Biography of F.R Roosevelt

            Franklin Delano Roosevelt was of Dutch, English ancestry and was born on January 30, 1882. Franklin grew up in a very wealthy family in Hyde Park, New York to James Roosevelt and his second wife, Sara Delano Roosevelt. He had a sheltered youth, and was taught mainly by governesses. His life mainly revolved around the family estate in rural Dutchess County. He also took many trips to Europe and participated in a lot of athletics (mainly swimming and boating) and hobbies such as stamp and bird collecting. Although he valued fun, he rarely ever shared his inner most thoughts with anyone. Some believe that this might have been a way to avoid his mother"s attempts at domination. .

             Franklin went to the exclusive Groton School. He was filled with a sense of social responsibility. He was an average student at Harvard University and edited the Harvard Crimson in his senior year. After graduation (1903) he attended the Columbia Law School. But, he dropped out of law school when he was admitted to the New York bar and worked from 1907-1910 for a Wall Street law firm.

             A tall, handsome, and outgoing Franklin married a shy; distant cousin named Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on March 17, 1905. Her uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt gave her away at her wedding. They had 6 children, Anna Eleanor, James, Elliot, Franklin Delano Jr., and John; their sixth child died in infancy. The married couple was active in the New York social circle, but devoted a lot of energy to helping the less fortunate. Since Franklin handled a lot of small claims cases, his concern for common people was great. Although Franklin was a Democrat, he always admired the ideas of reform of his Uncle Teddy and decided on a political career early in his life. His opportunity came in 1910 when the Dutchess County Republicans split between conservatives and progressives. A powerful and unusual campaigner, Roosevelt went along dirt roads in an open red Maxwell automobile, asking for votes from normally Republican farmers, and won a seat as a Democrat in the New York State senate.

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