Biography Of Eleanor Roosevelt

Miriam Brantley
Mrs. Wallace
English II
6 April 2015
Roosevelt, Eleanor
Author: Betty Boyd Caroli
Publisher: Encyclopedia Britannica
Publication Date: 1994
Database Name: History Reference Center
1. “Eleanor Roosevelt, 1950. Brown Brothers (born Oct. 11, 1884, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Nov. 7, 1962, New York City) American first lady (1933-45), the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United Stated, and a United Nations diplomat and humanitarian.”
Eleanor was born in 1884, died in 1962, and served as a diplomat and humanitarian for the United Nations.
Citation: (“Caroli” 1).
2. “Both her parents died before she was 10, and she and her surviving brother (another brother died when she was 9) were raised by relatives. The death of Eleanor’s father, to whom she had been especially close, was very difficult for her.”
Eleanor and her brother lived with relatives when they were young because they lost both their parents and their brother, a traumatic experience for Eleanor.
Citation: (“Caroli” 1).
3. “At age 15 Eleanor enrolled at Allenswood, a girls’ boarding school outside London, where she came under the influence of the French headmistress, Marie Souvestre. Souvestre’s intellectual curiosity and her taste for travel and excellence—in everything but sports—awakened similar interests in Eleanor, who later described her three years there as the happiest time of her life.”
In her mid-teens, Eleanor was placed in a boarding school for girls in England, where she experienced great joy and happiness.
Citation: (“Caroli” 1).
4. “Soon after Eleanor returned to New York, Franklin Roosevelt, her distant cousin, began to court her, and they were married on March 17, 1905, in New York City.”
Eleanor Roosevelt and her cousin Franklin Roosevelt, were married in March, 1905, after courting for a time.
Citation: (“Caroli” 2).
5. “When Franklin was appointed assistant secretary of the navy in 1913, the family moved to Washington D.C., and Eleanor spent the next few years performing the social duties expected of an ‘official wife,’ including attending formal parties and making social calls in the homes of other government officials.”
The Roosevelts moved to Washington D.C. in 1913 because Franklin received a political leadership role and as a result, Eleanor had to keep up with what society expected of her.
Citation: (“Caroli” 2).
6. “In 1918 Eleanor discovered that Franklin had been having an affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer. It was one of the most traumatic events of her life, as she later told Joseph Lash, her friend and biographer.”
Eleanor was traumatized in 1918 when her husband cheated on her and had an affair with her secretary.
Citation: (“Caroli” 2).
7. “She joined the Women’s Trade Union League and became active in the New York State Democratic Party. As a member of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the League of Women voters, she began studying the Congressional Record and learned to evaluate voting records and debates.”
Eleanor was a true supporter of Women’s rights, so she joined several groups that were petitioning for the cause.
Citation: (“Caroli” 2).
8. “During her 12 years as first lady, the unprecedented breadth of Eleanor’s activities and her advocacy of liberal causes made her nearly as controversial a figure as her husband…In deference to the president’s infirmity, she helped serve as his eyes and ears throughout the nation, embarking on extensive tours and reporting to him on conditions, programs, and public opinion.”
Eleanor was the first lady of the U.S. for twelve years, and during that time, she helped her husband with his presidential duties by traveling around the country and reporting back to him with info.
Citation: (“Caroli” 2).
9. “On another occasion, when local officials in Alabama insisted that seating at a public meeting be segregated by race, Eleanor carried a folding chair to all sessions and carefully placed it in the centre aisle.”
Eleanor Roosevelt was against racial

Show More

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay