Women in History: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, Part Two

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, as an adult,was the sum total of her life experiences and socioeconomicbackground as much as any other person. As a girl, she looked out forher mother who suffered bouts of severe headaches and did the samefor her father who could not get past his grief of losing his mother.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, as an adult, was the sum total of her life experiences and socioeconomic background as much as any other person. As a girl, she looked out for her mother who suffered bouts of severe headaches and did the same for her father who could not get past his grief of losing his mother.

During her formative teen years, Eleanor was exposed to elements of society not familiar to her to-then life experiences. All of these things combined lead Harry S. Truman to say of Eleanor Roosevelt as he appointed her his representative to the United Nations: "She is First Lady of the World"(www.trumanlibrary.org/eleanor/)

Woman of Quiet Dignity

During husband Franklin's tenure as Assistant Navy Secretary, Eleanor learned that he and her social secretary, Lucy Mercer, were having an affair. Eleanor offered her husband a divorce, but his mother eschewed such a plan, explaining to her son the negative effect such actions would have on his political aspirations. Mother Sara Roosevelt felt so strongly about the issue that she threatened to disinherit her son completely if he went through with a divorce.

1920's and the Roosevelts

This decade saw Eleanor come more into her own. She developed a career in reform politics, remaining true to the causes and issues that she'd first found interest in as a teenager.

When her husband developed polio and was undergoing treatment and recovery, the couple hired one of Franklin's former secretaries, Marguerite LaHand, who accompanied Franklin to Georgia. There was a treatment facility there that provided treatment for the aftermath of polio. Ms. LaHand performed many of the duties traditionally done by a wife at that time, including running the household, writing checks and fulfilling social obligations.

Eleanor, meanwhile, was teaching, writing, speaking, and developing new friendships and networks. Among her activities during this time were: member of the Women's Trade Union League; member of the Women's Division of the New York State Democratic Committee; board member of the League of Women Voters; member World Peace Movement and Bok Peace Prize Committee; board of directors Women's City Club of New York; co-owner of a furniture factory; co-owner and teacher at a school for girls; wrote, lectured, and spoke on radio shows.

It was during this time period that the Roosevelt marriage became more of a professional partnership than a romantic alliance.

In both 1924 and 1928, Eleanor staunchly stood behind Al Smith. In 1924, she sought to help him win the Democratic nomination for presidential candidacy, but that effort did not succeed. She again stood behind Smith in 1928 when he won his party's nomination to run for president of the United States.

In 1929, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected governor of the state of New York. Eleanor did all she could to avoid any activities that may appear as a conflict of interest as the First Lady of the state. She was publicly less active in politics, but active nonetheless. It was during this time that Eleanor met and hired Malvina "Tommy" Thompson; Thompson served as Eleanor's aide during FDR's governorship, into his presidency and even after FDR's death.

Sources: National First Ladies' Library
George Washington University Department of History
Harry S. Truman Library