Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States. He served from 1933 to 1945, longer than any other president. He led the country through two of the hardest times in its history: the Great Depression and World War II. People often call him by his initials, FDR.

Roosevelt was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. His family was wealthy, and he grew up on a large estate along the Hudson River. He was related to an earlier president, Theodore Roosevelt, who was his fifth cousin. As a young man, Franklin studied law and entered politics. He married his distant cousin Eleanor Roosevelt in 1905. She would later become one of the most famous First Ladies in American history.

In 1921, when Roosevelt was 39, he got very sick with a disease called polio. The illness left his legs paralyzed. He could not walk on his own for the rest of his life. He used a wheelchair, leg braces, and the arms of helpers to move around. At the time, many people thought a person with a disability could not lead. Roosevelt proved them wrong, though he often hid the wheelchair from photographers.

He became president in March 1933. The country was deep in the Great Depression. Banks were closing, and about one in four workers had no job. In his first speech as president, Roosevelt told Americans, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He then pushed Congress to pass dozens of new laws in his first 100 days. This program was called the New Deal. It created jobs building roads, bridges, parks, and schools. It also started Social Security, which still pays money to older Americans today.

Roosevelt also spoke directly to the public through radio talks called "fireside chats." Millions of families gathered around their radios to listen. His calm voice helped people feel less afraid.

In December 1941, Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The next day, Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war. The United States joined World War II on the side of Britain, the Soviet Union, and other Allied nations. Roosevelt worked closely with British leader Winston Churchill to plan how to defeat Nazi Germany and Japan.

Roosevelt died of a stroke in April 1945, just weeks before the war in Europe ended. Historians often rank him among the three greatest American presidents, along with Washington and Lincoln. His decisions reshaped the country and still affect daily life today.