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Eleanor RooseveltEleanor Roosevelt was the longest-serving first lady in US history, serving from 1933 to 1945. She transformed the role from a ceremonial title into a platform for political action—hosting her own press conferences, writing a nationally syndicated column six days a week, and publicly taking stances on issues like civil rights, labor, and poverty. After her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, died, she continued her public life as a UN delegate, chairing the commission that created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In 1905, Eleanor married Franklin D. Roosevelt, her fifth cousin once removed, forming a partnership that was both romantic and political, shaping America during the first half of the 20th century. When FDR contracted polio in 1921 and lost the use of his legs, Eleanor supported his political career by traveling across the country on his behalf, forming alliances within the Democratic Party, and reporting back on conditions he could no longer see firsthand—a role she maintained throughout his presidency. For her work in drafting and securing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Harry Truman called her the "First Lady of the World."Explore Eleanor Roosevelt

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Hear Eleanor Roosevelt speak about human rightsOn International Human Rights Day, Roosevelt addressed a TV audience to explain the importance of the Declaration of Human Rights. She discusses her work and plans to spread information about the United Nations' efforts. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and MuseumMany historians believe Eleanor Roosevelt had a romantic relationship with Lorena Hickok, a female journalistRoosevelt and AP reporter Lorena Hickok exchanged over 3,000 deeply affectionate letters, many written twice daily. Hickok lived in a room near Eleanor's in the White House for several years. Biographers who have examined their correspondence conclude it was a true-love relationship. SlateEleanor Roosevelt sheltered student activists at the White House after they were subpoenaed by HUACIn 1939, when Congress subpoenaed leaders of the American Youth Congress on suspicion of communist ties, Eleanor Roosevelt attended the hearings herself and then invited all 10 students to stay at the White House, as they had nowhere to sleep. NPREleanor Roosevelt's 1941 flight with a Black pilot helped legitimize the Tuskegee Airmen programDuring a 1941 visit to the Tuskegee Institute, Roosevelt ignored protests from her Secret Service detail and flew for an hour over Alabama with chief instructor Charles Alfred Anderson. Photos of the flight were shared nationwide and helped advance the case for Black pilots in combat. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and MuseumEleanor Roosevelt was orphaned by age 10Roosevelt's mother died when Eleanor was 8, and her father died two years later. Orphaned before she turned 10, Eleanor moved in with her maternal grandmother in New York and was raised by the emotionally distant woman. US Holocaust Memorial MuseumTake a virtual tour of Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt's home and retreatTwo miles from the Roosevelt family estate in upstate New York, Val-Kill was built as a furniture factory that Eleanor Roosevelt helped create to employ rural workers and craftspeople. It later became her private home and political hub. World leaders and civil rights activists visited her there, and she called it the place where she "became an individual in her own right." GoogleExplore Eleanor Roosevelt's marriage to FDR, their partnership, and her work after his deathEleanor Roosevelt revolutionized the role of first lady by holding regular press conferences and hosting a radio show. This podcast features her discussions about their relationship, how she handled policy disagreements with FDR, and her role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN. President Theodore Roosevelt walked Eleanor Roosevelt down the aisle at her wedding to Franklin D. RooseveltEleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt, her fifth cousin once removed, were married on St. Patrick's Day in 1905. Because both of her parents had died, her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt, accompanied her down the aisle. The wedding was a notable social event among NYC elites. After FDR was paralyzed by polio in 1921, Eleanor Roosevelt became active in politics and supported his political ambitionsFDR contracted polio at age 39 and permanently lost the use of his legs. Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded him to stay in politics, then took on the task of maintaining his public profile—attending events, building relationships, and serving as his "eyes, ears, and legs" across the country. FDR Presidential Library and MuseumEleanor Roosevelt's son wrote mystery novels starring his motherElliott Roosevelt wrote 20 novels about a fictional version of his mother, an amateur detective. Titles included "Murder and the First Lady," "The White House Pantry Murder," and "New Deal for Death." Literary HubSee a visual record of how Roosevelt helped build the United NationsWhen President Truman appointed Eleanor Roosevelt to the first US delegation to the UN in 1946, her male colleagues assigned her to a minor committee, assuming she would play a minor role. In the end, she became one of the delegation's most effective negotiators—and chaired the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. GoogleAt 18, Eleanor taught immigrant children in one of New York's poorest neighborhoodsAfter finishing school in London, Roosevelt returned to New York and volunteered at a settlement house on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side, working directly with immigrant families living in poverty. The FBI surveilled Roosevelt for decades, suspicious of her civil rights and political workJ. Edgar Hoover's FBI maintained a large file on Eleanor Roosevelt, monitoring her involvement with civil rights groups, connections to progressive causes, and vocal opposition to McCarthyism. Although a formal investigation was never initiated, Hoover regarded her as a person of interest for most of her adult life. PBSPresident Harry Truman appointed Roosevelt as one of the first US delegates to the United NationsAfter FDR's death in 1945, Roosevelt joined the delegation to the newly established United Nations. She was the only woman among the General Assembly delegates and was unanimously elected to chair the UN Commission on Human Rights. National ArchivesRoosevelt left a White House dinner to fly over Washington with Amelia EarhartIn April 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart flew on a round trip from Washington to Baltimore in their evening gowns. Roosevelt, who had a long-standing interest in flying, had recently earned her student pilot's license. Roosevelt joined the NAACP and campaigned for anti-lynching laws—even receiving a $25K bounty from the KKKEleanor Roosevelt joined the NAACP board, lobbied for a federal anti-lynching law, and pushed to integrate the Army Nurse Corps—often going beyond the support her husband was willing to give to racial justice efforts. Her advocacy made her a target: The Ku Klux Klan placed a $25,000 bounty on her head. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and MuseumEleanor and Franklin Roosevelt were 5th cousins, once removedThis means the couple shared great-great-great-great-grandparents but from different generations of the same family line. Fifth cousins are considered distant relatives, with only a 10% to 15% chance of sharing detectable DNA. As first lady, Roosevelt held 348 press conferences open only to female reportersStarting just two days after FDR's inauguration in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt began holding White House press conferences that admitted only female journalists. She continued to hold these events throughout her 12 years as first lady. Roosevelt wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column 6 days a week for 27 yearsRoosevelt's My Day column was launched in late 1935 and ran nearly every day until shortly before her death in 1962. It began as an account of her daily life but grew into one of the most widely read opinion columns in the country, with 4 million readers at its peak. Roosevelt chaired more than 3,000 hours of debate to produce the Universal Declaration of Human RightsRoosevelt led the drafting committee for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, guiding representatives from 18 nations through debate on conflicting ideas about rights, government, and citizenship. The General Assembly unanimously adopted the final document in December 1948. Roosevelt transformed the role of the first lady of the United StatesEleanor Roosevelt diverged from the traditional expectations of the role—holding her own press conferences, writing a daily column, traveling the country on her own schedule, and taking public stances on controversial political issues. Many subsequent first ladies have modeled their use of the position after her example. Smithsonian Magazine'Do one thing every day that scares you.'-Mary Schmich (1953-present), a columnist for the Chicago Tribune 'On the return trip home, gazing through 240,000 miles of space toward the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly experienced the universe as intelligent, loving, harmonious..'-Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, in "The Way of the Explorer" Quote FancyPhotos of Olympians visiting with US presidentsAmerican Olympic athletes have visited the White House for nearly a century, with presidents using these ceremonial receptions to celebrate athletic excellence and connect sports achievement to national pride. The tradition has evolved from modest gatherings into major media events across multiple administrations. White House Historical AssociationThe formation of the UN elevated the US on the world stage This podcast episode of To the Best of My Ability from the National WWII Museum goes behind the scenes of the United Nations’ founding from the American perspective. It explores how FDR’s vision for global peace took shape, how Truman carried it forward, and how Eleanor Roosevelt helped define human rights—set against the backdrop of wartime diplomacy, Cold War tensions, and the San Francisco Charter conference. The National WWII Museum | New Orleans