On October 11, 1884, Eleanor Roosevelt first lady of the United States, was born in New York City, United States. Eleanor Roosevelt served the role of first lady of the United States during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office from 1933 to 1945, making her the longest-serving first lady of the United States.
In a generation when women took on the role of managing their family's home like housekeeping and raising children, Eleanor Roosevelt took on leadership roles that few would dream of doing.
Eleanor Roosevelt was the first presidential spouse to hold regular press conferences. In 1940, she was the first to speak at a national Democratic party convention. She was a devoted political activist who wrote a daily newspaper column, "My Day", six days a week from December 31, 1935, to September 26, 1962, discussing issues including civil rights, women's rights, and various political and social issues.
Years after the White House, Eleanor Roosevelt pursued her political and social causes as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly in 1945. In April 1946, she became the first chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948.
Eleanor Roosevelt was also pivotal in raising awareness of world hunger which led to the creation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on October 16, 1945. To this day, FAO is leading efforts to achieve food security for all with the overarching goal of creating a world without hunger and poverty.
Throughout her career at the United Nations, Eleanor Roosevelt made countless national and international speaking lectures, television and radio broadcasts championing the importance of activism and the important leadership role of women in political and social causes.
Eleanor Roosevelt was 78 years old when she died of cardiac failure at her Manhattan, New York home on November 7, 1962.
