1933-45 Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (pronounced Rose-velt) (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. He is best known for leading the U.S. more...

through the Great Depression using his New Deal, building a powerful Democratic party coalition that dominated American politics for three decades, and leading the military alliance that defeated Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and the Empire of Japan in World War II. A child of economic and social privilege, he overcame crippling illness to place himself at the head of the forces of reform. Universally called FDR, scholars left, right and center rank him among the three greatest presidents.

Early life

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 29, 1882, in 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 and 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.

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.

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