporter of public housing and an executive officer for the ADA, dealt with implementing alley development. One government official whom Ihlder contacted was Dr. William T. Grady, chairman in office. The two exchanged letters in order to deal with St. Mary's court apartment which was specifically built for “negro occupancy,”. The white population believed that the Black population should be completely moved out of

2037-527: A total of $ 6,000,000 and $ 4,258,000. However, the construction rendered alley dwellers whose houses were being fixed with no place to live. Of the five completed projects, four of them were being occupied by African Americans. The intended purpose for these projects was to lower crime and death rates. Moreover, there was a conflict when the white population did not want the black population to dwell near them. The ADA had several moral and legal conflicts to manage, as it had to undergo multiple legal loopholes to excise

SECTION 20

#1732775985351

2134-663: A week while FDR served as governor, but was forced to leave teaching after his election as president. Also in 1927, she established Val-Kill Industries with Cook, Dickerman, and Caroline O'Day , three friends she met through her activities in the Women's Division of the New York State Democratic Party. It was located on the banks of a stream that flowed through the Roosevelt family estate in Hyde Park, New York . Roosevelt and her business partners financed

2231-542: A woman may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her." Roosevelt was tutored privately and with the encouragement of her aunt Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt , she was sent to Allenswood Academy at the age of 15, a private finishing school in Wimbledon, London , England, where she was educated from 1899 to 1902. The headmistress, Marie Souvestre , was a noted educator who sought to cultivate independent thinking in young women. Souvestre took

2328-547: Is clear from all accounts that Roosevelt 'cared deeply' about the plight of European Jews, her public actions remained limited, and she refrained from pressing for radical policies to rescue the Jews." After World War II she became a staunch champion of Israel, which she admired for its commitment to New Deal values. In the 1920 presidential election , Franklin was nominated as the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate James M. Cox . Roosevelt joined Franklin in touring

2425-555: Is frequently seen as a result of post-modernity . In science, the term was used initially in France and Switzerland . Peri-urban areas (also called urban space , outskirts or the hinterland ) are defined by the structure resulting from the process of peri-urbanisation. It can be described as the landscape interface or ecotone between town and countryside, or also as the rural—urban transition zone where urban and rural uses and functions mix and often clash. It can thus be viewed as

2522-687: The Dies Committee subpoenaed leaders of the AYC, who, in addition to serving the AYC, also were members of the Young Communist League . Roosevelt was in attendance at the hearings and afterward invited the subpoenaed witnesses to board at the White House during their stay in Washington D.C. Joseph P. Lash was one of her boarders. On February 10, 1940, members of the AYC, as guests of Roosevelt in her capacity as first lady, attended

2619-562: The French word périurbanisation ("peri-urban" meaning "around urban"), which is used by the INSEE (the French statistics agency) to describe spaces—between the city and the countryside—that are shaped by the fragmented urbanisation of former rural areas in the urban fringe, both in a qualitative (e.g. diffusion of urban lifestyle) and in a quantitative (e.g. new residential zones) sense. It

2716-473: The " Bonus Army ", a protest group of World War I veterans, marched on Washington for the second time in two years, calling for their veteran bonus certificates to be awarded early. The previous year, President Hoover had ordered them dispersed, and the U.S. Army cavalry charged and bombarded the veterans with tear gas. This time, Roosevelt visited the veterans at their muddy campsite, listening to their concerns and singing army songs with them. The meeting defused

2813-550: The Blacks came back to purchase their homes they were unable to afford it, due to the new improvements. Not all government officials were trying to push Blacks out of these alleys; one of the main advocates for Blacks staying in these alleys was Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was a strong advocate for the Washington Housing Authority, as she looked to put an end to discrimination. As the president of

2910-628: The DC district, and that St. Mary's court should be renewed and housed for the white people living in these areas. They began to have regulations on being able to live in these apartments, causing “negroes” to live in the outskirts of town. The regulations included working in the West End, and preferences toward families instead of single people. Ihlder stated that three-four years before June 25, 1939, African Americans occupied most alley dwellings. five to six thousand African Americans paid low rent housing with

3007-485: The Hickok relationship was indeed erotic now seems beyond dispute considering what is known about the letters they exchanged." In the same years, Washington gossip linked Roosevelt romantically with New Deal administrator Harry Hopkins , with whom she worked closely. Roosevelt also had a close relationship with New York State Police sergeant Earl Miller , who was assigned by the president to be her bodyguard. Roosevelt

Alley Dwelling Authority - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-581: The President designated the Commissioner of the District of Columbia as the Authority to carry out the provisions of the District of Columbia Alley Dwelling Act. The Executive Order stated that in carrying out his functions as such Authority the Commissioner would be known as the “National Capital Housing Authority”. The District of Columbia Home Rule Act (87 Stat. 779) of December 24, 1973, abolished

3201-734: The Republican nominee and her first cousin Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Franklin had spoken out on Theodore's "wretched record" as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Teapot Dome scandal , and in return, Theodore said of him, "He's a maverick! He does not wear the brand of our family," which infuriated her. She dogged Theodore on the New York State campaign trail in a car fitted with a papier-mâché bonnet shaped like

3298-768: The Republican nominee, her first cousin Theodore Roosevelt Jr. Theodore Jr. never forgave her. Eleanor's aunt, Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt Cowles , publicly broke with her after the election. She wrote to her niece, "I just hate to have Eleanor let herself look as she does. Though never handsome, she always had to me a charming effect, but alas and lackaday! Since politics have become her choicest interest all her charm has disappeared...." Roosevelt dismissed Bamie's criticisms by referring to her as an "aged woman." However, Bamie and Roosevelt eventually reconciled. Theodore's elder daughter Alice also broke with Roosevelt over her campaign. Alice and her cousin reconciled after

3395-557: The Todhunter school in New York City, a limited number of Jews were admitted. Most students were upper-class Protestants, and Roosevelt said that the spirit of the school "would be different if we had too large a proportion of Jewish children." She said the problem was that "the country is still full of immigrant Jews, very unlike ourselves." By 1929, however, when she made those statements, her social circle had begun to include

3492-488: The U.S., the newlyweds settled in a New York City house that was provided by Franklin's mother, as well as in a second residence at the family's estate overlooking the Hudson River in Hyde Park, New York . From the beginning, Roosevelt had a contentious relationship with her controlling mother-in-law. The townhouse that Sara gave to them was connected to her own residence by sliding doors, and Sara ran both households in

3589-589: The Youth Congress," the American Youth Congress was disbanded. The NYA was shut down in 1943. Rural%E2%80%93urban fringe Peri-urbanisation relates to the processes of scattered and dispersive urban growth that create hybrid landscapes of fragmented and mixed urban and rural characteristics. Such areas may be referred to as the rural–urban fringe , the outskirts or the urban hinterland . The expression originates from

3686-403: The active business and speaking agenda she had begun before assuming the role of first lady in an era when few married women had careers. She was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences and in 1940 became the first to speak at a national party convention. She also wrote a daily and widely syndicated newspaper column, " My Day ", another first for a presidential spouse. She

3783-655: The agency, effective July 1, 1974. The ADA was ostensibly given the task of evaluating homes and streets to see if they met proper living conditions, but also had the power to condemn any building within a block as long as an alley dwelling existed on that block. Specific documentation would state the reasons why the area needed to be renovated. This documentation would then be sent from the authority to legislation for approval. Individuals in legislation included (but not exclusively) Eleanor Roosevelt . Common reasons as to why an area needed to be renovated were: excess of individuals in one home, too many African Americans in and around

3880-529: The alley dwellers out of their homes. The Black population in DC Alleys was at its zenith during the late nineteenth century, although they could not afford sufficient housing. The Black population needed more housing in order to live comfortably, but since they did not have more housing, living conditions were often cramped, particularly in small apartments . At the same time, it was necessary for them to live in DC and be close enough to their jobs. John Ihlder,

3977-415: The alley dwellings. The whites wanted to and had nuked the Blacks “negro occupancy”. The government stated that this was inaccurate, that the reasoning for the Blacks being moved out from these alleys was for them to improve the conditions of their living environment. Their plan was to put indoor plumbing and polish the housing and make more room, and made Blacks move into low income home for 3–4 months. When

Alley Dwelling Authority - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-528: The area, or a fading exterior. After the ADA gained approval from legislation, it would then give the occupants of the houses anywhere from two to four months to find a new home. By July 1, 1944, all of the houses in Foggy Bottom had been evacuated and plans were set forward for renovation. This act sought to produce larger living spaces for individuals with better conditions, so that the owners could charge more for rent . Higher rent prices were acceptable at

4171-545: The authority as an independent agency and changed the name to National Capital Housing Authority. After the war, NCHA continued as the public housing agency for the District of Columbia, attempting to provide an adequate supply of proper housing for low-income families and individuals. In addition to building and acquiring housing, the Authority managed and maintained the properties as well as provided social services, such as day care, tutoring and recreational activities, for residents. On March 13, 1968, by Executive Order No. 11401,

4268-617: The ceremony was front-page news in The New York Times and other newspapers. When asked for his thoughts on the Roosevelt–Roosevelt union, the president said, "It is a good thing to keep the name in the family." The couple spent a preliminary honeymoon of one week at Hyde Park, then set up housekeeping in an apartment in New York. That summer they went on their formal honeymoon , a three-month tour of Europe. Returning to

4365-469: The committee, Eleanor Roosevelt made it a priority for her to aid the alley dwellers. On June 12, 1934, the District of Columbia Alley Dwelling Act was passed, establishing the Washington Housing Authority as an independent agency. The government attempted to eliminate the alley dwelling lifestyle and tried to improve the situation which was the cause for the New Deal . The ADA had a significant effect upon

4462-472: The construction of a small factory to provide supplemental income for local farming families who would make furniture, pewter, and homespun cloth using traditional craft methods. Capitalizing on the popularity of the Colonial Revival , most Val-Kill products were modeled on eighteenth-century forms. Roosevelt promoted Val-Kill through interviews and public appearances. Val-Kill Industries never became

4559-571: The contents of the factory and the use of the Val-Kill name to continue making colonial-style furniture until he retired in 1975. In 1977, Roosevelt's cottage at Val-Kill and its surrounding property of 181 acres (0.73 km2), was formally designated by an act of Congress as the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site , "to commemorate for the education, inspiration, and benefit of present and future generations

4656-509: The country, making her first campaign appearances. Cox was defeated by Republican Warren G. Harding , who won with 404 electoral votes to 127. Following the onset of Franklin's paralytic illness in 1921, Roosevelt began serving as a stand-in for her incapacitated husband, making public appearances on his behalf, often carefully coached by Louis Howe. She also started working with the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL), raising funds in support of

4753-696: The deaths of both parents and one of her brothers at a young age. At 15, she attended Allenswood Boarding Academy in London and was deeply influenced by its founder and director Marie Souvestre . Returning to the U.S., she married her fifth cousin once removed, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1905. Between 1906 and 1916 she gave birth to six children, one of whom died in infancy. The Roosevelts' marriage became complicated after Eleanor discovered her husband's affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer , in 1918. Due to mediation by her mother-in-law, Sara , who

4850-739: The decade after the marriage. Early on, Roosevelt had a breakdown in which she explained to Franklin that "I did not like to live in a house which was not in any way mine, one that I had done nothing about and which did not represent the way I wanted to live", but little changed. Sara also sought to control the raising of her grandchildren, and Roosevelt reflected later that "Franklin's children were more my mother-in-law's children than they were mine". Roosevelt's eldest son James remembered Sara telling her grandchildren, "Your mother only bore you, I am more your mother than your mother is." Roosevelt and Franklin had six children: Roosevelt disliked having sex with her husband. She once told her daughter Anna that it

4947-463: The development of alleys, particularly in Foggy Bottom. An alley dwelling within Foggy Bottom, Snow's Court, witnessed some of the most prevalent changes in terms of alley development. The ADA effectively mended the initially horrid living conditions and the problems that arose with overpopulation in Snows Court. Because of their actions, Snows Court today is affiliated primarily with the middle and

SECTION 50

#1732775985351

5044-529: The end of each trip. In 1927, she joined friends Marion Dickerman and Nancy Cook in buying the Todhunter School for Girls, a finishing school which also offered college preparatory courses, in New York City. At the school, Roosevelt taught upper-level courses in American literature and history, emphasizing independent thought, current events, and social engagement. She continued to teach three days

5141-685: The first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and oversaw the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . Later, she chaired the John F. Kennedy administration's Presidential Commission on the Status of Women . By the time of her death, Roosevelt was regarded as "one of the most esteemed women in the world"; The New York Times called her "the object of almost universal respect" in her obituary. In 1999, Roosevelt

5238-448: The fringe remains largely open with the majority of the land for agricultural, woodland or other rural uses. The quality of living of the countryside around urban areas tends to be low with severance between areas of open land and poorly maintained woodlands and hedgerows with the scattered urban facilities. "Peri-urbanisation" is also sometimes used to fill the gap between suburbanisation and exurbanisation , and thus relates moreover to

5335-484: The governorship of New York, and his capture of the presidency in 1932, particularly with the help of Louis Howe. When Elliott published this book in 1973, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. led the family's denunciation of him; the book was fiercely repudiated by all Elliott's siblings. Another of the siblings, James, published My Parents, a Differing View (with Bill Libby , 1976), which was written in part as

5432-548: The greater wealth arose from the majority of white residents, but also that black wealth was steadily increasing due to new job patterns. In the process of attempting to improve upon DC living standards, the ADA demolished entire alleys. By tearing down the houses of alley dwellers, the ADA was able to refurbish the area into better houses. Funding for the new houses were from the United States Housing Authority . The two loans that were made amounted to

5529-536: The growth and development of a love affair between the two women." In 1992, Roosevelt biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook argued that the relationship was in fact romantic, generating national attention. A 2011 essay by Russell Baker reviewing two new Roosevelt biographies in the New York Review of Books ( Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage , by Hazel Rowley , and Eleanor Roosevelt: Transformative First Lady , by Maurine H. Beasley) stated, "That

5626-485: The latter wrote Alice a comforting letter upon the death of Alice's daughter, Paulina Longworth. Roosevelt and her daughter Anna became estranged after she took over some of her mother's social duties at the White House. The relationship was further strained because Roosevelt desperately wanted to go with her husband to Yalta in February 1945 (two months before FDR's death), but he took Anna instead. A few years later,

5723-516: The letters were anonymously purchased and destroyed, or locked away when she died. Roosevelt was a longtime friend of Carrie Chapman Catt and gave her the Chi Omega award at the White House in 1941. Until middle age, Eleanor Roosevelt exhibited antisemitic tendencies. In a 1918 letter to her mother-in-law, she declared, the "Jew party [was] appalling.... I never wish to hear money, jewels or sables mentioned again." When she became co-owner of

5820-500: The life and work of an outstanding woman in American history." Roosevelt became First Lady of the United States when Franklin was inaugurated on March 4, 1933. Having known all of the twentieth century's previous first ladies, she was seriously depressed at having to assume the role, which had traditionally been restricted to domesticity and hostessing. Her immediate predecessor, Lou Henry Hoover , had ended her feminist activism on becoming first lady, stating her intention to be only

5917-492: The longest-serving first lady of the United States. Through her travels, public engagement, and advocacy, she largely redefined the role of first lady. Roosevelt then served as a United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952, and took a leading role in designing the text and gaining international support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights . In 1948, she

SECTION 60

#1732775985351

6014-462: The movement of people in space. In this case, it implies the expansion of functional rural-urban linkages such as by commuting . In the United States urban areas are defined as contiguous territory having a density of at least 1,000 persons per square mile, though in some areas the density may be as low as 500 per square mile. Urban areas also include outlying territory of less density if it

6111-414: The occasion. After flying with Earhart, Roosevelt obtained a student permit but did not further pursue her plans to learn to fly. Franklin was not in favor of his wife becoming a pilot. Nevertheless, the two women communicated frequently throughout their lives. Roosevelt also had a close relationship with Associated Press (AP) reporter Lorena Hickok (1893–1968), who covered her during the last months of

6208-572: The point that the family constructed a cottage at Val-Kill , in which Eleanor and her guests lived when Franklin and the children were away from Hyde Park. Roosevelt herself named the place Val-Kill, loosely translated as "waterfall-stream" from the Dutch language common to the original European settlers of the area. Franklin encouraged his wife to develop this property as a place where she could implement some of her ideas for work with winter jobs for rural workers and women. Each year, when Roosevelt held

6305-506: The presidential campaign and "fell madly in love with her." During this period, Roosevelt wrote daily 10- to 15-page letters to "Hick," who was planning to write a biography of the First Lady. The letters included such endearments as, "I want to put my arms around you & kiss you at the corner of your mouth," and, "I can't kiss you, so I kiss your 'picture' good night and good morning!" At Franklin's 1933 inauguration , Roosevelt wore

6402-514: The remainder of Franklin's public career in government, Roosevelt regularly made public appearances on his behalf; and as first lady, while her husband served as president, she significantly reshaped and redefined the role. Roosevelt was, in her time, one of the world's most widely admired and powerful women. Nevertheless, in her early years in the White House she was a controversial first lady for her outspokenness, particularly with respect to her promotion of civil rights for African Americans . She

6499-538: The same time that her husband had a rumored relationship with his secretary, Marguerite "Missy" LeHand. Smith writes, "remarkably, both ER and Franklin recognized, accepted, and encouraged the arrangement... Eleanor and Franklin were strong-willed people who cared greatly for each other's happiness but realized their own inability to provide for it." Roosevelt and Miller's relationship is said to have continued until her death in 1962. They are thought to have corresponded daily, but all letters have been lost. According to rumor,

6596-466: The school, Roosevelt was " 'everything' at the school. She was beloved by everybody." Roosevelt wished to continue at Allenswood, but she was summoned home by her grandmother in 1902 to make her social debut . At age 17 in 1902, Roosevelt completed her formal education and returned to the United States; she was presented at a debutante ball at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on December 14. She

6693-507: The sea all her life. Her mother died from diphtheria on December 7, 1892, and Elliott Jr. died of the same disease the following May. Her father, an alcoholic confined to a sanitarium, died on August 14, 1894, after jumping from a window during a fit of delirium tremens . He survived the fall but died from a seizure. Roosevelt's childhood losses left her prone to depression throughout her life. Her brother Hall later suffered from alcoholism. Before her father died, he implored her to act as

6790-460: The stricken Franklin during the time of his travail. "You have been a rare wife and have borne your heavy burden most bravely," he said, proclaiming her "one of my heroines". This proved a turning point in Eleanor and Sara's long-running struggle, and as Eleanor's public role grew, she increasingly broke from Sara's control. Tensions between Sara and Eleanor over her new political friends rose to

6887-535: The subsistence program that Roosevelt and her friends imagined, but it did pave the way for larger New Deal initiatives during Franklin's presidential administration. Cook's failing health and pressures from the Great Depression compelled the women to dissolve the partnership in 1938, at which time Roosevelt converted the shop buildings into a cottage at Val-Kill , that eventually became her permanent residence after Franklin died in 1945. Otto Berge acquired

6984-574: The tension between the veterans and the administration, and one of the marchers later commented, "Hoover sent the Army. [President] Roosevelt sent his wife." In 1933 after she became first lady, a new hybrid tea rose was named after her ( Rosa x hybrida "Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt"). In 1937 she began writing her autobiography, all volumes of which were compiled into The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt in 1961 ( Harper & Brothers , ISBN   0-306-80476-X ). The American Youth Congress (AYC)

7081-453: The time because of a boom in available jobs, which created a more competitive supply and demand market for housing. Monthly rent usually ranged anywhere from seventeen dollars to thirty-seven dollars. These prices fluctuated often because of the available jobs and the condition of the houses. Older houses were typically cheaper than new homes, some of which had running water, gas heaters and cooling systems. Statistics suggest that, on average,

7178-480: The time believed to be polio. During the illness, through her nursing care, Roosevelt probably saved Franklin from death. His legs remained permanently paralyzed. When the extent of his disability became clear, Roosevelt fought a protracted battle with her mother-in-law over his future, persuading him to stay in politics despite Sara's urgings that he retire and become a country gentleman. Franklin's attending physician, Dr. William Keen, commended Roosevelt's devotion to

7275-453: The two were able to reconcile and cooperate on numerous projects. Anna took care of her mother when she was terminally ill in 1962. Roosevelt's son Elliott authored numerous books, including a mystery series in which his mother was the detective. However, these murder mysteries were researched and written by William Harrington. They continued until Harrington's death in 2000, ten years after Elliott's death. With James Brough, Elliott also wrote

7372-449: The union and made him promise that the engagement would not be officially announced for a year. "I know what pain I must have caused you," he wrote to his mother of his decision. However, he added, "I know my own mind, and known it for a long time, and know that I could never think otherwise." Sara took her son on a Caribbean cruise in 1904, hoping that a separation would squelch the romance, but Franklin remained determined. The wedding date

7469-476: The union's goals: a 48-hour workweek, minimum wage , and the abolition of child labor . Throughout the 1920s, Roosevelt became increasingly influential as a leader in the New York State Democratic Party while Franklin used her contacts among Democratic women to strengthen his standing with them, winning their committed support for the future. In 1924, she campaigned for Democrat Alfred E. Smith in his successful re-election bid as governor of New York State against

7566-426: The upper class. Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( / ˈ ɛ l ɪ n ɔːr ˈ r oʊ z ə v ɛ l t / EL -in-or ROH -zə-velt ; October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt 's four terms as president, making her

7663-510: Was 44 years old when she met Miller, 32, in 1929. He became her friend as well as her official escort, teaching her different sports, such as diving and riding, and coached her in tennis. Biographer Blanche Wiesen Cook writes that Miller was Roosevelt's "first romantic involvement" in her middle years. Hazel Rowley concludes, "There is no doubt that Eleanor was in love with Earl for a time ... But they are most unlikely to have had an 'affair'." Roosevelt's friendship with Miller occurred at

7760-644: Was a physical component to the relationship, while Hickok biographer Doris Faber has argued that the insinuative phrases have misled historians. Doris Kearns Goodwin stated in her 1994 Pulitzer Prize –winning account of the Roosevelts that "whether Hick and Eleanor went beyond kisses and hugs" could not be determined with certainty. Roosevelt was close friends with several lesbian couples, such as Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman , and Esther Lape and Elizabeth Fisher Read , suggesting that she understood lesbianism; Marie Souvestre, Roosevelt's childhood teacher and

7857-632: Was a strong financial supporter of the family, the liaison was ended officially. After that, both partners started to keep independent agendas, and Eleanor joined the Women's Trade Union League and became active in the New York state Democratic Party . Roosevelt helped persuade her husband to stay in politics after he was stricken with a paralytic illness in 1921, which cost him the normal use of his legs, and she began giving speeches and appearing at campaign events in his place. Following Franklin's election as governor of New York in 1928, and throughout

7954-545: Was active with the New York Junior League shortly after its founding, teaching dancing and calisthenics in the East Side slums. The organization had been brought to Roosevelt's attention by her friend, organization founder Mary Harriman , and a male relative who criticized the group for "drawing young women into public activity". Roosevelt was a lifelong Episcopalian , regularly attended services, and

8051-483: Was also the first first lady to write a monthly magazine column and to host a weekly radio show. In the first year of her husband's administration, Roosevelt was determined to match his presidential salary, and she earned $ 75,000 from her lectures and writing, most of which she gave to charity. By 1941, she was receiving lecture fees of $ 1,000, and was made an honorary member of Phi Beta Kappa at one of her lectures to celebrate her achievements. Roosevelt maintained

8148-560: Was an "ordeal to be borne". She also considered herself ill-suited to motherhood, later writing, "It did not come naturally to me to understand little children or to enjoy them". In September 1918, Roosevelt was unpacking one of Franklin's suitcases when she discovered a bundle of love letters to him from her social secretary, Lucy Mercer . He had been contemplating leaving his wife for Mercer. However, following pressure from his political advisor, Louis Howe , and from his mother, who threatened to disinherit Franklin if he followed through with

8245-500: Was born on October 11, 1884, in Manhattan , New York City, to socialites Anna Rebecca Hall and Elliott Roosevelt . From an early age she preferred to be called by her middle name, Eleanor. Through her father, she was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt . Through her mother, she was a niece of tennis champions Valentine Gill "Vallie" Hall III and Edward Ludlow Hall . Her mother nicknamed her "Granny" because she acted in such

8342-585: Was formed in 1935 to advocate for youth rights in U.S. politics, and it was responsible for introducing the American Youth Bill of Rights to the U.S. Congress. Roosevelt's relationship with the AYC eventually led to the formation of the National Youth Administration , a New Deal agency in the United States, founded in 1935, that focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. The NYA

8439-456: Was given a standing ovation by the assembly upon their adoption of the declaration. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements. Roosevelt was a member of the prominent and wealthy American Roosevelt and Livingston families and a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt . She had an unhappy childhood, having suffered

8536-464: Was headed by Aubrey Willis Williams , a prominent liberal from Alabama who was close to Roosevelt and Harry Hopkins . Speaking of the NYA in the 1930s, Roosevelt expressed her concern about ageism, stating that "I live in real terror when I think we may be losing this generation. We have got to bring these young people into the active life of the community and make them feel that they are necessary." In 1939

8633-425: Was later given her own "coming out party". She said of her debut in a public discussion once, "It was simply awful. It was a beautiful party, of course, but I was so unhappy, because a girl who comes out is so utterly miserable if she does not know all the young people. Of course I had been so long abroad that I had lost touch with all the girls I used to know in New York. I was miserable through all that." Roosevelt

8730-460: Was only six years older than Eleanor and the two grew up together in the home of Maude's mother, Eleanor's grandmother. Their relationship was more like sisters than aunt and niece. After Maude divorced her first husband, the champion polo player Lawrence Waterbury , in 1912, she married the playwright and novelist David Gray in 1914 in a small ceremony attended only by Eleanor and the Roosevelt family lawyer, John M. Hackett . The couple maintained

8827-516: Was part of New York high society called the "swells". On May 19, 1887, the two-year-old Roosevelt was on board the SS Britannic with her father, mother and aunt Tissie, when it collided with White Star Liner SS Celtic . She was lowered into a lifeboat and she and her parents were taken to the Celtic and returned to New York. After this traumatic event, Eleanor was afraid of ships and

8924-572: Was promoting Smith's candidacy for president and Franklin's nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for governor of New York, succeeding Smith. Although Smith lost the presidential race, Franklin won and the Roosevelts moved into the governor's mansion in Albany , New York. During Franklin's term as governor, Roosevelt traveled widely in the state to make speeches and inspect state facilities on his behalf, reporting her findings to him at

9021-632: Was proud of his many academic accomplishments, which included a master's degree in engineering from Harvard . After the deaths of her parents, Roosevelt was raised in the household of her maternal grandmother, Mary Livingston Ludlow Hall of the Livingston family in Tivoli, New York . As a child, she was insecure and starved for affection, and considered herself the "ugly duckling". However, Roosevelt wrote at 14 that one's prospects in life were not totally dependent on physical beauty: "no matter how plain

9118-568: Was ranked ninth in the top ten of Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century , and was found to rank as the most admired woman in thirteen different years between 1948 and 1961 in Gallup's annual most admired woman poll . Periodic surveys conducted by the Siena College Research Institute have consistently seen historians assess Roosevelt as the greatest American first lady. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt

9215-561: Was set to accommodate President Theodore Roosevelt, who was scheduled to be in New York City for the St. Patrick's Day parade, and who agreed to give the bride away. The couple were married on March 17, 1905, in a wedding officiated by Endicott Peabody , the groom's headmaster at Groton School . Her cousin Corinne Douglas Robinson was a bridesmaid. The marriage took place in New York City. Theodore Roosevelt's attendance at

9312-408: Was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences, write a daily newspaper column, write a monthly magazine column, host a weekly radio show, and speak at a national party convention. On a few occasions, she publicly disagreed with her husband's policies. She launched an experimental community at Arthurdale, West Virginia , for the families of unemployed miners, later widely regarded as

9409-616: Was very familiar with the New Testament . Dr. Harold Ivan Smith states that she, "was very public about her faith. In hundreds of "My Day" and "If You Ask Me" columns, she addressed issues of faith, prayer and the Bible." In the summer of 1902, Roosevelt encountered her father's fifth cousin , Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on a train to Tivoli, New York . The two began a secret correspondence and romance, and became engaged on November 22, 1903. Franklin's mother, Sara Ann Delano , opposed

#350649