Born August 17, 1890 Sioux City, Iowa

Died January 29, 1946 New York, New York

Social worker, relief administrator, diplomat

Harry Hopkins. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

"Roosevelt trusted Hopkins implicitly [totally]—trusted his instincts and trusted his loyalty. No president had ever placed such confidence in another man; no president had given another man such power and influence."

June Hopkins, granddaughter of Harry Hopkins, in Harry Hopkins: Sudden Hero, Brash Reformer

From humble beginnings Harry Hopkins rose high in the U.S. government during the 1930s and 1940s. Hopkins's loyal service to his country helped President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945; served 1933–45; see entry) guide the United States through the Great Depression (1929–41) and World War II (1939–45), two of the worst crises of the twentieth century. Hopkins was uniquely qualified to administer the New Deal relief programs of the Roosevelt administration. Tutored by Roosevelt throughout the 1930s in the art of...