Franklin Roosevelt

It's fact
Franklin Roosevelt was an enthusiastic stamp collector. He was featured in a stamp of Western Samoa with his philatelic collection. This is the only instance where a stamp collector was featured in a stamp with his stamp collection. 


Franklin Roosevelt 
`````````(1882 - 1945)
~~~~~The President who tackled Communism, Fascism and Nazism

Born: January 30, 1882 Hyde Park, New York 
Died: April 12, 1945 (aged 63> Warm Springs, Georgia 
Birth name: Franklin Delano Roosevelt 
Political party: Democratic 
Spouse: Eleanor Roosevelt 
Children: Anna Roosevelt Halsted James Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. (I) Elliott Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. John Aspinwall Roosevelt 

In the 1930'5 there were 2 main problems that affected USA. One was the depression that started in 1929 and other was the uneasy peace thai prevailed in the world after the end of WWI. The President of US at that time Herbert Hoover could not solve these problems. 

In 1932 a democratic party nominated a candidate for presidency Franklin D. Roosevelt who eventually won the presidential election and tackled problems that propelled USA into a world superpower.

Roosevelt was the only president in US history to be elected for four consecutive terms. He won the presidential elections of 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944. 

Roosevelt came from a prominent family in New York and was related to Thoedore Roosevelt who was a US president himself and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. Therefore the Roosevelt .family was well off and figured prominently in the New York high society. Franklin was educated at home and later attended Colombia University and became a lawyer. He briefly practised law but it was politics that attracted his temperament. He once told his colleagues in the Law firm he worked that he wanted to be the President of USA.

Roosevelt believed that the conflict in Europe that started WWI as well as the threat of Nazi Germany could not be ignored by USA. He said in 1940 "the experience of the past two years has proven beyond doubt that no nation can appease the Nazis. No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it. There can be no reasoning with an incendiary bomb". On 7th of December, 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and afterwards Roosevelt declared war on Japan. 

After this Roosevelt closely worked with British PM Winston Churchill. Roosevelt during his presidency made the famous remark , "we have nothing to fear except fear itself". 

Roosevelt's alliance with Churchill and Stalin was the decisive factor that shaped the end of WWII, bringing defeat to the axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. When the end of the War was near, Roosevelt was instrumental in proposing the Atlantic Charter , which later became the corner stone of The United Nations. 

It was not only the conflicts in Europe that challenged Roosevelt as the great depression was affecting the US economy as well. He came up with ideas known as the "New Deal", which included devaluing the dollar and established benefits for the unemployed. Success of these measures bought support of the average Americans for Roosevelt, whom they thought helped them during these troubled times.

Roosevelt's wife Elanore was also a prominent social worker as well. The couple tied the knot in 1905. It should be also noted that Roosevelt was also struck with polio in 1921 which limited movement of his legs for the rest of his life. This however did not dampen his spirits or his enthusiasm for politics. 

Roosevelt suddenlly died in 1945 and was succeeded by Vice President Harry Truman. 

Posted in: Greatest Leaders