Franklin Roosevelt Family Tree: The Story Behind America's Four-Term President

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945), known as FDR, born 30 January 1882 in Hyde Park, New York, and died 12 April 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia, was the 32nd President of the United States (1933–1945) — the only U.S. President to serve more than two terms (four, the last cut short by his death); led the country through the Great Depression and WWII.

The Family's Roots: A Dutch-American Aristocratic Family

The Roosevelt family is Dutch-American Protestant, settled in New York from the 17th century. FDR was a fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt.

His Parents

Father: James Roosevelt I (1828–1900) — businessman; widower with one son before marrying Sara.

Mother: Sara Delano Roosevelt (1854–1941) — heiress.

His Half-Brother (from James's first marriage)

James Roosevelt "Rosy" Roosevelt (1854–1927) — half-brother.

His Wife: Eleanor Roosevelt

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) — niece of Theodore Roosevelt; First Lady, UN delegate, human rights advocate. Married FDR on 17 March 1905 in New York (TR gave her away).

Their Children

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1906–1975) — daughter.

James Roosevelt II (1907–1991) — Marine Brigadier General and Congressman.

Franklin Roosevelt (1909–1909) — infant.

Elliott Roosevelt (1910–1990) — Air Force Brigadier General, author.

Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. (1914–1988) — Congressman.

John Aspinwall Roosevelt (1916–1981) — businessman.

The Roosevelt Family Tree at a Glance

Father: James Roosevelt I (1828–1900).

Mother: Sara Delano Roosevelt (1854–1941).

Half-Brother: James Roosevelt "Rosy" (1854–1927).

Wife: Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962; m. 17 March 1905) — UN delegate; niece of Theodore Roosevelt.

Children: Anna Eleanor (1906–1975); James II (1907–1991); Franklin (1909, infant); Elliott (1910–1990); Franklin Jr. (1914–1988); John (1916–1981).

5th cousin: Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) — 26th U.S. President.

Franklin D. Roosevelt:

  • Born 30 January 1882, Hyde Park
  • Harvard College (1903); Columbia Law School
  • New York State Senate 1911–1913
  • Assistant Secretary of the Navy: 1913–1920
  • Vice-Presidential nominee 1920 (lost)
  • Polio: contracted August 1921 at age 39; left paraplegic; concealed disability publicly
  • Governor of New York: 1929–1932
  • 32nd President of the United States: 4 March 1933 — 12 April 1945
  • New Deal: 1933–1939
  • WWII: led the U.S. through Pearl Harbor (1941) to Yalta (1945)
  • Died: 12 April 1945, Warm Springs, GA — cerebral hemorrhage at 63

What the Roosevelt Family Story Teaches Us

A businessman father. A Delano-heiress mother. A half-brother. A 40-year marriage to his cousin Eleanor that became one of America's most-consequential political partnerships. Six children, five of whom survived to adulthood. A polio diagnosis at 39 that he hid from the public. A career that defined the modern U.S. presidency over 12 years.

For every family — large or small, famous or otherwise — the FDR story carries the same lesson. Some careers carry a hidden disability through 4 elections and a world war.

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