The First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is seen as the turning point in First Ladies by being the most outspoken woman in politics. Eleanor was a political figure, humanitarian and activist and was involved in numerous organisations, programs and was a spokesperson for the United Nations. She was also the longest-serving First Lady of her time. After her death, her legacy lives on, setting an example of an excellent first lady and how to be a great person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884, to Anna Hall and Elliott Roosevelt, in New York City. She was born into a wealthy family; they were usually called "The Swells", which was a common name for a wealthy family. Her father was an alcoholic, but Eleanor adored him very much until his death in 1884, after being admitted to a sanatorium and then attempting to kill himself by jumping out of the window, fortunately she survived, but had an epileptic fit and died afterwards. Her mother died in 1892 of diphtheria and she contracted it to her brother Eleanor, Elliott Jr. Diphtheria is a serious infection of the nose and throat that makes it very difficult to breathe, fortunately it is now preventable with a vaccine. After the death of both parents, she was sent to her grandmother Mary Livingston Ludlow in Tivoli, New York with her 3 three brothers, Hall Roosevelt, Elliott Roosevelt Mann and Elliott Roosevelt Jr. By this time Eleanor Roosevelt was 15 years old and being educated home to his aunt, Anna Bamie Roosevelt. She was later sent to Allenswood School in Wimbledon, London. Allenswood School was an all-girls school, teaching girls confidence and responsibility. During her time at Allenswood, the headmistress was a woman named Marie Souvestre. Marie excelled at helping young women think independently and gain confidence. Marie developed a liking for Eleanor, Marie helped her learn French and become the great speaker she was. In March 1905 Marie Souvestre had died. To commemorate the loss, Eleanor hung Marie's portrait on her desk and took all of her letters with her. Eleanor's cousin, Corinne Douglas Robinson, started her freshman year while Eleanor started her senior year. To Eleanor's surprise, Corrine said that Eleanor was one of the most popular people in school. Eleanor wanted to continue going to Allenswood, but her grandmother wanted her back in 1902 to do something bigger with her life. Now, at age 17, Eleanor wanted to do something with her education. That same year she was presented at the Debutante Ball at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan, New York. The debutante ball or “Deb” was for young upper class women, as we will make their “debut”, hence the name “Deb”. After the party, she says she was unhappy because she had lost contact with all her friends in London. But during this year she became active in the society where she helped teach dance. He also worked in the New York Junior League. The New York Junior League is a nonprofit organization that promotes volunteerism. That year she met her father's once estranged fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had met on a train and talked in secret. Franklin's mother, Sara, who was not supportive of the couple, tried to take Franklin away from Eleanor by taking him on a cruise, but it didn't work. Eleanor and Franklin were married on March 17, 1905. Theodore Roosevelt, who was president at the time, attended the wedding, which made the front page of the New York Times. For their honeymoon they spent a three-month holiday in Europe. After their honeymoon they moved to a house in Hyde Park,provided by Franklin's mother. Although Franklin's mother, Sara, gave them a home that she still controlled. Sara's house was connected to the Roosevelts' by simple sliding doors. Eleanor actually had a nervous breakdown because of Sara.Sara also wanted to parent Eleanor and Franklin's children. Roosevelt's children include Anna Eleanor, James II, Elliott, Franklin Jr., John II, and an infant who died in infancy. In 1918 Eleanor was unpacking Franklin's suitcase and found a package of a love letter from Franklin's secretary at the time, Lucy Mercer. Franklin had actually thought about leaving Eleanor for Lucy. Even though they never divorced, there was still a big decline in their marriage, and they were now more political partners. In August 1921, Franklin contracted polio and was left paralyzed legs down. During that time she tirelessly cared for Franklin and the children, but still had time for political matters. Her husband developed more sympathy towards her after all that she still helped him with everything. When he was no longer ill he ran for president and was inaugurated on March 4, 1933. At first, Eleanor did not like to take on the role of first lady, due to the precedents before her, first ladies proved that the first lady should only be a “scenario for the president”. Eleanor knew she had to change that, especially considering her political background. Now he intended to hold the first lady to a more political standard. This was difficult because not many women had careers, and even if they did, society hated it. She held press conferences and was the first First Lady to speak at a national party convention. He also wrote a daily column called "My Day" and hosted a radio program. One of her goals was to match her salary with her husband's, at that time he was receiving around 75,000. One way Eleanor Roosevelt relates to the theme when WWI veterans were asking for their bonus certificates and awards for serving in the war, the government gassed the veterans with tear gas. Eleanor helped the conflict by going to the veterans camp and solving the problem by listing the problems and raising them at a meeting where the issue was next. On August 18, 1933, Eleanor visited poor children in Arthurdale, Virginia. She was devastated by what she saw and reported it to her husband. So he started a new project where they would build new homes with heating and plumbing, and where they would resettle minors and their families so they could earn money through subsistence farming and work in a manufacturing plant. He wanted this to become an example of how a community should look. They began building in 1934 and gifted the first fifty houses to the families, the agreement being that the families would have to repay the government in thirty years. The government saw this plan as a failure, but when Eleanor visited in 1940, she saw that their economy was successful and the people living there saw this new city as a success. Eleanor also saw a problem with segregation and decided to change it. . At that time Eleanor was the only person in the White House who mistakenly thought segregation only made everything more difficult, so she invited a group of famous African Americans to the White House. When the singer, Marian Anderson, was not allowed into Constitution Hall by the Daughters of America, she decided to protest the group by resigning and held a concert for Marian at the Lincoln Memorial. Because of his support for civil rights, he was quite unpopular in the South. Plantation owners are afraid that their serfs are creating clubs.