Biography
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States of America and the only one to be elected for office for more than two times.
Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 and he grew up with a wealthy family in New York. He attended Harvard College and, although he was an average student all around, he was able to obtain his degree in only three years. Soon after his graduation form Harvard, Roosevelt married his fifth cousin Eleanor Roosevelt in 1905 who was the niece of former President Theodore Roosevelt.
After Harvard, Franklin studied law at Columbia University. In 1907, he passed the bar exam, but he never received his law degree. For the next three years, Roosevelt practiced corporate law in New York. Afterwards, Franklin ran, and was elected, for New York state senator at age 28. At age 30 in 1912, Franklin was appointed the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
In 1914, he ran for a position in the U.S. Senate, but was not elected. In 1920, he ran as vice-president for candidate James Cox, but Cox did not manage to beat Warren G. Harding in the election. Both of these failed attempts taught Roosevelt a lot about politics which he would apply in the future.
In 1921, Franklin was diagnosed with Polio, a disease that almost ended his political career. However, with determination and urging from his friends and his wife Eleanor, Roosevelt restarted his political career despite his inability to walk. In 1928, Roosevelt marginally won the election for Governor of New York, successfully rekindling his political prominence.In the 1930's, the country was blaming the then Republican president Herbert Hoover for the Great Depression that hit the States. Roosevelt was able to win the seat of presidency from Hoover in 1932, and would play a key role in U.S.'s recovery from the Great Depression.
With America still recovering from the Great Depression and World War II still involving the country, Roosevelt decided to run for the position of office for the third (1940), and fourth (1944), time. Roosevelt also played a key role in the country's involvement in WWII, and he went to the Yalta Conference in 1945 (pictured in the center above).
Two months later, on April 12, 1945, Franklin Roosevelt died unexpectedly from a major cerebral hemorrhage.
Political BeliefsFranklin D. Roosevelt is best known for his actions during the Great Depression. Coined "The New Deal," Roosevelt's reforms were widespread and affected all walks of life in the States. He created many agencies which regulated the economy and society. For example, the AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration) supported farm prices, helping rural farmers while the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) created jobs for many young men in the country. With Roosevelt's involvement, the U.S. was able to recover from the Great Depression. Ever since, general reliance of the federal government changed forever.
Roosevelt also tried to implement internationalism in the U.S. While the country has largely practiced isolationism where the country closed off its borders to others, Roosevelt involved the U.S. in international affairs, boosting relations with Latin America and assisting allies in WWII.
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