Born into wealth and privilege, FDR became a symbol for the ordinary American during the Great Depression and established the foundations of the modern Democratic Party.
Born on January 30 1882 near Hyde Park NY, Roosevelt graduated from Harvard University (1904) and attended Columbia University Law School. He didn't get his law degree, but passed the bar exam and was admitted to the New York bar (1907). Elected to the New York Senate (1910) FDR was appointed by Woodrow Wilson as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a post he held during World War I.
Roosevelt ran for vice-president (1920) and lost. Stricken with polio (1921), which left his legs paralyzed, he was still twice elected Governor of New York. In 1932, he defeated Herbert Hoover for President.
After taking office, Roosevelt's New Deal responded vigorously to the Great Depression. He promoted labor laws, the Social Security Act, the NRA, TVA, WPA, CCC, and many other reforms.
Re-elected for unprecedented third and fourth terms, in 1940 and 1944, Roosevelt was the American leader through most of World War II. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at Warm Springs GA on April 12, 1945, shortly before the end of the war.
