Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. was an American politician, lawyer, and businessman who served as a United States Congressman and held significant appointed roles in the Kennedy administration and Johnson administration. The fifth child of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, his political career was heavily influenced by his family's legacy, though he never achieved the highest offices he sought. His later life was marked by a notable shift in political affiliation and a successful career in various business ventures.

Early life and family

He was born on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, during his family's summer retreat. His parents were Franklin D. Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and the formidable Eleanor Roosevelt. He was a younger brother to Anna Roosevelt Halsted, James Roosevelt, Elliott Roosevelt, and John Aspinwall Roosevelt, and grew up amidst the intense political activity of Hyde Park, New York and Washington, D.C.. His early years were shaped by his father's struggle with polio and his mother's growing public career, embedding him in the heart of the nation's most prominent political dynasty.

Education and military service

He attended preparatory school at Groton School before earning a degree from Harvard University in 1937. He subsequently received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1940. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was commissioned in the United States Navy and served with distinction during World War II. As a lieutenant commander commanding the destroyer escort USS Ulvert M. Moore (DE-442), he saw action in the Atlantic Theater and the Pacific War, earning the Legion of Merit and a Purple Heart for wounds received.

Political career

Capitalizing on his famous name, he was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 20th congressional district in a 1949 special election, succeeding the late Sol Bloom. He served three terms, advocating for liberal policies aligned with the New Deal Coalition. He made unsuccessful bids for Governor of New York in 1954, losing to W. Averell Harriman, and for Mayor of New York City in 1965. President John F. Kennedy appointed him Under Secretary of Commerce in 1963, a role he continued under President Lyndon B. Johnson, who later named him the first chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1965.

Business and later life

After leaving the EEOC in 1966, he embarked on a varied business career. He practiced law in New York City and served as president of the Italian Line shipping company. His ventures later expanded into real estate development and investment banking. In a surprising political shift, he joined the Republican Party in 1968 and served as a co-chairman for the Democrats for Nixon committee during the 1972 presidential election, though he later returned to the Democratic fold.

Personal life and legacy

His personal life was often in the public eye, marked by five marriages. His first marriage was to Ethel du Pont of the influential du Pont family, which ended in a highly publicized divorce. Subsequent marriages included Suzanne Perrin, Felicia Warburg Sarnoff, Patricia Luisa Oakes, and finally Linda McKay Stevenson Weicker. He had five children, including economist Franklin D. Roosevelt III. He died of lung cancer in Poughkeepsie, New York, on his 74th birthday in 1988. His legacy is that of a capable public servant who operated perpetually in the shadow of his iconic parents, his career a testament to both the power and the burden of a storied political name in American politics. Category:1914 births Category:1988 deaths Category:American lawyers Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)