1. Resume
    1. 1911 - 1913: Member of the New York State Senate for the 26th District
    2. 1913 - 1920: Assistant Secretary of the Navy
    3. 1929 - 1932: 44th Governor of New York
    4. 1933 - 1945: 32nd President of the United States
  2. Chronology
    1. 1882: Born in Hyde Park, New York
    2. 1902: Introduced to his future wife Elanor Roosevelt
    3. 1903: Graduated from Harvard with an A.B. in history
    4. 1904: Entered Columbia Law School
    5. 1905: Married Elanor despite the fierce resistance of his mother
    6. 1907: Dropped out of Columbia Law School after he passed the New York State Bar exam
    7. 1908: Took a job with the prestigious Wall Street firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn, dealing mainly with corporate law
    8. 1910: Ran for the New York State Senate
    9. 1913: Resigned from the New York State Senate to accept his appointment as Assistant U.S. Secretary of the Navy
    10. 1929: Received an honorary LL.D from Harvard
    11. 1920: Resigned from Assistant Secretary of the Navy to run for Vice President and lost, with Republican Warren G. Harding becoming president
    12. 1921: Contracted polio, which resulted in permanent paralysis from the waist down
    13. 1929 - 1932: Nominated as Governor of New York and ran
    14. 1932: Focused on a New Deal to counteract the Great Depression
    15. 1933: Escaped an assassination attempt
    16. 1937 - 1941: Second term, little major legislation was passed
    17. 1941: Isolationist sentiment was waning with German invasions in Europe, leading to the passing of the Lend-Lease Act, allowing the U.S. to give Britain, China and later the Soviet Union military supplies
    18. 1941: All senior American officials were aware that war was imminent, but none expected an attack on Pearl Harbor
  3. Notables
    1. Only president elected to more than two terms
    2. Energized by his personal victory over polio, FDR's unfailing optimism and activism contributed to a renewal of the national spirit
    3. Influenced the later creation of the United Nations and Bretton Woods
    4. Grew up in an atmosphere of privilege
    5. Frequent trips to Europe made Roosevelt conversant in German and French
    6. Average student academically
    7. Theodore Roosevelt was his role model and hero
    8. Charismatic, handsome and socially active
    9. Had an affair, maybe two, with secretaries, leaving his marriage as a political partnership rather than an intimate relationship
    10. Was in charge of demobilization of the Navy after World War I ended
    11. Made sure he was never seen in public with his wheelchair
    12. Inaugurated 32 days after Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, in the worst depression in U.S. history with 25% unemployment
    13. 1933: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"
    14. Unemployment - 1932: 25%, 1937: 14.3%, 1938: 19%, 1939: 17.2%, 1940: 14.6%, 1945: 1.9%
    15. The minimum wage law was the last substantial New Deal reform act passed by Congress
    16. Sought ways to assist Britain and France militarily, although he stood neutral
    17. The two-term tradition had been an unwritten rule until the 22nd Amendment after Roosevelt's presidency, since George Washington declined to run for a third term in 1796
    18. The public and Congress wanted more effort devoted against Japan; FDR insisted on Germany first
    19. His death in 1945 was met with shock and grief across the U.S. and around the world, as his declining health had not been known to the general public
    20. Charged with not acting decisively enough to prevent or stop the Holocaust
  4. Laws / Acts / Events
    1. 1929 - 1939: Great Depression
    2. New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932
    3. New Deal - relief, recovery, and reform
    4. Economy improved rapidly from 1933 to 1937, but then relapsed into a deep recession
    5. 1935: Social Security
    6. 1938: Gave strong diplomatic and financial support to China and Great Britain, while remaining officially neutral
    7. 1941: Lend-Lease aid to the countries fighting against Nazi Germany with Britain
    8. 1941: Made war on Japan and Germany after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
    9. 1942: Ordered the internment of 100,000 Japanese American civilians, unemployment dropped to 2%, relief programs largely ended, and the industrial economy grew rapidly to new heights
    10. Founded the United States Navy Reserve
    11. The prohibition issue solidified the wet vote for Roosevelt, who noted that repeal would bring in new tax revenues
    12. 1933 - 1934: First New Deal - immediate relief
    13. 1933: Emergency Banking Act
    14. 1933: Signed the Glass-Steagall Act that created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
    15. Civilian Conservation Corps, which hired 250,000 unemployed young men to work on rural local projects
    16. Reconstruction Finance Corporation, making it a major source of financing for railroads and industry
    17. Agricultural Adjustment Administration made agricultural relief a high priority
    18. 1933: Reform of the economy was the goal of the National Industrial Recovery Act
    19. 1934: The Securities and Exchange Commission was created to regulate Wall Street
    20. Tried to keep his campaign promise by cutting the federal budget, but cutting 40% of veterans' benefits was seen as a mistake and most benefits were restored or increased by 1934
    21. Pushed for repeal of Prohibition, signing the Cullen-Harrison Act in 1933 redefining 3.25% alcohol as the maximum
    22. Saw Congressional action in the drafting and passage of the 21st Amendment, which was ratified in 1933
    23. 1935 - 1936: Second New Deal
    24. Social Security Act promised economic security for the elderly, the poor and the sick
    25. The National Labor Relations Act established the federal rights of workers to organize unions, to engage in collective bargaining, and to take part in strikes
    26. Good Neighbor Policy was a re-evaluation of U.S. policy toward Latin America
    27. 1937: Housing Act and second Agricultural Adjustment Act
    28. 1938: Fair Labor Standards Act, which created the minimum wage
    29. After Pearl Harbor, antiwar sentiment in the U.S. evaporated overnight
    30. After Germany and Italy declared war, German and Italian citizens who had not taken out American citizenship and who spoke out for Hitler and Mussolini were often arrested or interned