Source: Portrait, 32 header, The White House

In this lesson, you will learn about the political life of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or FDR. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States. He was elected during one of the most devastating economic crisis that the country has ever faced. He was the first and only president to be elected for four terms.

Source: FDR biography pics, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and Museum

Born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family. The Roosevelt family amassed its wealth through various industries including, finance, real estate, and shipbuilding. Roosevelt was homeschooled during his early years; he later attended preparatory school before he attended Harvard University in 1900. After only three years, Roosevelt earned a Bachelor’s degree in history. He went on to study law at Columbia University in New York, and later practiced law in New York City.

Source: re bio pics, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library and Museum

In 1905, Roosevelt married his distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt who was also a distant cousin to Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt decided to enter a life in politics in 1910. Roosevelt, a Democrat, was elected to the New York Senate that same year. He was reelected in 1912. Roosevelt played an active role in the Democratic Party, and was later appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913, a position he held until 1920. That same year, Roosevelt was nominated as the vice-presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. The presidential candidate, James M. Cox lost to Republican Warren G. Harding.

Source: Rooseveltinwheelchair, Doco, Wikimedia

The following year, at the age of 39, Roosevelt was stricken with poliomyelitis, also known as polio. As a result of the disease, Roosevelt lost the use of his legs. Roosevelt, however, was determined to walk again. FDR decided to leave politics and focus on his recovery.

Click on the link below to learn more about FDR and polio.

FDR and Polio

Roosevelt regained partial use of his legs, and reentered the political arena. He was elected Governor of New York in 1928. He was reelected in 1930. Almost immediately after taking office, Roosevelt began to campaign for the presidency of the United States of America. The Democratic Party nominated him as a presidential candidate in 1932; he beat Herbert Hoover by 57 percent of the vote.

Think about the steps Franklin Delano Roosevelt took to become an American president, the first with a physical disability. Read the list of Roosevelt’s achievements below. Click on the sign which matches the year.