Audrey Todd, age 12, of Brownsville, Texas, for her question:
WHICH PRESIDENT STAYED IN OFFICE THE LONGEST?
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, served as the nation's chief executive for more than 12 years. He was the only American President elected to office four times. He was in office from 1933 until 1945.
When Roosevelt took his job as President, the United States was at the depth of the Great Depression. One out of every four workers was without a job. Roosevelt launched a new era with a program he called the New Deal.
Under Roosevelt's leadership, the government put stronger control on business companies than ever before. It spent billions of dollars on relief and public works. Dozens of new government agencies were set up. Many were known by their initials, such as WPA, CCC, TVA and NRA.
Probably no other President since Abraham Lincoln has been so bitterly hated or so deeply loved. Critics charged that Roosevelt's policies gave the federal government too much power. They accused him of taking over many rights that belonged to the states under the Constitution. Many thought that government controls over business would destroy the free enterprise system and lead to socialism.
On the other hand, millions of people believed that Roosevelt was the friend and protector of the common man. Their faith in him was the key to Roosevelt's success in politics.
Franklin Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was Franklin's fifth cousin.
Roosevelt graduated from Harvard University in 1903 and passed the bar examination in 1907 after graduate work at Columbia University Law School. In 1913 he was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy and in 1920 he ran unsuccessfully for Vice President. He was elected governor of New York in 1928 and President in 1932 with re elections in 1936, 1940 and 1944.
Before taking the job of Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt at the age of 29 had been elected to be a New York state senator. Then, after his unsuccessful run for Vice President in 1920, tragedy struck. In 1921, Roosevelt was crippled by polio.
At first, Roosevelt could not stand or even move his legs. His arms, back and hands were paralyzed. But he was determined to fight back against the disease.
He regained the use of his hands and the paralysis left his back. By exercising regularly, Roosevelt developed great strength in his arms and shoulders. Although this legs improved a little, he never again could walk unaided or without braces.
But then it was back into politics. He was elected governor of New York in 1928 and won re election in 1930 by about 725,000 votes, a record for the state at that time.
In 1932, the Democratic National Convention nominated Roosevelt for the office of President. John Nance Garner of Texas, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, was chosen for Vice President. Roosevelt flew to the convention in Chicago to accept the nomination. It was the first time a presidential nominee had made an acceptance speech at a national convention.