Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born into a wealthy New York family. As a boy, he studied under private tutors. He graduated from the Groton School in Groton, Connecticut. In 1900, Roosevelt entered Harvard University. He was editor of the Crimson, the campus newspaper. He joined the Harvard Hasty Pudding and Porcellian clubs. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1904.
After college, Roosevelt studied law at Columbia. In 1907, he joined the New York bar. He had never completed law school. Although he was a Democrat, Roosevelt had voted for Theodore Roosevelt for president in 1904. In 1910, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to the New York state senate. He ran as a Democrat. In the legislature, he opposed the powerful Tammany Hall machine. In 1912, President WOODROW WILSON appointed him assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy.
In 1920, the Democratic Party nominated Roosevelt for vice president. He was 38 years old. The Democrats lost the election. But most observers agreed that young Franklin Roosevelt had a bright political future. His career was almost cut short. In 1921, he was vacationing at his summer home on Campobello Island in Canada. Roosevelt was stricken with polio. He began a lifelong battle against paralysis. He never fully recovered. He remained dependent on costly physical therapy.
In 1928, Roosevelt was elected governor of New York. He was a popular governor. He was reelected in 1930. In 1932, he challenged President HERBERT HOOVER for the presidency. Roosevelt was swept into office by more than 7 million votes. After his inauguration in 1933, the new president survived an assassination attempt in Miami, Florida. Guiseppe Zangara fired five shots at him. They all missed. But one bullet killed Anton Cermak. He was the mayor of Chicago, Illinois.
In his inaugural address, Roosevelt had promised the American people a "New Deal." In his first year in office, he convinced Congress to enact a number of new programs. But the Great Depression continued past his first administration. Still, Roosevelt's sunny disposition and self-confidence were contagious. Many Americans believed the economy would improve. Roosevelt was reelected president in 1936.
In 1939, World War II began in Europe. Roosevelt sent aid to America's European friends. But he kept the United States out of the war. It was a popular policy. In 1940, Roosevelt was elected president for the third time. On December 7, 1941, Japanese warplanes attacked the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. U.S. troops were sent to fight in Asia, in Europe, and in North Africa.
In 1944, Roosevelt was elected to his fourth term as president. But he was in poor health. For many years, he had taken physical therapy treatments in Warm Springs, Georgia. As president, he often vacationed at the "Little White House" in Warm Springs. On April 12, 1945, Roosevelt died in Georgia. His funeral was held at the White House. Franklin Roosevelt is buried in Hyde Park, New York.
