03/23/2021
When Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady in March, 1933, she said, “There isn’t going to be any First Lady. There is just going to be plain, ordinary, Mrs. Roosevelt. And that is all.” Little did she know that her approach to the position would set a bold and public example of what First Ladies could do.
As First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt was the first to hold a press conference, write a newspaper column, and fly in an airplane. Because of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's mobility limitations, Mrs. Roosevelt often acted as his most effective representative and advocate, traveling extensively and forming countless connections with people across the country. A political cartoon once joked that two coal miners were surprised to see her striding toward them in the light of their headlamps. After FDR's death, Eleanor's public service continued. She was the only woman in the first American delegation to the United Nations and never stopped promoting women's equality or advocating for better opportunities for children. The inclusion of a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was a historic recognition of her contributions to the nation and its people.
Photo by National Park Service.
