Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt
FDR Presidential Library & Museum · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Eleanor Roosevelt
Caption	Roosevelt in 1933
Birth name	Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
Birth date	11 October 1884
Birth place	New York City, U.S.
Death date	7 November 1962
Death place	New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Diplomat, politician, activist
Spouse	Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1905, 1945
Children	6, including Anna, James, and Elliott
Parents	Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt, Anna Hall Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist who served as the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945 during the presidency of her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt. A transformative force in the White House, she became one of the most prominent and influential advocates for civil and political rights in the 20th century, using her platform to champion racial justice, economic equality, and human dignity, thereby shaping the moral conscience of the New Deal coalition and the broader US Civil Rights Movement.

Early Life and Influences

Born into the prominent Roosevelt family in New York City, Eleanor Roosevelt's early life was marked by personal tragedy and a privileged but lonely upbringing. Her education at the Allenswood Boarding Academy in England under the mentorship of headmistress Marie Souvestre was profoundly influential, instilling in her a sense of social responsibility and intellectual independence. Returning to New York, she became involved in the Progressive Era reform movements, joining the National Consumers League and teaching at the Rivington Street Settlement House on the Lower East Side. Her marriage to her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1905, thrust her into political life. Her personal experiences with loss and her exposure to urban poverty and the work of pioneering social reformers like Jane Addams of Hull House forged a deep commitment to social justice that would define her public career.

First Lady and Public Advocacy

As First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt radically redefined the role, becoming an independent political actor and a vocal proponent for marginalized groups. She held regular press conferences, wrote a syndicated newspaper column titled "My Day," and traveled extensively to report on social conditions. She was a key ally within the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, advocating for the inclusion of African Americans and women in New Deal programs. She famously resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939 after the organization refused to allow Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall, subsequently helping to arrange Anderson's historic concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Her advocacy extended to supporting labor rights, youth programs like the National Youth Administration, and refugee relief, consistently pushing the administration toward more egalitarian policies.

Work with the NAACP and Anti-Lynching Campaign

Eleanor Roosevelt developed a close and strategic partnership with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its leaders, notably Walter White and later Roy Wilkins. She served as a critical bridge between the Black civil rights leadership and the White House, lobbying the President on issues he often considered politically perilous. She was a staunch and public supporter of the Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynching Bill, pressuring her husband to back federal anti-lynching legislation in the face of Southern Democrat opposition. Her friendship with educator Mary McLeod Bethune led to Bethune's appointment as director of the National Youth Administration's Division of Negro Affairs, creating a vital "Black Cabinet" of federal advisors. Roosevelt also intervened in specific cases of injustice, such as the 1933 trial of the Scottsboro Boys.

The Tuskegee Airmen and Military Desegregation

During World War II, Roosevelt's advocacy focused intently on racial discrimination in the armed forces and defense industries. In 1941, she visited Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and flew with chief civilian instructor Charles "Chief" Anderson, a widely publicized event that boosted the morale and credibility of the Tuskegee Airmen program. She used her column to praise their accomplishments and argue for their broader combat deployment. Alongside civil rights leaders like A. Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, she supported the efforts that led to Franklin D. Roosevelt issuing Executive Order 8802, which prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry. She continued to press for the full integration of the military, a goal realized after the war with President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981.

United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

After the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Truman appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as a United States delegate to the United Nations. She became the first chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1946 to 1951. In this role, she was the driving force behind the drafting and adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. She skillfully navigated the ideological conflicts of the Cold War to build consensus around the document, which enshrined fundamental freedoms and equality before the law. She famously referred to the Declaration as an "international Magna Carta for all mankind." This work globalized the principles of the civil rights struggle, framing racial justice as a fundamental human right and providing a powerful legal and moral framework for activists worldwide.

Later Activism and Legacy

In her later years, Roosevelt remained an indefatigable activist, writing, lecturing, and supporting the growing Civil Rights Movement. She served as chair of the board for the organization that would become the National Council of Women and was a founder of the liberal advocacy group Americans for Democratic Action. She served on the board of the United Nations Association. She publicly supported the historic 1954 Board of America Education Board|Board of Education Supreme Court decision and, in 1958, presided over a crucial meeting at her New York home to raise funds for activists in the ongoing struggle to desegregate schools. Her legacy is that of a humanitarian who transformed the stature of the First Lady, a diplomat who championed a visionary human rights agenda, and a steadfast ally who lent her immense credibility and relentless energy to the fight for civil rights, inspiring generations of activists for Social Justice and equality.

Category:American civil rights activists Category:First Ladies of the Category:American humanitarians Category:United States delegates to the United Nations