Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)
Born in New York to a wealthy family, Franklin Roosevelt entered politics in 1910 as a Democratic candidate to the U.S. Senate. He was a member of Woodrow Wilson's administration and was unsuccessful in a bid for the vice-presidency in 1920. In 1921 he contracted polio but struggled to overcome the physical limitations and maintain a public, political career. In 1932 he opposed Republican incumbent President Herbert Hoover and soundly defeated him. He began the New Deal in the first 100 days after his inauguration. His reforms, proposed to counteract the effects of the Great Depression, affected four areas: finance, industry, agriculture and relief (welfare). He strengthened government work programs. His executive orders and sponsorship of legislation in the national interest supported the weak economy and remained viable years after his death. Yet, critics worried that his growing executive authority might undermine the checks and balances of the three branches of government. This concern derived from Roosevelt's attempts to pack the Supreme Court with his own appointees. Congress eventually passed a court reform bill but it did not support Roosevelt's ideas. Conservatives in Congress reacted by passing few New Deal reforms after 1937. By 1939, Roosevelt transferred his efforts from the New Deal to a new diplomacy to counter the aggression of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Tojo Hideki. American support for Roosevelt was high, and he dominated the political scene for four terms, the most of any U.S. president. The 22nd Amendment, adopted in 1951, often termed the anti-Franklin Roosevelt amendment, limited presidents to two terms.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano - Encarta Online Deluxe
The American Experience/Presidents/Featured Presidents/FDR
Fireside Chats of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Encyclopedia Americana: Franklin D. Roosevelt
American Presidents: Life Portraits