Franklin D. Roosevelt

::FDR redirects here. For other uses, see FDR (disambiguation).

Early life

Franklin Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882, at Hyde Park, in the Hudson River valley in upstate New York. His father, James Roosevelt (1828–1900), was a wealthy landowner and vice-president of the Delaware & Hudson Railway. The Roosevelt family (see Roosevelt family tree) had lived in New York for more than 200 years: Claes van Rosenvelt, originally from Haarlem in the Netherlands, arrived in New York (then called Nieuw Amsterdam) in about 1650. In 1788, Isaac Roosevelt was a member of the state convention in Poughkeepsie which voted to ratify the United States Constitution - a matter of great pride to his great-great-grandson Franklin.

Related Topics:
January 30 - 1882 - Hyde Park - Hudson River - Upstate - New York - James Roosevelt - 1828 - 1900 - Delaware & Hudson Railway - Roosevelt family tree - Claes van Rosenvelt - Haarlem - Netherlands - Nieuw Amsterdam - 1650 - 1788 - Isaac Roosevelt - State convention - Poughkeepsie - United States Constitution

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In the 18th century the Roosevelt family had divided into two branches, the "Hyde Park Roosevelts", who by the late 19th century were Democrats, and the "Oyster Bay Roosevelts", who were Republicans. President Theodore Roosevelt, an Oyster Bay Republican, was Franklin's fifth cousin. Despite their political differences, the two branches remained friendly: James Roosevelt met his wife, at a Roosevelt family gathering at Oyster Bay, and Franklin was to marry Theodore's niece.

Related Topics:
18th century - 19th century - Democrats - Oyster Bay - Republicans - Theodore Roosevelt

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Roosevelt's mother Sara Delano (1854–1941) was of French Protestant (Huguenot) descent, her ancestor Phillippe de la Noye having arrived in Massachusetts in 1621. Her mother was a Lyman, another very old American family. Franklin was her only child, and she was an extremely possessive mother. Since James was a rather remote father (he was 54 when Franklin was born), Sara was the dominant influence in Franklin's early years. He later told friends that he was afraid of her all his life (a factor that may have contributed to his inability to stand up to her on matters of race). He received his early education at home under her supervision.

Related Topics:
Sara Delano - 1854 - 1941 - Huguenot - Phillippe de la Noye - Massachusetts - 1621 - Lyman

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Roosevelt grew up in an atmosphere of privilege. He learned to ride, to shoot, to row and to play polo and lawn tennis. Frequent trips to Europe made him conversant in German and French. He acquired a conventional set of upper class attitudes, and a streak of anti-Semitism from his mother which he was never able to fully shake. The fact that his father was a Democrat, however, set him apart to some extent from most other members of the Hudson Valley aristocracy. The Roosevelts believed in public service, and were wealthy enough to be able to spend time and money on philanthropy.

Related Topics:
Polo - Lawn tennis - Europe - German - French - Anti-Semitism - Hudson Valley - Philanthropy

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This was reinforced by Roosevelt's schooling at Groton, an elite Episcopal boarding school in Massachusetts. He was heavily influenced by the headmaster, Endicott Peabody, who preached the duty of Christians to help the less fortunate and urged his students to enter public service—although most of them in fact entered banks and Wall Street law firms. Roosevelt graduated from Groton in 1900, and naturally progressed to Harvard University, where he enjoyed himself in conventional fashion and graduated with an A.B. (arts degree) in 1904 without much serious study. While he was at Harvard his fifth cousin Theodore Roosevelt became President, and his vigorous leadership style and reforming zeal made him Franklin's role model. In 1903 he met his future wife Eleanor Roosevelt, Theodore's niece, at a White House reception. (They had previously met as children, but this was their first serious encounter).

Related Topics:
Groton - Episcopal - Massachusetts - Endicott Peabody - Christians - Wall Street - 1900 - Harvard University - 1904 - Theodore Roosevelt - 1903 - Eleanor Roosevelt - White House

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Roosevelt next attended the Columbia Law School. He passed the bar exam and completed the requirements for a law degree in 1907 but did not bother to actually graduate. In 1908 he took a job with the prestigious Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard and Milburn, dealing mainly with corporate law. Meanwhile he had become engaged to Eleanor, despite the fierce resistance of Sara Delano Roosevelt, who was terrified of losing control of Franklin. They were married in March 1905, and moved into a house bought for them by Sara, who became a frequent house-guest, much to Eleanor's mortification. Eleanor was painfully shy and hated social life, and at first she desired nothing more than to stay at home and raise Franklin's children, of which they had six in rapid succession: Anna (1906–1975), James (1907–1991), Franklin, Jr. (March to November 1909), Elliott (1910–1990), a second Franklin Jr. (1914–1988), and John (1916–1981).

Related Topics:
Columbia Law School - Bar exam - 1907 - 1908 - Carter, Ledyard and Milburn - Corporate law - 1905 - Anna - 1906 - 1975 - James - 1991 - 1909 - Elliott - 1910 - 1990 - Franklin Jr. - 1914 - 1988 - John - 1916 - 1981

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The five surviving Roosevelt children all led tumultuous lives overshadowed by their famous parents. They had between them fifteen marriages, ten divorces and twenty-nine children. All four sons were officers in World War II and were decorated, on merit, for bravery. Their postwar careers, whether in business or politics, were disappointing. Two of them were elected briefly to the House of Representatives but none attained higher office despite several attempts. One even became a Republican.

Related Topics:
World War II - House of Representatives

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