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Show 1 President's Life Was Characterized By Vigorous Action Unlike the "log-cabin" presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was not born into poverty. When Franklin arrived at Hyde Park, N. Y.P on January 30, 1882, he came into a family that had possessed wealth for many generations. The Roose-velts Roose-velts had been thrifty land-owners in the Hudson valley since the first of the family came over from Holland. Hol-land. On his mother's side also there was a substantial fortune. Among his ancestors were many men who had served the state in various capacities. Young Franklin attended the very fashionable Groton school, where he prepared for Harvard university, j After completing the liberal arts course he entered Columbia U. law school, from which he was gradu- j ated in 1907. Two years earlier, however, he married his distant cousin, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor was a niece of Theodore Roosevelt, at that time in the White . House. After two years of legal practice, prac-tice, Franklin entered polities, running on the Democratic ticket for the New York state senate. He unexpectedly defeated defeat-ed a strong Republican candidate. candi-date. From the beginning of his career he identilied himself with reform movements, opposing the powerful Tammany organization organi-zation in the slatehouse. He was re-elected in 1912, by which time he had become a leader of the anti-Tammany faction. Woodrow Wilson appointed Roosevelt Roose-velt assistant secretary of the navy. When World War I broke out Roosevelt proved himself an efficient effi-cient administrator, handling bil- lions of dollars' worth of contracts for ships and supplies. He served in this post throughout the war. Ran for Vice President. In 1920 the Democratic national convention chose him as running mate for James Cox. While campaigning cam-paigning for the vice presidency Roosevelt made many acquaintances acquaint-ances valuable in later political lite. Cox being defeated, F.D.R. returned to legal practice. The following year the great tragedy of his life struck him infantile paralysis. The big, strong young man became a bedridden invalid. For months he lay without ambition, almost without hope. Slowly his powerful pow-erful will took command, however, how-ever, and by persistence he partially regained the use of his muscles. It was during his convalescence at Warm Springs, Ga., that he determined to do ..!..( 1. .. I.l l .1... niMI III ' "UNI .u t: I null tV( in' scourge that had almost ruined him. The "March of Dimes" campaign was the result. At the Democratic conventions of 1924 and 1928, he aligned himself with the group supporting Alfred E. Smith, New York's governor. When Smith was nominated in 1928, Roosevelt ran for governor of his state and was elected. At the end of his two-year term he was again elected, this time by the greatest j majority ever given to a New York governor. As governor he continued the re- j form and improvement policies of his predecessor Smith. His achievements achieve-ments attracted nationwide attention. atten-tion. As the depression that began late in 1929 deepened, his efforts to control the mounting business failures, unemployment and dis- j tress in his state revealed his abilities abili-ties as a vigorous leader in grave j times. L.' .... ... ! - T 1 A .1 . J V , V 111 I .7, & 11 aillllll. When the national convention met in Chicago in 1932 Roosevelt was quickly chosen. He was swept into office by a plurality of seven million votes, carrying 42 states. Both houses went Democratic. Before he could take office a wave of bank failures threatened threat-ened the whole economic structure. struc-ture. The famous "hank moratorium" mora-torium" order, one of Roosevelt's Roose-velt's first official acts, dosed all banks until they could be reorganized re-organized on a sounder basis, thus preventing disastrous runs. In the spring of 19.12 came the repeal of the 18th, or prohibition prohibi-tion amendment. Then came the National Industrial Recovery Recov-ery Act, or "NBA," under which extensive emergency powers pow-ers were granted to the President. Presi-dent. A series of public works were authorized to combat nn- employment, together with huge appropriations for direct relief. The numerous executive and legislative leg-islative acts of this first term were approved In general as necessary in the face of widespread suffering. suffer-ing. A phrase from one of the President's speeches, "a new deal." developed into a title for the whole Roosevelt program. In 1936 the convention in Philadelphia Phil-adelphia nominated Roosevelt by acclamation on the first ballot. bal-lot. He carried 46 states in the elections. This second term ma-ority ma-ority was so overwhelming that many New Dealers began to call it a "mandate from the people." During this second term a great number of measures mea-sures were passed to inrrease the economic sec urity of the individual. in-dividual. I |