Eleanor Roosevelt
First Lady of the World and human rights champion
Last updated
FDR Presidential Library & Museum · via Wikipedia: Eleanor Roosevelt · CC BY 2.0
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist who served as the longest-serving first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945.[1] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted under the guidance of Roosevelt, who was the inaugural chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights.[2] For her work advancing human rights, President Harry S. Truman bestowed upon Roosevelt the title "First Lady of the World".[3]
Key facts and history
She served as a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952.[3] Anna Eleanor Roosevelt came into the world on October 11, 1884, in Manhattan, New York City; her parents were socialites Anna Rebecca Hall and Elliott Roosevelt.[4] Diphtheria claimed her mother's life in 1892; her father, who suffered from alcoholism, died in 1894 after leaping from a window during a delirium tremens episode.[5] In 1905, she wed Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was her fifth cousin once removed.[6]
Six children were born to her between 1906 and 1916, though one did not survive infancy.[6] In 1918, she uncovered that her husband was having an affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer; following this, their marriage evolved into a political alliance.[6][7] When the assembly adopted the declaration in 1948, they rose and gave her a standing ovation.[3] She led the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, established under John F. Kennedy, from its creation until she passed away in 1962.[2]
What the research sources say
The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project states that Marie Souvestre was one of the most important intellectual influences of Roosevelt's youth.[8] Watching Souvestre fight for lost political causes, Roosevelt later wrote, "I think I came to feel that the underdog was always the one to be championed".[8] The Biography entry notes that Roosevelt defied segregation laws in 1938 by moving her chair to the aisle separating white and Black attendees.[9] The same source states that she helped organize an open-air concert for Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Moore, "PBS' 'The Roosevelts' portrays an epic threesome", September 10, 2014; Fazzi, "Eleanor Roosevelt's Peculiar Pacifism: Activism, Pragmatism, and Political Efficacy in Interwar America", European Journal of American Studies, March 7, 2017; Moore, "PBS' 'The Roosevelts' portrays an epic threesome", September 10, 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mrs. Roosevelt, First Lady 12 Years, Often Called 'World's Most Admired Woman'", The New York Times, November 8, 1962; "Mother Teresa Voted by American People as Most Admired Person of the Century", The Gallup Organization, December 31, 1999; "Most Admired Man and Woman" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rowley 2010, p. 294; "Eleanor Roosevelt Biography", Biography, August 22, 2019; "First Lady of the World: Eleanor Roosevelt at Val-Kill", National Park Service (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Question: Where did ER and FDR live?", George Washington University; "The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project", gwu.edu; "Eleanor Roosevelt Biography", National First Ladies' Library (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Goodwin 1994, p. 94 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Caroli, "Eleanor Roosevelt", November 19, 2023 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Eleanor Roosevelt" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rowley 2010, p. 294; Caroli, "Eleanor Roosevelt", November 19, 2023; Goodwin 1994, p. 94 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Marie Souvestre (1830–1905)", The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project at George Washington University. facts only, no text reused. gwu.edu
- "Eleanor Roosevelt Biography", Biography, August 22, 2019. facts only, no text reused. biography.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Eleanor Roosevelt (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Political Leaders & Revolutionaries
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Eleanor Roosevelt (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced