Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the World

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, in New York City to a prominent and wealthy family. But behind the affluence lay early tragedy. Her mother, Anna Hall Roosevelt, considered Eleanor “ugly” and called her “Granny” due to her solemn demeanor and old-fashioned ways. By age 10, Eleanor had lost both parents, her mother to diphtheria and her father, Elliott Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt’s younger brother), to alcoholism and a failed suicide attempt.

Raised by a strict and pious grandmother, Eleanor’s childhood was marked by grief and insecurity. Yet she emerged from it with a resilience and moral clarity that would define her public life.

Becoming Eleanor

At age 15, Eleanor was sent to Allenswood Academy, a finishing school near London. It was here that she came under the influence of headmistress Marie Souvestre, a fiercely intellectual and progressive woman. Eleanor later credited Souvestre with awakening her mind and giving her the confidence to think independently. She would recall her Allenswood years as some of the happiest of her life.

Upon returning to New York, Eleanor began her debutante life reluctantly. In a society that expected little more than marriage and manners from young women, she was bored by the rituals and eager for a more meaningful existence.

In 1905, she married her distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, despite reservations about his overbearing mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, who tried to dominate the couple’s life. Eleanor bore six children, five of whom survived to adulthood, though their family life was strained.

A Marriage Complicated

Eleanor and Franklin’s marriage was complicated, evolving from romantic partnership to political alliance. The greatest strain came in 1918, when Eleanor discovered love letters between Franklin and her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. Devastated, she offered Franklin a divorce, but he refused, pressured by his mother and his own political ambitions.

Though they remained married, Eleanor forged an independent path from then on. She poured her energies into public service, political activism, and writing—and never looked back.

Strangely enough, after Franklin’s death in 1945, it was revealed that Lucy Mercer had been with him at the time of his passing – a final bitter twist in the complex web of their marriage.

Political Awakening and Activism

During World War I, Eleanor volunteered for the Red Cross and Navy relief efforts. By the 1920s, she was active in progressive causes, including settlement houses, women’s rights, and racial justice. She taught at the Todhunter School for Girls and began writing newspaper columns and essays on social issues.

She became a key figure in the Women’s Division of the New York Democratic Party, coached by political operatives like Molly Dewson and Louis Howe. These alliances, mostly with women, helped her hone her political skills while Franklin was recovering from polio.

One strange but true aspect of Eleanor’s activism is that she sometimes disguised herself to investigate social injustices. She once posed as a factory worker to inspect labor conditions and even snuck into a mine shaft dressed as a miner.

First Lady Redefined

When Franklin became president in 1933, Eleanor transformed the role of First Lady. Rather than limit herself to ceremonial functions, she held press conferences, but with a twist: she only allowed female reporters, forcing newspapers to hire women. She also wrote a daily newspaper column called “My Day” from 1935 to 1962, totaling over 8,000 entries, which is still a record for any first lady.

She traveled extensively during the Great Depression and World War II, visiting coal mines, slums, and military hospitals, reporting back directly to the president. Franklin often said she was his “eyes and ears,” particularly after polio limited his mobility.

Eleanor championed the rights of African Americans, women, and youth, often at great political cost. When the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let Black opera singer Marian Anderson perform at Constitution Hall in 1939, Eleanor resigned from the organization in protest and helped arrange for Anderson to sing instead on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before 75,000 people.

A Global Force for Human Rights

After Franklin’s death in 1945, Eleanor expected to retire. But President Harry Truman appointed her to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations, where she became chair of the U.N. Human Rights Commission.

In 1948, she played a pivotal role in drafting and passing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which she called “the international Magna Carta for all mankind.” Her dedication to social justice on the global stage earned her the nickname “First Lady of the World.”

Eleanor also helped to found the Freedom House, the National Youth Administration, and worked with the NAACP, League of Women Voters, and American Association for the United Nations.

Personal Relationships and Rumors

While Eleanor was reserved and formal in public, her private life was emotionally rich and sometimes controversial. Her intimate friendship with journalist Lorena Hickok, whom she affectionately called “Hick,” has drawn intense speculation. The thousands of letters between them contain deeply affectionate language, leading some historians to suggest a romantic relationship, though others argue the expressions were typical of the era’s intense female friendships.

A strange but true fact: Hickok lived in the White House for a time in a room adjoining Eleanor’s, which raised eyebrows even then.

Later Years and Legacy

Eleanor Roosevelt continued her activism until her death. She opposed McCarthyism, supported civil rights, and advised multiple presidents, including John F. Kennedy, who appointed her to chair the President’s Commission on the Status of Women in 1961.

She also kept writing, producing 27 books, hundreds of magazine articles, and tens of thousands of letters. She once said: “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” It became her personal motto.

In a strange twist, despite her advocacy for health care reform, Eleanor died of complications from bone marrow tuberculosis in 1962 after ignoring early symptoms and delaying treatment. Her funeral was attended by presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy—a rare gathering of three sitting and former presidents.

Strange But True Eleanor Facts

Eleanor once rode in an experimental airplane with Amelia Earhart, and they joked about flying off to Paris that night in their evening gowns.

She was the first First Lady to address a national political convention, in 1940.

She smuggled contraband radio parts to Jewish refugees in Europe before WWII, hiding them in her luggage.

Despite being from high society, she couldn’t drive, and Franklin jokingly said it was for the safety of the nation.

See related: Women Driving in Memphis

Eleanor received 38 honorary degrees, more than any woman of her time.

Conclusion

Eleanor Roosevelt reshaped the role of women in public life, pioneered human rights advocacy, and defied the constraints of her era. Through personal sorrow, political battles, and groundbreaking service, she proved that character, not comfort, defines a life. Her influence transcended the White House, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire freedom fighters, social reformers, and humanitarians around the world.

As she once said:
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home…”

That’s exactly where Eleanor Roosevelt began, and where her work still resonates.