Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Born

Jan 30, 1882

Franklin Delano Roosevelt born in Hyde Park, NY

Attends Harvard

1900

FDR enrolls in Harvard University.

Father's Death

Dec 8, 1900

Franklin's father, James Roosevelt, dies at the age of 72.

Graduates from Harvard

Jun 23, 1903

Franklin Roosevelt receives his A.B. from Harvard University.

Columbia Law School

1904

Roosevelt enters Columbia Law School

Marries Eleanor

Mar 17, 1905

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt get married and take a honeymoon trip to Europe.

Admitted to New York Bar Association

1907

Admitted to the New York Bar Association and becomes clerk in the law firm of Carter, Led-yard, and Mil-burn

Elected to New York Senate

1910

Elected to the New York State Senate from the 26th District

Visits Panama Canal

1912

Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Mar 12, 1913

Sworn in as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the Woodrow Wilson Administration

Defeated for United States Senate

1914

Defeated in Democratic primary, for the U.S. Senate by James W. Gerard.

Takes tour of Caribbean

Jan 21, 1917

Undertakes inspection tour of Haiti and Santo Domingo.

Promotes deployment

Feb 7, 1917

Promotes deployment of 230-mile long minefield be­tween Orkney Islands and Norway designed to bottle up German U-boat fleet in the North Sea

Returns to Law Firm

1921

Returns to active work in the law firm of Emmet, Marvin & Roosevelt, and at the same time becomes the vice-president in charge of the New York office of the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, the third largest surety bonding company in the country

Stricken with Polio

1921

Stricken with poliomyelitis at Campobello, New Brunswick, Canada. Transferred to Columbia-Pres­byterian Hospital in New York City, for the start of a long recuperation process, largely unsuccessful. He never again walked unaided.

Publishes Book

1926

Publishes his first book. Whither Bound

Nominated for Governor

Oct 2, 1928

New York State Democrats nominate FDR for governor.

Elected as Governor

Nov 6, 1928

Elected governor of New York over Republican challenger Albert Ottinger.

Re-elected Governor

Nov 4, 1930

Reelected governor of New York, defeating Republican opponent Charles H. Tuttle.

New Deal session

Mar 5, 1932

Calls a special session of Congress and proclaims a. bank holiday to beg in March 6. Congress sits for "hundred days" from March 9 to June 16 and enacts into law the principal New Deal measures.

Nominated for President

Jul 1, 1932

Democratic Party nominates him for president on the fourth ballot at its convention in Chicago. John Nance Garner is vice-president.

Accepts Nomination

Jul 2, 1932

Flies from Albany to Chicago to accept nomination; pledges "a new deal for the American people.”

Wins Presidential Election

Nov 8, 1932

Elected president, defeating Herbert Hoover.

Attempted Assassination

Feb 15, 1933

Unhurt in assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara in Miami, Florida.

Inauguration

Mar 4, 1933

FDR inaugurated; addresses the nation on his plans to fight the depression stating that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Also pledges the United States to the Good Neighbor policy.

Signs Economy Act

Mar 20, 1933

Signs the Economy Act, reducing the salaries of federal employees

Signs Beer-Wine Revenue Act

Mar 22, 1933

Signs Beer-Wine Revenue Act which amends the Volstead Act to legalize the manufacture and sale of beer and wine, and levies a $5.00 per barrel tax

Recommends creation of TVA

Apr 10, 1933

Recommends to Congress the creation of a Tennessee Valley Authority.

Signs the Agricultural "Adjustment Act.”

May 12, 1933

Signs National Industry Recovery Act

Jun 16, 1933

Signs the National Industrial Recovery Act, which establishes the National Recovery Administration and the Public Works Administration.

Recognizes the Soviet Union.

Nov 16, 1933

Signs the Homeowners Loan Act

Apr 28, 1934

Signs Trade Agreements Act

Jun 12, 1934

Signs the Trade Agreements Act which authorizes him to cut tariffs by up to 50% for those nations that accorded the U.S. the most favored nation treatment.

Signs National Housing Act

Jun 28, 1934

Signs National Housing Act which establishes Federal Housing Administration.

Asks Congress to assist the needy

Jan 4, 1935

Asks Congress to enact legislation to assist the needy and unemployed.

Signs Emergency Relief Appropriation Act

Apr 8, 1935

Signs Emergency Relief Appropriation Act which provides for large-scale national works program for jobless employees. Major agencies of the program are the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration, renamed Work Projects Administration in 1939.

Sets up National Youth Admininstration

Jun 6, 1935

Sets up National Youth Administration to provide jobs for youths aged 16 to 25

Signs the Social Security Act.

Aug 14, 1935

Signs Neutrality Act

Aug 31, 1935

Signs the Neutrality Act which imposes a mandatory arms embargo against all belligerents.

Re-elected as President

Nov 3, 1936

Roosevelt is reelected, defeating Alfred M. Land on of Kansas.

Fighting breaks out in China

Jul 7, 1937

Fighting breaks out between Japanese and Chinese troops at the Marco Polo Bridge near Peking.

Speech in Chicago

Oct 5, 1937

Delivers speech in Chicago calling for a "quarantine" of aggressor nations

Minimum Wages and Hours Bill

Sep 14, 1938

Congress passes Minimum Wages and Hours Bill.

Signs Emergency Appropriation Bill

Apr 4, 1939

Signs the emergency appropriation bill for national defense.

Pledges support

Apr 14, 1939

Pledges full support for any American nation which is attacked by hemispheric outsiders.

Sends message to Hitler and Mussolini

Apr 15, 1939

Sends message to Hitler and Mussolini seeking formal assurance that they will not invade 31 independent nations.

1st President to appear on Television

Apr 30, 1939

Becomes first president to appear on televi­sion, addressing the opening ceremonies of the New York World’s Fair.

Germany attacks Poland

Sep 1, 1939

Proclaims state of limited national emergency

Sep 8, 1939

Letter from Einstein

Oct 11, 1939

Receives letter dated August 2, 1939 from Albert Einstein which discusses the possibility of an atomic bomb. Creates President's Advisory Committee on Uranium the following day to explore the potentialities of atomic energy.

Accepts Nomination for 3rd Term

Apr 17, 1940

Accepts Democratic Party's "draft" for the presidency and agrees to run for an unprecedented third term. Demands Henry Wallace as vice-president.

Germany Invades more European nations

May 10, 1940

Germany invades Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and France.

France Surrenders

Jun 22, 1940

France signs armistice with Germany at Compiegne.

Joint Defense Board Established

Oct 18, 1940

Meets with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King to plan joint defense measures. Joint Defense Board established.

FDR aids Britain

Oct 22, 1940

FDR overrides advice of Joint Board of the Army and Navy and decides to extend full military assistance to Great Britain.

Japan joins Axis

Oct 27, 1940

Japan signs a three-power pact with Germany and Italy, pledging mutual assistance in the event of war with a nation not then a belligerent.

Wins 3rd Term

Nov 5, 1940

Elected to a third term, defeating Wendell Willie.

Lend lease bill signed

Mar 11, 1941

FDR extends lend-lease aid to China

May 6, 1941

Germany invades U.S.S.R.

Jun 22, 1941

Establishes the Office of Scientific Research and Development

Jun 24, 1941

Establishes the Office of Scientific Research and Development to coordinate the U.S. scientific effort, including radar, proximity fuse, sonar and the atomic bomb. Development of the bomb was transferred later to the Army under the Manhattan District project.

Japanese military occupies French Indochina

Jul 24, 1941

U.S. embargoes Japan

Jul 26, 1941

United States embargoes gas, oil, and metal shipments to Japan and freezes Japanese assets in the U.S.

Mother's Death

Sep 7, 1941

His mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, dies at age 86.

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor

Dec 7, 1941

Asks Congress to declare war on Japan

Dec 8, 1941

Germany and Italy declare war on the United States

Dec 11, 1941

Eleanor goes to the South Pacific

1942

Dispatches Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt on a 25,000 mile trip to installations in the South Pacific war zone

Battle of Midway

Jun 6, 1942

Japan handed its first major defeat at the battle of Midway, which checks the Japanese advance across the central Pacific.

TORCH

Jul 23, 1942

FDR decides to execute TORCH, the invasion of north Africa

British Eighth Army launches invasion of Italy

Sep 3, 1942

Invasion of Normandy plan established

Nov 28, 1943

Roosevelt, Church ill and Stalin meet at Tehran and agree that the invasion of Normandy is main objective in 1944.

Eisenhower named Commander of France Invasion

Dec 24, 1943

Roosevelt in Christmas radio message announces the appointment of General Eisenhower as supreme commander of Overlord-the invasion of France.

Creates War Refugee Board

Jan 22, 1944

U.S. Fifth Army liberates Rome

Jun 4, 1944

D-Day

Jun 6, 1944

Allied forces invade France. FDR goes on radio to announce cross-Channel invasion is under way; leads nation in prayer for speedy victory.

Nominated for 4th Term

Jul 21, 1944

Roosevelt nominated for a fourth term. Drops Wallace and accepts Harry Truman as vice-president.

European Nations Liberated

Sep 11, 1944

France, Belgium and Luxembourg liberated by General Eisenhower’s Allied Forces

U.S. forces enter Germany

Sep 12, 1944

Russians reach Oder River

Jan 23, 1945

Malta Conference

Jan 30, 1945

U.S. Army invades Okinawa

Apr 1, 1945

U.S. Tenth Army invades Okinawa, main island of the Ryukyu, 360 miles southwest of Japan.

U.S. Ninth Army reaches the Elbe River

Apr 11, 1945

Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies

Apr 12, 1945

Roosevelt dies at Warm Spring, Georgia.

Roosevelt is buried in the Rose Garden of his home at Hyde Park, New York

Apr 15, 1945