Eleanor Roosevelt
She transformed the American First Ladyship from a ceremonial role into a global platform for human rights and social justice.
1884–1962 (age 78)·American diplomat and activist·Birthday: October 11·The Lost Generation
Biography
Eleanor Roosevelt entered the White House in 1933 as a profoundly reluctant first lady, haunted by her husband's infidelity and her own insecurities. She left it as one of the most influential women of the 20th century. Defying all precedent, she held press conferences, wrote a syndicated newspaper column called "My Day," and traveled tirelessly to Depression-era projects and World War II fronts, becoming Franklin D. Roosevelt's eyes and ears. After his death, her work truly expanded. Appointed as a delegate to the new United Nations, she chaired the committee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With deft diplomacy and unwavering conviction, she shepherded the document to adoption in 1948, arguing that rights belonged to all people, "everywhere in the world." In her later years, she remained a forceful advocate for civil rights, labor, and the young state of Israel, proving that moral authority could be built, not inherited.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Eleanor was born in 1884, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Eleanor Was Born
The biggest hits of 1884
Eleanor's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1884Born
President: Chester A. Arthur
1889Started school
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Became a teenager
President: William McKinley
1900Could drive
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1902Could vote
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Turned 21
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 30
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 40
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 50
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 60
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 70
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1962Died at 78
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
Key Achievements
- She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and was instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- She wrote a syndicated newspaper column, "My Day," six days a week for nearly 30 years.
- As First Lady, she held 348 press conferences, barring male reporters to force newspapers to hire women.
- She served as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations General Assembly under both Presidents Truman and Kennedy.
Did You Know?
She was a niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.
She was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences.
At age 76, she was reappointed to the UN by President John F. Kennedy.
She was posthumously awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize in 1968.
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
