Eleanor Roosevelt

Teckla Dixon

EDP 180K

Fall 2001

Introduction

Eleanor Roosevelt’s work has made a significant impact on the interpersonal domain. Her work touched the lives of millions of Americans and influenced many aspects of American politics. She was a master of her domain, interacting with millions and breaking down many barriers. Her work can be considered creative because it was so unconventional. She took on roles that were considered untraditional for women, and with an innovative approach. I admire her work as a leader, a woman, and a creative individual. Although I cannot imagine having as far reaching an impact as Eleanor Roosevelt, I hope to be strong in the interpersonal domain. As an organizational leadership major, the traits of the interpersonal domain would be strong assets for me in any career. On any level, I have a deep appreciation for her ability to help people and change lives. Eleanor Roosevelt is a master of the interpersonal domain because she could interact with anyone and she touched the lives of millions.

Childhood and Early Experiences

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884 (Youngs 26). Her parents were both from prominent families, part of the ‘Old New York and Hudson River’ aristocracy. Many of her ancestors had played significant roles in American history (Lash 6). Her mother, Anna Hall Roosevelt, had been a debutante, and was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time. Eleanor’s father, Elliot, was a sportsman, and a handsome man (Youngs 15). Eleanor was an intelligent and happy child, who was doted on by her parents. While she spent time with her parents, she was also close to her nurse, who played a large part in raising her. Eleanor’s first language was French, which she learned from her nurse (Youngs 30). Like many creators, she had a warm relationship with both her nurse and her parents.

When young Eleanor was eight years old, her life took a devastating twist. Her loving mother, Anna, died from diphtheria (Lash 5). Eleanor had been staying with her godmother during her mother’s illness. Young Eleanor acted completely unaffected by her mother’s death (Youngs 50). At that time, she was sent to live in New York City with her maternal grandmother and an aunt. She remained close to her father, but saw him only sporadically (Berger 1). Only two years later, when Eleanor was ten years old, her father died. Eleanor became withdrawn, and stopped interacting with classmates. It was believed that she was reacting to a fear of abandonment (Lash 5). Having lost the two most important people in her life, Eleanor began to push everyone away.

At the age of 15, Eleanor left New York City. She spent the next three years in London, at Allenswood Finishing School (Berger 1). Rather than withdrawing, as she had before, Eleanor thrived in the new environment. She returned to New York as a confident young woman, prepared to make her debut in society (Youngs 76). It was during this same period that her distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt entered her life. After a three year courtship, the

couple married in 1905 (Lash 12). In 1910, FDR decided to run for the New York State Legislature. He won by a slim margin, and in 1911 was sworn into the state legislature (Youngs 108). Thus began Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s political career, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s life as a public figure.

Work in Her Domain

Eleanor Roosevelt’s work in the Interpersonal Domain includes her impact on the American presidency and politics, her work for the United Nations and other important organizations and causes, and her interaction with the American people. During her husband’s political career, she broke many barriers and instilled ideas of how people believed a politician’s wife should think and act. Rather than sit at home or only attend social events, as many prominent women of her time did, Mrs. Roosevelt was a constant presence in her husband’s political life.

After Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with infantile paralysis in 1921, Eleanor became even more involved in politics. Because her husband had lost most of his mobility, Eleanor realized that he was going to have to rely on others for information. She joined the Women’s Division of the Democratic State Committee in 1922, and began to travel throughout the state, giving speeches and speaking at luncheons (Youngs 148). These activities set the path of her work for the next several years, traveling around the state, and working for political causes that she considered important.

In 1928, Eleanor Roosevelt took on an even larger task: working on her husband’s campaign as a gubernatorial candidate. Franklin Roosevelt was nervous about re-entering politics after his infantile paralysis, but his wife encouraged him and showed unwavering support. He won the election, and the work of the campaign actually made him physically stronger (Steinberg 154). Because it was harder for FDR to go out and meet with people, Eleanor Roosevelt brought people home to meet with him. She invited social workers, labor leaders, politicians, and writers to dinner with the future president. These guests exposed him to current political events, and contact with them made Roosevelt more prominent in politics (Means 194). Bringing her husband into contact with these leaders also fostered his political ambition and eventually led to his running for President. It also bolstered Eleanor Roosevelt’s path as an emerging figure in American politics, bringing her into touch with prominent political figures.

Mrs. Roosevelt encouraged her husband to examine many issues by leaving newspaper articles and books for him to read on his bedside table. The majority of material that she left for him concerned social issues that she felt were important. Often, she would ask him questions over breakfast to see if he had been reading the material she left for him (Steinberg 242). Mrs. Roosevelt frequently gave her husband statistics on the discrimination of blacks in the south, and would cross-examine him over dinner to see how much of the information he could recall (Goodwin 123). Because it was difficult for Franklin Roosevelt to go out and experience things that were going on in the country, reading about these current events kept him informed about politics and political perceptions. Although it was not a direct interaction with American politics, Eleanor Roosevelt was impacting politics through her husband.

During the Depression, Mrs. Roosevelt was actively involved in her husband’s administration, often serving as the eyes and ears of her husband. One of the most important things she did for her husband was promoting the New Deal. She traveled around the country, logging an annual average of 40,000 miles during her first eight years as First Lady. Refusing to be accompanied by the Secret Service, she drove herself or used public transportation (Means 198). At other times, she and her husband would travel together to monitor the conditions of prisons, insane asylums, and hospitals. The President would wait in the car while Mrs. Roosevelt inspected the conditions in the buildings, and then she would relay her observations to him (Cook 432). She claimed that she learned to notice every detail because he would ask her precise questions when she returned (Roosevelt 177). By working together, they were able to overcome the obstacles of Franklin Roosevelt’s paralysis and give the public a more positive view of him. As FDR’s mobility decreased, Eleanor Roosevelt’s visibility increased, and she became more and more of a public figure in her own right.

Mrs. Roosevelt’s work and involvement in the country’s affairs continued to grow during the years of World War II. She gave Americans hope by getting involved in the war effort both in Europe and at home. She traveled overseas several times to get a first hand impression of the war, and to boost the morale of American troops (Steinberg 267). In 1942, Mrs. Roosevelt spent three weeks touring England, visiting army camps and examining the war effort of British women. The First Lady served as a motherly figure for the fighting men. When they told her that their feet were cold, she contacted her husband and made sure that wool socks were sent to them (West 38). The President used his wife to get accurate information about the conditions overseas, saying that she was the only person he trusted to give him a true picture. In 1943, he sent Mrs. Roosevelt to the South Pacific because he wanted her insight on that front. She traveled alone, and relied on army planes and jeeps for her transportation (Scharf 126). Her presence and actions boosted the morale of the troops, and gave them, and all Americans, the message that she cared. Through her interaction with soldiers on both fronts, her communication with the American people, and her support of her husband, Eleanor Roosevelt became an integral part of the American war effort. Through her support of her husband’s political career and her own political achievements, Mrs. Roosevelt made a significant impact on American politics and the American people.

A large part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s interpersonal achievements were her social causes and organizations. Her early work began at the suggestion of one of her husband’s political advisors, Louis Howe. He told Mrs. Roosevelt that she could help her husband keep his hopes alive for the presidency by getting involved in political issues and social causes (Means 194). She joined the Women’s Trade Union League, a progressive women’s group that encouraged female workers not only to join unions, but to take leadership roles in them (Scharf 66). She also raised funds for the Democratic State Committee, worked on political campaigns, and encouraged people to vote on Election Day (Means 194). These activities gave Eleanor Roosevelt a sense of personal fulfillment and made her a more visible figure.

Another societal issue that Eleanor Roosevelt took an interest in was the fight for civil rights. She piqued her husband’s interest in the fight by constantly citing discrimination statistics in front of him, and eventually convinced him to sign a series of executive orders barring discrimination in the majority of his New Deal projects (Goodwin 123). Eleanor Roosevelt was the first First Lady to have her picture taken with colored people, which made a strong statement to the nation about her civil rights beliefs. She entertained the National Council of Negro Women several times at the White House, and was instrumental in the establishment of one of the first black vocational schools in the South (Steinberg 108). In 1938, she refused to sit in the white section of an auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, while attending the Southern Conference for Human Welfare (Goodwin 123). Although her position upset some people, Eleanor Roosevelt also received a great deal of respect and admiration from many Americans for standing up for her beliefs.

Another social issue that was important to Eleanor Roosevelt was the fight to improve the plight of women. She worked diligently inside the Democratic Party to obtain equal representation for women within the party’s committees. As a result of her efforts, she was named chair of the Women’s Platform Committee, which negotiated the women’s right to name their own delegates and alternates (Cook 348-9). She chaired a sub-committee that worked to enforce prohibition and she endorsed the Child Labor Amendment (Scharf 69). Between 1922 and 1928, Mrs. Roosevelt chaired and served on numerous political committees within and outside the Democratic Party that championed the rights of women and children (Cook 366). She was able to improve the way of life for many people, and the achievements she made were accomplishments not only for her, but for women across the country.

Eleanor Roosevelt was also involved in many local social causes during the Depression years. She and several of her friends spent six years touring every county in New York State, trying to learn about and improve life for the people there. This group tried to help children by endorsing several different nutrition programs and focusing attention on child labor laws; they urged passage of legislation that would protect the rights of women (Scharf 69). On her own, Eleanor Roosevelt established maternity and pediatric clinics and a health care program for mothers and infants (Cook 362). She also worked for the establishment of a minimum wage and the passage of legislation to protect workers (Goodwin 122). In 1935, Mrs. Roosevelt traveled throughout the country to speak on behalf of the National Recovery Act, which set industrial codes for production, outlawed price fixing, and raised labor standards (Steinberg 217). Throughout the Depression, Mrs. Roosevelt was always working to improve the way of life for Americans. Whether it was selling the New Deal, appearing in newspapers, or raising the standard of living, she gave all Americans hope.

Eleanor Roosevelt continued her work on social causes during the war years. She continued to fight for the rights of women in jobs and politics, setting a good example for women with her own travels and war efforts. During these years, she held over three-hundred press conferences restricted to women journalists (Cook 7). She knew that many newspapers did not employ any women, and by doing this she forced them to go out and hire their first female reporter (Goodwin 124). The First Lady showed her support for women not only through her writings and speeches, but through her actions. Mrs. Roosevelt also worked as a volunteer with the Office of Civil Defense at this time. She tried to improve programs for nutrition, housing, medical care, education, and recreation for all Americans (West 34). Although the war was a dominant theme of the time period, Mrs. Roosevelt never stopped caring about the American people, and trying to improve their way of life. The war years allowed Mrs. Roosevelt to expand her work and influence because there were so many people in need of help. For everyone, from American citizen to fighting soldier, she was a symbol of someone who was trying to make a difference for them.

After the death of her husband, Eleanor Roosevelt became more involved in politics and her popularity continued to grow. In 1945, she was chosen to represent the United States at the United Nations General Assembly in London (Caroli 196). In 1946, President Truman appointed her as the American delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and she was chosen as the chairperson of the committee, which included representatives from eighteen different countries. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was completed in 1948, with the intent to promote and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, ideals that Mrs. Roosevelt strongly believed in (Scharf 147). Her final political appointment came in 1961, when President John F. Kennedy asked her to head the Commission on the Status of Women, comprised of women from trade unions and voluntary organizations who opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. They proposed legislation that would require equal pay for equal work, and other special legislation that protected female workers (Scharf 173). Her work with the United Nations and the Commission on the Status of Women is significant because it proved her importance as a political figure even after the death of her husband.

One of Eleanor Roosevelt’s most significant contributions to her domain was her interaction with the American people. In addition to her political and social work, Mrs. Roosevelt spent a great deal of time conversing with everyday people. She toured mines and slums, and met with poor urban families (Caroli 190). She loved to tell her husband and other dinner guests stories of these experiences. Once, after telling a moving story about a little boy whose family was going to eat his pet rabbit, dinner guests of the Roosevelts gave Eleanor money to send to the family (Caroli 195). Her travels and interaction with people made Americans see Eleanor Roosevelt as a caring person, rather than an untouchable political figure. Through her travels and work, she gave people hope that their life was going to improve.

With all the work that she was doing, Mrs. Roosevelt was soon one of the most popular women in America. During the 1920’s, she appeared in The New York Times almost weekly. Often, she was featured in news accounts, but she was also the subject of columns, editorials, profiles, and letters to the editor. Her public appearances were featured in the national news, and many of her statements were quoted in full because she spoke so openly (Cook 340). Eleanor Roosevelt was the first woman to speak in front of a national political convention, earn money as a lecturer, be a radio commentator, hold regular press conferences, and write a syndicated column (Goodwin 122). Her column, “My Day,” ran daily in newspapers across the nation. It began running in twenty newspapers in 1936, and by 1940 the column was a regular feature in 140 newspapers across the country (Steinberg 257). The column included comments about her favorite projects, controversial issues, and the activities of her family (Means 203). The column helped people relate to Mrs. Roosevelt as if she was a friend or member of the family. The coverage of her activities made her known throughout the country, and her positive outlook gave people hope that better times were coming.

As she became recognized for her interest in people and her involvement in the government, people began to look to Mrs. Roosevelt as a resource. Many women wrote to her because they believed that she would sympathize with their problems. In 1933, the First Lady received more than 300,000 letters in a period of nine months. The majority of the letters asked for money, jobs, or help in dealing with government agencies (Steinberg 206). Although no documentation was made, it is estimated that she personally helped several hundred of these people in that year alone. She mailed checks all over the country and even sent one little boy a banjo after receiving a letter from him (Steinberg 207). Her generosity drew even more Americans to her because they could see that she truly cared.

Eleanor Roosevelt became one of the most respected women in American politics. Her influence continued even after her official involvement in politics had ended. For thirteen consecutive years, she was chosen by the Gallup Poll as the most admired woman in the world (Means 190). Eleanor Roosevelt received honorary degrees from colleges all over the world, including the University of Utrecht in Holland, and Oxford University in England. In 1954, she became the first recipient of the Nansen Medal from the League of Nations, for her work with refugees at the United Nations and her personal involvement in hundreds of individual cases (Steinberg 345). After Mrs. Roosevelt’s death, the United Nations General Assembly stood one minute in silent tribute to her. She is one of only two individuals ever to have received this honor (Means 190). The respect and honors that she received reveal the extent to which her involvement reached. Eleanor Roosevelt had a far-reaching impact on politics, social work and the American people, and she was recognized world-wide for her efforts.

Issues for Empirical Investigation

Eleanor Roosevelt’s strength in her creative domain can be seen through her political and social work and her interaction with the American people. She exhibited attributes of the interpersonal intelligence, including person-to-person communication, empathy practices, collaboration skills, giving and receiving feedback, intuiting other’s feelings, and sensing other’s motives. Eleanor Roosevelt had strength in the more ‘intellectual domains:’ linguistic, logical-spatial, scholastic, and, of course, personal. She had limited ability in the artistic and musical domains, and her only real weakness was in the bodily-kinesthetic domain (Youngs 68). Her strength in the linguistic, logical-spatial, and scholastic domains helped strengthen her work and success in the interpersonal domain.

Her main motivational influences include her relationship with her husband, her relationship with Mlle. Souvestre, the headmistress at her finishing school, and of course, her own beliefs. A great deal of her work was aimed at supporting her husband and furthering his political career. She had to take a more active role than previous First Ladies because of her husband’s paralysis, and after seeing the positive impact that her work was having on his career and the world, she extended it. While she was attending school in England, the Boer War was taking place, and she heard Mlle. Souvestre speak of it often. The headmistress disagreed with the conduct of the British army during the war, which influenced Eleanor to be more sympathetic to the underdog (Berger 1). These experiences during her teenage years carried over to the social and political work that she performed later in life. Intrinsically, her concern for others was a significant motivation for much of her work. She wanted to help people, whether it was her husband at the political level, or a poor person on the street. The idea of helping people carried over into many of her motivations.

There are several people that Eleanor Roosevelt worked with at different levels within her domain. Elizabeth Read and Esther Lapp were contemporaries of hers in the League of Women Voters. They were both unmarried, professional women, focused on making changes in the world. Eleanor felt that she had more in common with them than with the wives of politicians, who were focused on their family and social engagements. Eleanor Roosevelt’s best friends were Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, who worked with her on the Democratic State Committee (Youngs 155). Like Read and Lapp, these two women were more focused on the politics of the outside world, and because of this they were an important influence in Eleanor’s life.

Eleanor Roosevelt’s work in the interpersonal domain spanned a period of fifty years. She attended her first Democratic Party Convention in 1912, and was still involved in political issues at the time of her death in 1962 (Berger 136). There are no direct examples to support the 10-year pattern, because she was constantly at work during these fifty years. Although some of her most significant work, such as working for the rights of women in the Democratic National Committee in 1935, and her election as head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1946, are approximately a decade apart, it is hard to single out any two aspects of her work as the most significant. Because her accomplishments were continuous over the fifty year period, there is not strong evidence for the 10-year pattern.

Conclusions/Fit to Gardner’s Model

Eleanor Roosevelt fits into many aspects of Howard Gardner’s Portrait of the Exemplary Creator. Like E.C., she had a reasonably comfortable childhood, but often felt ‘estranged from her biological family (Gardner 361). After the death of her parents, Eleanor Roosevelt had a hard time relating to others, and like many creators was somewhat of a loner as a child. Her introduction to the field is somewhat different than that of E.C. Unlike any of the creators in Gardner’s book, her work in the field began as a result of her husband’s career. However, once introduced to the field, she continued to follow many patterns of the Exemplary Creator. “E.C. discovers a problem area or realm of special interest,” (Gardner 361). Eleanor Roosevelt saw problems in politics and in the quality of life for American people, and she used her influence as a political figure to help improve conditions.

Like E.C., support from peers and contemporaries was important to Eleanor Roosevelt. The most significant source of this support was her husband, but she also had significant relationships with women working on the same causes. Unlike E.C., who has two major breakthroughs about ten years apart, Eleanor Roosevelt’s work in the interpersonal domain was continuous over a period of fifty years (Gardner 362). Her work in the domain continued to grow over this period. “E.C. …continues to make significant contribution until her death,” (Gardner 362). Rather than slow down with old age or the death of her husband, Eleanor Roosevelt remained active in her domain. Some of her most significant work, such as her work with the United Nations and her support of various political campaigns, was done during the last decade of her life. Although Eleanor Roosevelt does not meet all characteristics of the Exemplary Creator, she can be considered an important creative individual. Through her interaction with people and her impact on American politics, she is a master of the interpersonal domain.

Works Cited

Berger, Jason. A New Deal for the World: Eleanor Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.

Caroli, Betty Boyd. First Ladies. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.

Cook, Blanche Wiessen. Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.

Gardner, Howard. Creating Minds. New York: Basic Books, 1993.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns, “Eleanor Roosevelt.” Time. 13 Apr. 1998: 122+.

Lash, Joseph P. Life Was Mean to be Lived. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1984.

Means, Marianne. The Woman in the White House. New York: Random House, 1963.

Roosevelt, Eleanor. The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: Harper And Brothers Publishers, 1937.

Scharf, Lois. Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of American Liberalism. Boston:Twayne Publisher, 1987.

Steinberg, Alfred. Mrs. R.: The Life of Eleanor Roosevelt. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1958.

West, J.B. Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies. New York: Coward, McCann, and Geoghegan, 1973.

Youngs, J. William T. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Personal and Public Life. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, 2000.