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FDR marries Eleanor
FDR married Eleanor in 1905 and one year later, they had their first child. FDR had five sons and one daughter, however, one of their sons died at birth. The remaining five children assisted FDR both physically and emotionally as his polio began to take its toll. -
FDR becomes New York State Senator
FDR ran for the New York state senate in 1910. He was elected and took office on January 1st of 1911. He was re-elected for a second term the next year and also began participating in the Agriculture Committee as chairman. As chairman, he influenced numerous farm and labor bills. -
FDR is appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy
FDR worked under Josephus Daniels as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt founded the United States Navy Reserve. He served for seven years during which WWI occurred. -
FDR resigns as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in order to pursue the United States Vice Presidency
In 1920, FDR stepped down as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to pursue the United States Vice Presidency. He and James M. Cox were defeated by a large number of votes to the Republican candidates. -
FDR is diagnosed with polio
Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio, a paralyzing and debilitating illness, in 1921 at the age of 39. A few years later Roosevelt created a foundation to assist those with polio and in 1938 it merged with other successful organizations to form the March of Dimes. -
FDR becomes the Governor of New York
As governor, FDR worked out energy problems and helped fix fiscal issues as Wall Street crashed and the great depression began. He created what later became the model for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in the early years of the great depression and tried to assist the unemployed. -
FDR is almost assassinated
In 1933, soon after FDR began his first term, Giuseppe Zangara fired five shots at him. Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was killed and four others were injured, but FDR remained completely untouched. -
FDR is elected for his first term
FDR was inaugurated for his first term as president in 1933. By the time he was elected president, the great depression was in full swing and about 25% of Americans were unemployed. Due to this, FDR’s game plan revolved primarily around restoring the US to its previous grandeur. -
FDR is elected a second time
During his second term, FDR focused more on the Supreme Court and less on fiscal issues. Early into his second term he attempted to pass legislation that would allow him to appoint six new Supreme Court judges, but it was denied. Regardless, he was able to appoint a majority of the Supreme Court judges by the end of his second term and effectively packed the courts with his supporters. -
FDR is elected a third time
As WWII began, US citizens began to favor expanding and strengthening the military more and more. FDR also agreed to extend the Lend-Lease act to other parts of Europe as Nazi Germany expanded into more territories. -
FDR is elected a fourth time
FDR was actually elected for a fourth term, but was unable to serve due to his untimely death in 1945. He was the only President ever to be elected for a fourth term. -
FDR dies
FDR passed away at the age of 63 only three months into his fourth term.
