Franklin D. Roosevelt-"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort"
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born on January 30th, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. His parents were James Roosevelt and Sara Ann Delano Roosevelt. Franklin was their only child. Roosevelt was born into a relatively wealthy family which allowed him to live the typical upper-class lifestyle in New York. They acquired money through real estate and trading. Sara was the dominant figure in Franklin's life even into adulthood. James, Sara, and Franklin lived in an estate in the Hudson River Valley in New York City. Their estate was named "Springwood". Throughout Franklin's life, he idolized Theodore Roosevelt.
Growing up was quite elegant for Franklin. He was surrounded by privilege and a sense of self-importance. Franklin's home seemed to always revolve around him. In 1896, Franklin began attending the Groton Preparatory School for all boys. His upbringing was so unlike common people, he did not fit in at school with the other kids. While attending Groton, Franklin strove to please adults and took to heart the teachings of Endicott Peabody, who urged students to help the less fortunate through public services. After Groton, Franklin attended Harvard University in 1900. While there, he was involved with the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and was the editor of the Harvard Crimson newspaper. He received his degree within three years. However, Franklin graduated being classified as underwhelming and average. During his last year at Harvard, Roosevelt got engaged to his fifth cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt. They joined in marriage on March 17th, 1905. After their marriage, Franklin studied corporate law at Columbia University Law School. His study ran from 1907 until 1910, when he began thinking law practice was boring and restrictive. He passed a bar exam in 1907, however, without receiving a degree.
During the 1912 National Democratic Convention, Franklin supported presidential candidate Woodrow Wilson. In 1920, Roosevelt got invited to run for New York's state senate. After agreeing to run, he ran as democrat in a district that had voted republican for the past 32 years. After hard campaigning, Franklin won the election with the help of his name and Democratic Landslide. Roosevelt opposed elements of Democratic political machine in New York which won him ire of party leaders and gained him national notoriety and valuable experience in political tactics and intrigue. Afterwards, Franklin formed an alliance with Louis Howe, who shaped his political career for the next 25 years. After his term, he was re-elected and served as chair of the agricultural committee. During his second term, Franklin passed farm and labor bills and social welfare programs. In 1921, Roosevelt was stricken with polio.
Franklin Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States on March 4th, 1933. He was the only president in the United States history to be elected four times. During presidency, he was mostly referred to as "FDR". While Franklin was president, he led America through the Great Depression and World War 2. He greatly expanded powers of federal government through a series of programs and reforms known as the "New Deal". On April 12th, 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Georgia.