Deal program called the National Youth
Administration. It created jobs for millions
of college students.
Franklin Roosevelt died in 1945, but
Eleanor Roosevelt remained active. In
1945 she became a U.S. representative at
the United Nations. There she worked
to protect human rights. She also wrote
books, magazine articles, and newspaper
columns. She died in New York City on
November 7, 1962.
#More to explore
Human Rights • New Deal • Roosevelt,
Franklin D. • United Nations
Roosevelt,
Franklin D.
Franklin D. Roosevelt served for 12
years as the 32nd president of the
United States. He was elected four times
beginning in 1932. Roosevelt led the
country through two of the greatest crises
of the 20th century: the Great
Depression andWorldWar II.
Early Life
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on
January 30, 1882, in Hyde Park, New
York. He was the only child of wealthy
parents, James and Sara Delano
Roosevelt. In 1900 he enrolled at Harvard
University. While there he became
engaged to Eleanor Roosevelt, a distant
cousin and the niece of President Theodore
Roosevelt. The couple married in
1905 and had six children. After graduating
from Harvard, Franklin attended
Columbia University Law School. He
then worked as a clerk for a New York
law firm.
Political Career
In 1910 Roosevelt was elected as a
Democrat to the New York Senate. In
1912 President WoodrowWilson made
Roosevelt assistant secretary of the Navy.
DuringWorldWar I (1914–18)
Roosevelt helped lead the Navy to victory
over German sea forces. In 1920
Roosevelt ran for vice president, but the
Democrats lost the election.
In 1921 Roosevelt caught poliomyelitis,
a disease that paralyzed him from the
waist down. In later years he could walk
a little using a cane and leg braces, but
he usually used a wheelchair.
In 1928 and again in 1930 Roosevelt
was elected governor of New York. As
the Great Depression began, Roosevelt
introduced programs to help people
without jobs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president
of the United States.
92 Roosevelt, Franklin D. BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Presidency
The Democratic Party chose Roosevelt
to run for president in 1932.With the
depression worsening, Roosevelt promised
a “new deal” for millions of poor
people. He won an easy victory over his
Republican opponent, President Herbert
Hoover.
By the time Roosevelt took office in
March 1933, about 13 million people
were unemployed in the United States.
Roosevelt began his New Deal programs
by making sure banks did not go out of
business and by creating work for the
jobless. In 1935 he asked Congress to
pass the Social Security Act, which provided
money to people who were unemployed,
disabled, or elderly.
Roosevelt easily won reelection in 1936.
By the time he began his second term in
1937, the economy had greatly
improved. By 1938 the New Deal was
coming to a close.
In 1939 WorldWar II began in Europe.
In a special session called by Roosevelt,
Congress agreed to send weapons to
Great Britain and France. In 1940
Roosevelt became the first U.S. president
to run for and win a third term.
OnDecember 7, 1941, Japan bombed a
U.S. military base in PearlHarbor,
Hawaii. The surprise attack brought the
United States into the war. It joined
Britain against Japan, Germany, and Italy.
Roosevelt worked with British leader
Winston Churchill to plan the war
effort. Later, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin
joined them. Roosevelt and other world
leaders also began planning the United
Nations, a new organization to maintain
world peace. Roosevelt won election to a
fourth term in 1944.
Death
On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died while
resting at his cottage inWarm Springs,
January 30, February April 12,
1882 1929 1932 1933 1941 1945 1945
Roosevelt is
born in Hyde
Park, New
York.
The Great
Depression
begins while
Roosevelt is
governor of
New York.
Roosevelt is
elected to the
first of his four
presidential
terms.
Roosevelt
launches the
New Deal.
The United
States enters
World War II.
Roosevelt meets
with British and
Soviet leaders
to plan the end
of the war.
Roosevelt dies
in office.
T I M E L I N E
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Roosevelt, Franklin D. 93
Georgia. Vice President Harry S. Truman
became president.Within five
monthsWorldWar II ended.
#More to explore
Great Depression • New Deal • Truman,
Harry S. • United Nations • United
States •WorldWar II
Roosevelt,
Theodore
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president
of the United States. He took office
after the assassination of PresidentWilliam
McKinley in 1901. Roosevelt made
the United States a strong presence in
international affairs.
Early Life
Theodore Roosevelt was born in New
York City on October 27, 1858. He was
the second of four children born into a
wealthy family. Sickly as a boy, he later
developed a strong body through exercise.
He enjoyed hunting and ranching.
Roosevelt graduated from Harvard College
in 1880. After briefly studying law,
he won a seat in the New York legislature
as a Republican.
In 1880 Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway
Lee, with whom he had a daughter.
His wife died in 1884, and in 1886 he
married Edith Kermit Carow. They had
five children.
Military and Political Career
