On March 4, 1933 at the height of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd President of the United States. In his famous inaugural address, Roosevelt outlined his "New Deal"--an expansion of the Federal government as an instrument of employment opportunity and welfare--and told Americans that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Although it was a rainy day in Washington and gusts of wind blew rain on Roosevelt as he spoke, he exuded optimism and competence as he spoke. A large majority of Americans supported their new President and his radical proposals to lead the country out of the Great Depression.
Born into an upper-class family in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882, Roosevelt was the fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, 1901 to 1909. In 1905, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was a student at Columbia University Law School, married Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of Theodore Roosevelt. After three years as a lawyer, he decided to follow in Theodore Roosevelt's footsteps and run for public office. In 1910, he won the election tot he new York State Senate as a Democrat. He quickly earned a reputation as a charismatic politician dedicated to social and economic reform.
Roosevelt continued in public office when in 1912, he was appointed as the assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy. In 1920, he won the Democratic nomination as the vice presidential candidate and ran on the ticket with James Cox. The Democrats lost in a landslide and Roosevelt returned to his law practice.
In 1921, at the age of 39, Roosevelt contracted polio, causing at first nearly total paralysis. he spent the next several years recovering. During this time, his wife, Eleanor, kept his name alive in Democratic circles. He never fully recovered and was forced to use leg braces and wheelchairs the remainder of his life. Roosevelt, who planned a life in politics, wouldn't accept the limitations of his disease. But, how could he demonstrate that he was healthy and strong enough to run for office? Although Roosevelt made no secret of his disease--the New York Times carried the story of his illness on the front page--he downplayed the severity of his disability. The public rarely saw him sitting in a wheelchair or using the steel braces he needed to walk. By common, unspoken consent, the press almost never photographed Roosevelt while he was in motion.
Roosevelt returned to politics in 1924 when he nominated New York Governor Alfred E. Smith for the Office of President in a rousing speech he delivered at the Democratic National Convention. In 1928, Roosevelt campaigned by automobile and was elected as Governor of New York.
Governor Roosevelt worked for tax relief for farmers. As the economic recession turned into the Great Depression, brought on by the stock market crash of 1929, Roosevelt won a second term and mobilized the state government to assist tin providing relief and spur economic recovery.. His vigorous action and obvious political abilities garnered Roosevelt the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1932.
Roosevelt soundly defeated President Herbert Hoover, who was blamed for the Great Depression. Roosevelt carried all but six states. the next four months saw the economy worsen and when Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn into office on march 4, 1933, most banks were closed, farms suffered, 13 million people were unemployed, and industrial production was just over half of what it had been in 1929 before the crash.
Roosevelt and the Democratic Congress took decisive action and most of his New Deal proposals, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act, the National Industrial Recovery Act, and the creation of the Public Works Administration, were approved during this first 100 days in office. Despite criticism from the business community, Roosevelt's proactive and progressive legislation improved the national economic climate and he easily won a second term in 1936.
During his second term, Roosevelt became increasingly concerned with German and Japanese aggression and he began a long campaign to rouse America from its long standing isolationist position. While World War ll raged in Europe and the Pacific, Roosevelt ran for an unprecedented third term. Re-elected in 1940, he proved to be a highly effective commander in chief after the United States entered the war in December 1941. Under Roosevelt's guidance, the United States succeeded in shifting the balance of power in World War ll to the Allies. In 1944, he was elected to a fourth term.
Three months after his inauguration, Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Millions of Americans mourned the man who led the country through two of its greatest trials, the Great Depression and World War ll. Roosevelt's unparalleled 13 years as President led to the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting future Presidents to a maximum of two consecutive elected terms in office.
"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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