Eleanor Roosevelt

A Power of Her Own

eleanor roosevelt

For years historians have recognized the importance of Eleanor Roosevelt in Franklin's political life. While their personal relationship was tragic in many ways, their public partnership was quite remarkable. From the time of FDR's affliction with poliomyelitis, Eleanor played an important role in her husband's political career. In the early days of his recovery, Eleanor kept maintained contact with FDR's political cronies and friends, and encouraged him not to adandon his dream of following his cousin Theodore (who was Eleanor's uncle) to the White House.

During FDR's governship of New York and presidency, Eleanor became a valuable ally, working behind the scenes to achieve political ends, acting as FDR's eyes andn ears as she traveled around the country and the world as an unofficial personal ambassador from FDR to the people. Perhaps more imortant, she constantly prodded her husband to uphold the liberal-progressive ideals in which he professed to believe, but of which he occasionally lost sight. She took important stands of her own, as, for example, when she publically resigned from the D.A.R. when the refused to allow African-American soprano Marian Anderson to sing in Constitution Hall. She published a newspaper column of her own practically every day of her life abd wote an insightful memoir of her life.

Following Franklin's death—made almost unbearably bitter for Eleanor when she discovered that Lucy Mercer Rutherford, Franklin's one-time mistress, had been present in his final moments—Eleanor achieved much in her own right, becoming a trusted advisor to democratic politicians, United States Ambassador to the United Nations and advocate of many progressive causes. She set a standard by which all other first ladies will inevitably be measured, and her legacy is one for which all Americans, especially American women and women worldwide, can be particluarly grateful.

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