Chapter 4: THE FIRST LADY

1932: Franklin is governor of New York, yet his political ambition continues to grow.  Eleanor admits in her memoir: “Franklin did not tell me when he decided to run for the Presidency…” (Roosevelt, 158) Like with the previous political offices Franklin held, Eleanor did not express her disinterest in his desires, and showed willingness to sacrifice her wellbeing for his ambition (something we see many significant others continue to do to this day).  She would travel to Chicago with him and two of their sons to attend the Democratic National Convention to witness Franklin accept the presidential nomination.  Shortly thereafter Eleanor made her first assertive decision by not traveling with Franklin during campaigning season, only joining him much later; the children took turns traveling with him.  When America went to the polls on November 8, 1932, Roosevelt overwhelmingly won election with 22,817,883 votes cast (57.4%), the largest vote cast for a president up to that time.  From Eleanor’s memoir:

“I was happy for my husband because I knew that in many ways it would make up for the blow that fate had dealt him when he was stricken with infantile paralysis… But for myself I was deeply troubled.  As I saw it, this meant the end of any personal life of my own.”  (Roosevelt, 162-163)

           From the moment Eleanor stepped into the White House as First Lady, the staff knew she would not be like previous first ladies: for example, she disclosed in her memoir that one thing she did that shocked the long-time butler was to run the elevator herself without waiting for a doorman.  Even though she hoped for a seamless transition that would allow her to manage her household, she would learn that those responsibilities were more than expected, which in turn would require a staff of her own, which consisted of Miss Malvina Thompson, her personal secretary, Mrs. Nesbitt, her housekeeper from New York, and Mrs. Edith Helm, the social secretary.  Another revolutionary idea that Franklin’s political advisor came up with for Eleanor was to hold her own press conferences, and that they would only be attended by female reporters. 

            Eleanor finally became of use as First Lady in fall 1933, in which it was requested for her to travel to West Virginia to investigate conditions in the areas where coal mining occurred.  Eleanor disclosed in her memoir that no one in the area knew who she was yet, so it was easy for her to maneuver around the area without recognition.  Even though she would not see direct dividends from this trip, it would be the catalyst for shifts in the industry, specifically in living conditions.  She would travel to Puerto Rico the following year to study the difficult conditions and work to improve their quality of life.  This are just a couple of the countless trips Eleanor would make as First Lady.  Eleanor would also make an impact by going on lecture trips, the first of which occurred in 1936 and would continue throughout her tenure.

Even as First Lady, Eleanor’s goodwill and charity work continued.  Eleanor shared a story in her memoir about a typical Christmas Eve day, which included visiting underprivileged children, joining Franklin to offer Christmas greetings to those working in the executive offices, going to Salvation Army headquarters to give out food baskets, going to the Volunteers of America to give out food baskets, hosting an afternoon tea in the East Room, attending the lighting of the Community Christmas Tree, and going to another Christmas tree to sing carols (seriously, I cannot imagine any other First Lady taking on a schedule like this on a holiday and being away from their own family celebrations!) (Roosevelt, 189-190)

Eleanor quickly learned that the public’s expectations of her were grander than she imagined, and learned that many tried to take advantage of her standing; she shared a story in her memoir about a girl who wrote to her that she was graduating as the valedictorian of her high school however had none of her own clothes to wear.  Eleanor was suspicious of the situation, to which further research about the parents indicated they were financially comfortable and the child was not graduating from high school.  She just wanted new clothes; try to imagine having to balance being kindhearted with utilizing your intuition to catch cheats. (Roosevelt, 171)

An interesting aspect of her role as First Lady came in line with the President: Eleanor often would discuss various legislation and domestic struggles with Franklin in order to determine the government’s priorities and what Franklin’s administration would endorse that needed attention.  One of Eleanor’s primary causes in her charitable work was American youth.  Harry Hopkins, the head of the Works Progress Administration, came to her with an idea to create the National Youth Administration knowing her passion for the cause.  Harry disclosed to Eleanor that he was afraid to go to Franklin with the idea thinking he might reject it.  When Eleanor took the idea to Franklin, he asked her if Harry felt it was the right thing to do, to which Eleanor replied that it would be very helpful; Franklin gave the word to make it happen.  Franklin found Eleanor’s wisdom on issues insightful, even if he did not always follow her suggestions.  This influence is still rarely seen in First Ladies that have followed her.

As Franklin was elected in a landslide to a second presidential term in 1936, Eleanor began another project that showcased the continued evolution of the First Lady’s role: she began a newspaper column called My Day, a look into her personal and professional life and passed on experience and wisdom to her readers.  In 1941, she would also begin an advice column called If You Ask Me, where she would answer (mostly) questions from readers on a diverse group of topics.*

While Eleanor pushed the role of the First Lady into the modern age, she still fulfilled her primary role of hostess with class, even when some events were more relaxed than others.  An infamous story that came out of 1938 involved her and Franklin hosting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of England.  It began routinely with a night’s stay in the White House, then visiting monuments in the capital and inspecting military barracks, however the most intriguing part of the visit was yet to come.  Franklin and Eleanor planned on hosting the royal couple at Hyde Park; the day after their arrival a picnic was thrown for the couple, to which the Roosevelts chose to serve hot dogs as the primary entrée!  While it’s reported the Queen did not enjoy them, King George VI could not get enough!  The king would also join Franklin in the pool for a swim after the picnic.  It’s nice to know the Roosevelts knew how to bring civility to even the most powerful man in the world!

Even as Eleanor revolutionizes the role of First Lady of the United States, it did not prevent life events from occurring.  On September 25, 1941 her brother Hall died at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C.  Eleanor on losing the last member of her nuclear family:

The loss of a brother is always a sad breaking of a family tie, but in the case of my brother it was like losing a child… I had watched with great anxiety a fine mind gradually deteriorate… Fundamentally, I think Hall always lacked self-control… As I look back on the life of this man whom I dearly loved… I cannot help having a great sense of sorrow for him, knowing that he must often have felt deeply frustrated and disappointed by his own failure to use the wonderful gifts that were his. (Roosevelt, 224-225)

On April 12, 1945 Eleanor was attending a benefit at the Sulgrave Club when she received a phone call asking her to return to the White House immediately.  In her words:

“I did not even ask why.  I knew that something dreadful had happened… I got into the car and sat with clenched hands all the way to the White House.  In my heart I knew    what had happened, but one does not actually formulate these terrible thoughts until they are spoken.” (Roosevelt, 275-276)

Upon her return to the White House, Eleanor learned that Franklin suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while at his estate in Warm Springs, Georgia and passed away.  Eleanor got on a plane quickly to fly down to prepare to bring Franklin’s body back to Washington for a funeral.  In his final wishes, Franklin wished to be remembered as he was in life, so his casket was already closed when he lied in state at the White House on April 14. (Eleanor was the only one who was allowed to see him in his casket so she could place some flowers inside)

            Eleanor’s time as First Lady has come to an end, but her life of service is only just beginning…

*George Washington University has digitized Eleanor’s My Day and If You Ask Me columns.  If you are interested in reading them (and I highly recommend it), here is where to find them:

My Day columns: https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/my-day

If You Ask Me columns: https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/if-you-ask-me