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Born
Franklin Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. Franklin was a large baby, weighing 10 pounds without clothes. His mother described him as "pink, plump and nice". -
Graduates from Boarding School
Franklin graduated from Groton Boarding School in Massachusetts. Before going to boarding school, Franklin was home schooled. Sports were very important to him, especially football. -
Harvard University
Franklin went to Harvard University and got a degree in History. -
Eleanor Roosevelt
On Mach 17, 1905 he married his distant cousin Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin fell in love with Eleanor because she was more interesting and smarter than other girls, and he said she was not an "ugly duckling". They had 6 children together, but their third child died as a young baby from the flu. -
Runs for New York State Senate
When Franklin was 28 years old, he ran for the New York State Senate. To help people get to know him, he drove around in a red flashy automobile to meet the voters. On election day he won by 1,440 votes. -
Asst. Secretary of the Navy
Franklin was asked to be the Assistant Secretry of the Navy in 1913 by the president of the United States. This was the perfect job for him because his dad had a boat when he was young and he loved the sea and sailing. -
World War 1
World War 1 begins in Europe. Franklin urges the Navy to build powerful battleships for the war. -
World War 1 ends
On November 11, 1918 the war ended and Franklin was sent to Paris for a peace conference. -
Roosevelt runs for vice president
James Cox asked Franklin to run for vice president. They traveled through 20 states to meet people. They did not win the election, but the people loved him. -
Franklin fights Polio
In the summer of 1921 after a swim with his sons, Franklin does not feel well and decides to go to bed early. The next morning his body hurt and he could not stand. Eleanor thought that he had a cold, but Franklin knew it was something much worse. Soon after he was told that he had polio. "Polio was a virus that caused high fevers and often left people unable to walk." -
Leg Braces
Polio made Franklin's body so weak that he needed help to stand. To help him, he went to have steel braces made for his legs. -
Mr. Governor
After taking some time to get better, Franklin decides that he would like to run for Governor of New York. Although he could not walk, the people loved him and he won the election. -
President Roosevelt
Soon after he was elected Governor of New York, the great depression hit the US. The country was in great trouble and Franklin knew he could help. He decided to run for president and he won by a landslide. -
Fireside Chat on Radio
President Roosevelt felt that it was important that people knew what the government was doing and why. He decided to go on the radio often to talk to people. The people loved the chats and loved Franklin. -
Second Term
President Roosevelt was elected president for a Second Term. -
Third Term
The people continue to love Franklin and the economy continues to get better. They re-elect Franklin for a third term. President Roosevelt was the only president elected for more than 2 terms. -
World War II
While Franklin was president, World War II began. -
Last Term for Franklin
After 12 years as president and being successful in WWII, the people wanted Franklin to run for another term. Even though he was tired, he wanted to continuing leading this great country. He was re-elected for a fourth term. His vice president was Harry S. Truman. -
President Roosevelt's Death
On April 12th, 1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Warm Springs, Georgia. He died from a burst blood vessel in his brain not long after he was re-elected. Frankllin was always loved by the people and was one of the most popular presidents in history. Soon after his death, a man said "America will seem a strange and empty place without his voice talking to the people".
