Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
13 min read
Reading time
2,546
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Published
21
Film credits
19
Books
8
Awards
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt served as first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, the longest tenure in history. She went on to become a United Nations delegate, where she helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her activism extended to civil rights: she resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution after they denied Marian Anderson performance at Constitution Hall and arranged her concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Eleanor Roosevelt — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Eleanor Roosevelt by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Eleanor Roosevelt — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
On October 11, 1884, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City. Her father, Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt, struggled with alcoholism and died when she was ten, leaving her mother Anna Hall Roosevelt to raise Eleanor and her brother Hall. She was sent to Allenswood Boarding Academy in England, where she gained confidence and a passion for social reform under the guidance of headmistress Marie Souvestre.
In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt became first lady of the United States, a role she held for twelve years across her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four terms. She transformed the position by holding press conferences, writing a daily newspaper column, and advocating for civil rights and women’s issues. In 1939, she resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution after they denied Marian Anderson’s performance at Constitution Hall and arranged Anderson’s concert at the Lincoln Memorial. After her husband’s death, President Harry S. Truman appointed her as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952, where she chaired the commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Eleanor married her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on March 17, 1905. The couple had six children: Anna 1906, James 1907, Franklin Jr. who died as an infant in 1909, Elliott 1910, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. 1914, and John 1916. Their marriage faced challenges, including Franklin’s affair, but they remained close political partners. Eleanor was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt and maintained a close relationship with her brother Hall. Before her marriage, she appeared as an actress in two Edison films in 1904, a little-known aspect of her life.
Eleanor Roosevelt’s legacy rests on her pioneering role in human rights. The United Nations awarded her the Prize in the Field of Human Rights and the Nansen Refugee Award for her work with displaced persons. In 1973, she was inducted as a charter member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Her image appeared on US postage stamps in 1963 and 1984. She remains the longest-serving first lady and a role model for public service and activism, particularly for her efforts to advance civil rights and women’s rights.
The complete filmography of Eleanor Roosevelt — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Eleanor Roosevelt — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Eleanor Roosevelt's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from Eleanor Roosevelt — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Marriage and the Upbringing of Children in the Home Require as Well Trained a Mind and as Well Disciplined a Character as Any Other Occupation That Might Be Considered a Career.
Friendship with Oneself Is All Important, Because Without It One Cannot Be Friends with Anyone Else in the World.
The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams.
Courage Is More Exhilarating Than Fear and in the Long Run, It Is Easier. We Do Not Have to Become Heroes Over Night. Just a Step at a Time, Meeting Each Thing That Comes Up, Seeing It Is Not as Dreadful as It Appeared, Discovering We Have the Strength Stare It Down.
No One Can Make You Inferior Without Your Consent.
Happiness Isn’t a Goal; It’s a by Product.
Women Are Like Tea Bags You Never Know How Strong They Are Until They Get in Hot Water.
On Work: When You Cease to Make a Contribution, You Begin to Die.
You Gain Strength, Courage, and Confidence by Every Experience in Which You Really Stop to Look Fear in the Face. You Are Able to Say to Yourself, ‘I Lived Through This Horror. I Can Take the Next Thing That Comes Along.’ You Must Do the Things You Think You Cannot Do.
Life Must Be Lived and Curiosity Kept Alive. One Must Never, for Whatever Reason, Turn His Back on Life.
Every Day Do Something That Scares You.
Little-known facts about Eleanor Roosevelt — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
She resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939 after they refused to allow contralto Marian Anderson to perform at Constitution Hall because of her race. Roosevelt then arranged for Anderson to sing at the Lincoln Memorial, drawing over 75,000 attendees.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, the Secret Service did not yet protect the First Family. Eleanor was issued a gun for her protection and later a badge to legally carry it.
In 1960, Roosevelt received a positive result on a tuberculosis test, but her doctors dismissed it and prescribed steroids, which compromised her immune system. She went on a European goodwill tour, and by her return the TB had spread to multiple organs; antibiotics could have cured her.
Her father Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt was an alcoholic who sought treatment but died when Eleanor was ten years old.
During the Depression, Roosevelt visited the South and discovered that WPA officials were excluding blacks from the program. She informed President Roosevelt, who fired several officials and ordered an end to the practice, drawing the anger of Southern conservatives.
Eleanor Roosevelt shares the distinction of tallest United States First Lady with Michelle Obama and Melania Trump, all at 5 feet 11 inches.
Her image appeared on a 5 cent US postage stamp on October 11, 1963, and on a 20 cent stamp on May 11, 1984.
She is the only United States First Lady who did not change her surname after marriage, as she and Franklin D. Roosevelt already shared the same last name. In contrast, Hillary Clinton began using her husband’s name in 1982.
Before marrying Franklin, Eleanor appeared as an actress in at least two surviving Edison films from 1904, European Rest Cure and How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns.
Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt were fifth cousins.
With Franklin, she had six children: Anna 1906, James 1907, Franklin Jr. 1909, died as infant, Elliott 1910, Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. 1914, and John 1916.
She served as First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, the longest tenure.
She was a charter member of the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1973.
She was a cousin of Leila Roosevelt and niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.
The Marian Anderson concert arranged by Roosevelt took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Eleanor Roosevelt.
Celebrities similar to Eleanor Roosevelt — same craft, ranked by reach.
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