Born October 11, 1884 New York, New York

Died November 7, 1962 Hyde Park, New York

First Lady of the United States, social activist

Eleanor Roosevelt. AP/Wide World Photo. Reproduced by permission.

"I think I must have a good deal of my uncle Theodore Roosevelt in me because I enjoy a good fight and I could not at any age really be contented to take my place in a warm corner by the fireside and simply look on."

Eleanor Roosevelt in The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt served as First Lady from March 1933 to April 1945, longer than any other president's wife. She was also one of the first First Ladies to work for social reforms both in the United States and worldwide. Checking on conditions throughout the nation, she was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry) "eyes and ears." In the United States she promoted better working...