Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt is one of the most respected and admired woman of her generation. She was an incredibly compassionate women who cared deeply about others. She accomplished numerous goals throughout her life which helped the welfare of the youth, the poor, and the underprivileged. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born to Anna Hall and Elliot Roosevelt, brother of Theodore Roosevelt, on October 11, 1884 in New York City. Her parents separated when she was young mainly because of her father’s alcoholism (The White House, 2004). Immediately following the separation in 1892 her mother died of diphtheria, an acute infectious disease. Eleanor’s grandmother raised her and her two brothers after her mother’s deat

Her father was severely injured when he fell and had past away in 1894 when Eleanor was ten. Although Eleanor was expected to be the typical wealthy girl, she proved to be just the opposite by reaching out to the poor and underprivileged. Although Eleanor"tms father suffered from drinking problems, Eleanor idealized him. h while her father rarely saw them (Larsen, 1991). Another remarkable accomplishment of Eleanor"tms was that she was elected chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights. She traveled countless miles with him or on his behalf in all his campaigns and later considered herself "his legs". She became involved in the women"tms division of the State Democratic Committee to keep his fascination in politics alive (The White House, 2004). At a meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, she confused local authorities and disobeyed the segregation laws by purposely positioning herself on both aisles separating the black and white seating sections. Eleanor began her career as a political assistant for her husband, Franklin D. She convinced FDR to establish the National Youth Administration (NYA), which granted financial support to students and job training to young men and women (DiNardo, 2004). Eleanor didn"tmt want to sit at home and take care of the children so she joined her husband for his second western campaign tour and traveled with him for three weeks (Larsen, 2004). She learned how to sit and listen to the same speech over and over again while looking excited and attentive. Eleanor Roosevelt achieved many of her ambitions. Other recognitions would include her significant aid to African-Americans, women, the poor, and the youth.