As the 32nd president of the United States and the only president to be elected four times, Roosevelt (1882-1945), popularly known as FDR, led the country through two of the major crises of its history, the Great Depression and World War II. Born into a wealthy and influential family in New York State, Roosevelt was inspired early on by the example of his distant cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, who served as president from 1901 to 1909. FDR served in the New York Senate and as US assistant secretary of the Navy before being nominated by the Democratic Party as vice presidential candidate in 1920, losing to the Republican ticket.

Although stricken with polio, Roosevelt continued his political career, serving as governor of New York during the early years of the Depression. In 1932, he was elected president. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies were implemented to help offer Americans relief from the Depression, and his skill as a communicator was credited with inspiring Americans to overcome their fears during this difficult period.

By the late 1930s, FDR was concerned with the growing threat of war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought America into the conflict, and Roosevelt devoted the remainder of his life to winning the war for the Allies (the US, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union), building up war production and taking measures intended to curb enemy activity in the US.