FDR by Jean E. Smith–Part I
President Franklin D. Roosevelt by Jean Edward Smith
Part I: Nominated for President
A Book Report by Bobby Everett Smith
March 11, 2018
Spoiler Alert
Setting
White House, Washington, D.C. and around the world, 1900’s through 1932
Characters
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Governor of New York, President of the United States–1933 through April 1945
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin, First Lady of the United States–1933 through April 1945
Lucy Mercer Rutherford, social secretary of Eleanor Roosevelt in 1914. Lucy and Franklin are believed to have begun an affair in mid-1916, when she was 25 and he was 34, and prior to his paralytic illness. The relationship was discovered by Eleanor in September 1918
Missy LeHand, White House Private Secretary to FDR, companion, and hostess for him over a 20-year period. Care-taker and possible lover to FDR
Sara Delano Roosevelt, FDR’s mother, subsequently the mother-in-law of Eleanor Roosevelt. A devoted mother to him, including home schooling and living close by in adulthood. Had a complex relationship with her daughter-in-law, Eleanor; portrayals of her as a domineering and fearsome mother-in-law, though these are at odds with other views. Died in 1941.
Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy under Woodrow Wilson while FDR was Assistant SecNav for 8 years. Daniels originally newspaper publisher in NC.; progressive Democrat.
Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States during World War I and after the war, negotiating the League of Nations with the U.S. Congress
Louis Howe, companion, and Chief of Staff to FDR. Campaign manager, died in 1936. Key advisor to FDR through his first term as president.
Al Smith, four term Governor of New York before FDR. Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928.
Earl Miller, New York State Police, friend of Eleanor, possible lover
Nancy Cook, an American suffragist, educator, political organizer, and friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. co-owner of Val-Kill Industries, the Women’s Democratic News, and the Todhunter School.
Marion Dickerman, American suffragist, educator, vice-principal of the Todhunter School and an intimate of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Anna, James, John, Elliott, and Frank, Jr., children of FDR and Eleanor
John Nance Garner, Democratic politician from Texas. Vice President of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1941.Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Postmaster General under the first two administrations of FDR.
Val Kill, located approximately two miles east of Springwood, adjacent to Hyde Park. Eleanor created and shared Val-Kill with Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, They established Val-Kill Industries to employ local farming families in handcraft traditions. In 1945. Val-Kill became Eleanor Roosevelt’s primary residence.
Executive Summary
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”
“No democracy can long survive which does not accept as fundamental to its very existence the recognition of the rights of minorities.
Born to an affluent, aristocratic family in New York state, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was provided with everything he needed without working as he grew up and entered adult life. He went to Groton School, preparatory for Harvard and one of the best prep schools in the world. He graduated from Harvard and served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy during the Woodrow Wilson term as president of the United States.
As misfortune happens, FDR developed polio or something similar when he was just beginning to hit his stride in politics. He became paralyzed from the waist down and never walked again without assistance. Nevertheless, he persevered in politics, became Governor of the State of New York, and was nominated as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States in 1932, in the heart of the Great Depression.
FDR was elected four times as President of the United States. In his first term, starting in 1933, he led the country out of the worst economic downturn it had ever experienced. He convinced the country that the federal government had an important role in people’s lives and he enacted legislation that developed infrastructure, roads, dams, bridges, transportation links, and schools. Unfortunately, he faced a second economic downturn in 1937 and it took the beginning of World War II to get the country out of that recession.
Roosevelt was president when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, a “day that will live in infamy,” he told a Joint Session of Congress and the American people. America declared war on Japan and within two days, Germany and the Axis forces in Europe. We were at war with two enemies simultaneously with an American military that was far from ready to go to even one war. FDR led the country through the war, invaded Europe in 1944 and developed the atomic bomb which motivated Japan to declare Unconditional Surrender in August 1945.
FDR had four important women in his life. Sara, his mother, was devoted to him throughout his life, domineering and sometimes pushy, she provided all the money he needed in life and supported his political ambitions.
Eleanor, his wife and First Lady of the United States, bore six children in a short period of time, one of whom died in infancy. Eleanor was an independent woman, who became recognized as one of the leaders of women’s rights.
Lucy Mercer Rutherford started as Eleanor’s social secretary in the 1920’s and that’s where she met Franklin. She and he developed a romantic relationship which contributed to the estrangement of FDR and Eleanor. When Eleanor discovered evidence of the extramarital affair, she confronted Franklin. They agreed to stay married to support his political ambitions and Franklin broke off his affair with Lucy. Nevertheless, she appeared back in his life in the 1940’s and was with him in Warm Springs, GA when he died of a brain aneurysm in 1945.
The last woman in Roosevelt’s life was Missy LeHand who started as his private secretary and stayed with him until her death in 1941. Missy acted as Roosevelt’s private secretary, hostess, care-giver, and political adviser throughout the 20+ years when she worked for Roosevelt. Missy made the cover of Time Magazine as one of the top women in the United States; she acted as de facto Chief of Staff during the 1940’s and she was named as one of the best dressed women in Washington, D.C. No firm evidence exists that Missy and Franklin had a romantic relationship.
FDR is rated as one of the top three presidents in the history of the United States. I rate him as number two behind Lincoln. Many conservatives resent his policies that started the growth and in their opinions the intrusion of the federal government into our lives.
The Story
Early Years before nomination as President of the United States
Who is the greatest U. S. President of all time? George Washington? Abraham Lincoln? Franklin Delano Roosevelt aka FDR? Those are the three presidents most frequently named as the top three. Lincoln is frequently number one followed by Washington then Roosevelt.
In my book, Roosevelt is number two and Lincoln number one. Lincoln kept the United States together as a nation and emancipated the slaves, two achievements which no one else can match. Roosevelt helped to relieve us from the Great Depression and led us to victory in World War II, the largest war ever fought in the history of the world.
Roosevelt was rich. He never had to work at a real job at any time in his life. He was an aristocrat and despite that he is known for his compassion and care of the common man more so than any other president.
As governor of New York in the early 1930’s, Roosevelt was the only governor in America who was actively pursuing relief efforts for his citizens.
Roosevelt attended Groton School, an Episcopal boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts, which catered to wealthy and powerful families throughout the United States. FDR was influenced by headmaster, Rev. Endicott Peabody, who taught his students to help the less fortunate and enter public service.
Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1903 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He entered Columbia Law School in 1904 but was not particularly interested in the law so he dropped out in 1907 after passing the New York bar exam.
Roosevelt’s fifth cousin was Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States.
Women in FDR’s Life
Four women played critical roles in FDR’s life—his mother, Sara, his wife, Elanor, Missy LeHand his private secretary and finally, Lucy Mercer, Elanor’s private secretary with whom Roosevelt is alleged to have had a romantic relationship.
Sara Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 to James and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Sara was a devoted mother and determined to raise Franklin as a Delano, her maiden family. FDR was initially schooled at home by Sara and other tutors who were closely monitored by Sara—”do it my way or leave” was the rule.
One of Franklin’s tutors attempted to instill in him a sense of social responsibility, a concern for those less fortunate. Franklin was also very well educated in science, history, and languages. He became fluent in French and German.
Sara doted on her son and when James, her husband died, she and Franklin became even closer.
FDR’s first love was Frances Dana, whom he first dated while he was at Harvard. Sara made sure that his romance with Frances would not progress because she was Catholic. FDR did not try to counter his mother on her advice to “find a nice protestant girl.”
Sara was active in Franklin’s life until her death and she was accused of controlling him in his personal and his political life. Franklin was also accused of being too dependent on his mother throughout his life, sometimes needing to consult her about making major decisions like running for governor of the State of New York.
After FDR came down with polio, Sara wanted him to move back to their family home at Hyde Park to rest and recuperate. Eleanor and others including FDR himself wanted him to persevere with his political ambitions despite the illness. Sara lost that battle but only after many acrimonious family debates.
Eleanor Roosevelt, his wife
Next came Eleanor, whom he met at a family dinner held in New York in 1902. They dated frequently over the coming months and Franklin fell in love. Sara did not mind Eleanor; she was a remote cousin but that was ok for Sara whose only objection was that Franklin was too young for marriage.
Franklin and Eleanor shared a common lineage. Both were Roosevelts. Eleanor traced her ancestors to the signers of the Declaration of Independence and she brought wealth, education, and manners to the relationship. She was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Eleanor was educated at Allenwood, the female equivalent to Groton, but located in London. She was smart and sophisticated, full of self-confidence, but she had no experience with men and was totally naïve.
Eleanor and Franklin were married in 1905 and Anna was born in 1906, the first of six children born in the next 9 years to Franklin and Eleanor.
Eleanor discovered her husband’s affair with Lucy Mercer in 1918, she resolved to seek fulfillment in a public life of her own.
Eleanor was independent and an activist during her time as FDR’s wife. 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.
By the time of her death, Eleanor was regarded as “one of the most esteemed women in the world”; she was called “the object of almost universal respect” in her New York Times obituary.
Missy LeHand
Born into a blue-collar Irish-American family in upstate New York, Missy studied secretarial science in high school and began to work for the FDR vice presidential campaign in New York. Following the Democrats’ defeat, Eleanor invited her to join the family at their home in Hyde Park, to clean up the campaign correspondence. At Hyde Park the Roosevelt children invented the name Missy which was adapted throughout the family for the rest of her life.
FDR subsequently hired Missy to work for him on Wall Street. After FDR was partially paralyzed in August 1921, Missy became his daily companion and one of the main people to encourage him to return to politics, along with Eleanor and his political strategist, Louis Howe.
She remained his secretary when he became Governor of New York in 1929 and when he became president in 1933, serving until a 1941 stroke left her partially paralyzed and barely able to speak. She moved to her sister’s home in Somerville, Massachusetts and died after another stroke in 1944.
The exact nature of Missy’s relationship with FDR is unclear. It is generally accepted that their relationship contained a romantic element, though scholars remain divided on whether the pair had a sexual relationship. LeHand was romantically involved with William C. Bullitt Jr., U.S. ambassador to Russia and later France, from 1933 to 1940, but apparently never contemplated marriage to him. Her devotion to the Roosevelt family and dedication to her career were the most likely impediments to marriage, though she once asked a friend, “How could anyone ever come up to FDR?
Roosevelt’s son Elliott claimed that his father had a 20-year affair with Missy. Another son, James, stated that “there is a real possibility that a romantic relationship existed” between his father and Princess Martha of Sweden, who resided in the White House during part of World War II.
Lucy Mercer
Lucy Mercer was born to wealthy parents who lost most of their fortune and separated in the years following her birth. Mercer then in 1914 took a position as the social secretary of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Lucy and Franklin began an affair in 1916. She was 25 and he was 34. Eleanor discovered the relationship in September 1918, when she found a packet of their letters when unpacking his luggage upon his return from Europe while Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Though Eleanor offered Franklin a divorce and Franklin considered accepting, political, financial, and familial pressures caused him to remain in the marriage. Franklin terminated the affair and promised not to see Mercer again.
Franklin broke his promise to Eleanor to refrain from having affairs. He and Lucy maintained a formal correspondence, and began seeing each other again in 1941, or perhaps earlier. Lucy was with Roosevelt on the day he died in 1945.
Assistant SecNav
In 1914, Roosevelt ran for the Senate in New York but was soundly defeated. Even so, he continued to work for Woodrow Wilson in his campaign for president. In March 1913, FDR was appointed as Under Secretary of the Navy reporting to Sec Nav, Josephus Daniels. The Navy Department was the second size in cabinet positions after Department of War. The Navy had 259 ships, 63,000 men and a budget of $144 million per year, 20% of all government expenditures.
The Wilson administration initiated an expansion of the Navy after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania by a German
Roosevelt worked tirelessly for Daniels over the next 8 years and among other things, helped establish the United States Navy Reserve. In April 1917, after Germany declared it would engage in unrestricted submarine warfare and attacked several U.S. ships, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war. Congress approved the declaration of war on Germany on April 6.
FDR Gets Polio
When the World War I was over, Roosevelt returned to civilian life and during August 1921, while on vacation, Franklin and his children jogged from their cottage over to a pond for a swim one afternoon. When they returned to their summer home, Franklin felt bad and went to bed early.
In the next morning, Roosevelt felt even worse–fever; paralysis; bowel and bladder dysfunction. He was paralyzed from the waist down and after two doctors worked on him, diagnosed with polio. (His symptoms were later deemed more consistent with Guillain-Barré syndrome – an autoimmune neuropathy which Roosevelt’s doctors initially failed to consider as a diagnostic possibility.)
The disorder can be life-threatening, with about 15% developing weakness of the breathing muscles requiring mechanical ventilation. Some are affected by changes in the function of the autonomic nervous system, which can lead to abnormalities in heart rate and blood pressure. The cause is unknown.
Recovery may take weeks to years. About a third have some permanent weakness. Globally, death occurs in about 7.5% of those affected. Guillain–Barré syndrome is rare, at one or two cases per 100,000 people every year.
In May 1923, FDR traveled to Boston for an examination by Dr. Lovett, the physician who had diagnosed him originally with polio. The Doctor reported that FDR’s arms and neck were normal as were his bowel, bladder, and sexual functions. Yet he remained paralyzed from the waist down. He could not walk and probably never would.
Roosevelt was not ready to give up. He frequented the warm waters of Florida along with Missy, his secretary and LeRoy Jones, his Negro valet. Missy served as combination hostess and secretary. While there was speculation that Franklin and Missy had a romantic relationship, there was no evidence of that. Eleanor supported Missy being so near to Franklin; it mitigated her guilt about not being a more attentive wife.
Warm Springs, GA
FDR was informed of the warm mineral waters that flowed in a small facility located in Warm Springs, Georgia. When he tried it, FDR found that the waters were particularly buoyant and provided his legs with much needed relief.
He began to visit Warm Springs on a regular basis and in April 1926, he purchased the Meriwether Inn for $201,000 and he organized the Warm Springs Foundation for use by other polio victims like himself. From the fall of 1926 until the fall of 1928, he spent almost half his time there. He improved the facility to accommodate polio patients who wanted to come there for treatment. He hired staff and constructed a facility that was unmatched anywhere for polio victims. He charged a reasonable fee for attendees, but no one was turned away for lack of funds. Roosevelt got to know every patient personally as well as become a friendly neighbor to the Georgians who lived nearby.
In 1926, the Democratic National Convention was scheduled to be held in Houston, Texas. FDR was in top form. He had worked a way to walk with the help of his son, Elliot, and he certainly did not appear to other members of the convention to be an invalid. Roosevelt spoke kindly about Al Smith again, but the Democrats lost the election and Herbert Hoover became the next President of the United States.
Governor of New York
In the 1924 election for president, Al Smith invited Roosevelt to make his nominating speech. FDR was initially reluctant to make the speech based on the fear that he might fall in his walk to the podium. After some thought, he agreed to make the speech and with great difficulty, he managed to get to the podium on his crutches and with support. According to FDR Biographer, Jean E. Smith, “eight thousand delegates, alternates, and spectators watched spell-bound as FDR fought his way across the stage, the personification of courage, defying pain with every thrust of his heavily braced legs.”
“When he finally got to the podium, he flashed that famous smile, head thrown back, shoulders high, the [Madison Square] Garden erupted with a thunderous ovation, delegates cheered for three minutes. Admiration tinged with awe for the dramatic performance they had witnessed.”
Roosevelt spoke for 34 minutes. His powerful tenor voice rang though the Garden with passion.
When he finished, pandemonium broke out. The crowd went crazy; it was stupendous, really stupendous. The New York Times stated that Roosevelt was the outstanding personality of the convention. Smith was not nominated for president in 1924 but with Roosevelt’s nominating speech in 1928, he was nominated but lost the general election to Herbert Hoover.
Roosevelt won the party’s gubernatorial nomination by acclamation, and he once again turned to Louis Howe to lead his campaign. Roosevelt was also joined on the campaign trail by Samuel Rosenman, Frances Perkins, and James Farley, all of whom would become important political associates. While Smith lost the presidency in a landslide, and was defeated in his home state, Roosevelt was elected governor by a one-percent margin.Roosevelt’s election as governor of the most populous state immediately made him a contender in the next presidential election.
Nomination for President
Roosevelt’s re-election as Governor of New York had established him as the front-runner for the 1932 Democratic presidential nomination. Roosevelt rallied the progressive supporters of the Wilson administration while also appealing to many conservatives, establishing himself as the leading candidate in the South and West.
The chief opposition to Roosevelt’s candidacy came from Northeastern conservatives such as Al Smith, the 1928 Democratic presidential nominee. Smith hoped to deny Roosevelt the two-thirds support necessary to win the party’s presidential nomination at the 1932 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and then emerge as the nominee after multiple rounds of balloting. Roosevelt entered the convention with a delegate lead due to his success in the 1932 Democratic primaries, but most delegates entered the convention unbound to any candidate.
On the first presidential ballot of the convention, Roosevelt received the votes of more than half but less than two-thirds of the delegates, with Smith finishing in a distant second place. Speaker of the House, John Nance Garner, who controlled the votes of Texas and California, threw his support behind Roosevelt after the third ballot, and Roosevelt clinched the nomination on the fourth ballot. With little input from Roosevelt, Garner won the vice-presidential nomination. Roosevelt flew in from New York after learning that he had won the nomination, becoming the first major party presidential nominee to accept the nomination in person.
The Great Depression started in 1929 and by the time for the election of president in 1932, it was in full swing. By mid-1932, the stock market value was at 17% of its peak value in 1929. Net fam income was down by 70%. Automobile production was down by 65%. Unemployment was 30% and 11.8 million Americans were unemployed. Almost half of all farms mortgages were in default.
President Hoover did not believe that the federal government should stick its nose into the people’s problems. Hoover viewed a lack of confidence in the financial system as the fundamental economic problem facing the nation. He sought to avoid direct federal intervention, believing that the best way to bolster the economy was through the strengthening of businesses such as banks and railroads. He also feared that allowing individuals on the “dole” would permanently weaken the country. Instead, Hoover strongly believed that local governments and private giving should address the needs of individuals.[ A reserved man with a fear of public speaking, Hoover allowed his political enemies to define him as cold, incompetent, reactionary, and out-of-touch.
Roosevelt won the Democratic nomination for president on the fourth ballot. John Nance Garner from Texas was nominated to be the next Vice President. In Part II of this Book Report, we will explore FDR’s solution to the Great Depression, “The New Deal.”
Rating
Five stars out of five. This book made me cry. That’s why it gets five stars. FDR was a great man and this is a great description of his life.
I highly recommend reading this book if you have a thirst for knowledge about American History.
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