FDR and Eleanor made a special holiday of Christmas every year. FDR Library Director William Harris invites you into the President’s study for a look through some of their holiday memories held in the Archives.
NEW “The Roosevelt Story” Presentation: Inside the Archives: FDR and the Politics of Celebrity Wednesday, August 17 at 2PM EDT
FDR loved movies and movie stars. He enjoyed their celebrity, too, and as a shrewd politician, he knew their support and their fame could prove beneficial to his Administration. Acting Director William A. Harris highlights evidence of these relationships through a selection of key documents from the Library’s collection.
A scale model of a fully equipped Patrol Torpedo (PT) boat. These boats were manufactured in large numbers during World War II by Higgins Industries of Louisiana. In October 1942, FDR visited a New Orleans factory operated by Higgins Industries. Company founder and president, Andrew Jackson Higgins, later gave Roosevelt this model of a Higgins PT boat on October 6, 1943.
“Mapping the New Deal”: A Conversation with Richard Walker Live, virtual program Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2022, EDT Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT Link: https://youtu.be/KfULhsnpqtI
On Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. EDT, the Roosevelt Library will present “Mapping the New Deal”: A Conversation with Richard Walker. FDR Library Acting Director William Harris will lead the discussion with Richard Walker, the Director of the Living New Deal Project. This live, virtual event will be streamed to the Library’s official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Q&A in the comments/chat following the presentation.
The mission of the Living New Deal is three-fold: research, presentation and education. It begins with the historical work of uncovering the immense riches of New Deal public works. That research is then made available to all through digital mapping (livingnewdeal.org/map) and a website that serves as a clearinghouse for information on the New Deal. And, finally, the information gained from their work is disseminated as widely as possible through newsletters, social media, written media, interviews, lectures and other public events. For information visit livingnewdeal.org.
During his far-flung wartime inspection tours, President Roosevelt often received models and other gifts from workers and staff in defense factories and military facilities. During the President’s April 30, 1943 inspection tour of Kentucky’s Fort Knox, Master Sergeant Ivan H. Howitz, gave FDR this model tank— a visual aid used at the base’s Armored Force School.
Yom HaShoah - “Remembering with Resources from the Roosevelts”
Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 2PM ET
Karen Hochhauser of the Jewish Federation of Dutchess County will discuss the importance of Yom HaShoah to our community – and our world – with Jeffrey Urbin, Roosevelt Library Education Specialist. This program will stream live to the Library’s official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The honored guest was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President of the United States. He had returned home to Springwood, his estate in Hyde Park, NY, to be laid to rest.
Read “More than a Moment for the Nation: The Presidential Funeral of FDR” on our blog.
At Home with the Roosevelt Live - Encore Presentation:
A conversation between the former Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Director Paul Sparrow and the Harry S. Truman Library Director Kurt Graham on the April 12, 1945 presidential transition between the Roosevelt and Truman administrations.
FDR’s death shocked the nation. Millions of American never forgot where they were and what they felt when they learned the news. Many reflected on how deeply his presidency had impacted their lives.
In 2005, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum asked a group of Americans to talk about their memories of FDR’s death and reflect on his legacy. This program features excerpts from their recorded remarks.
This film, “Remembering FDR,” is also featured in the current exhibition “FDR’s Final Campaign” open now.
FDR’s last days were spent quietly at Warm Springs. The President sat for a portrait by artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff and conversed casually with his guests. On April 10 and 11, Shoumatoff’s assistant made a series of photographs of the President to assist her with her painting. They last images ever shot of him.
On April 10, FDR and Lucy Rutherfurd took a leisurely drive to Dowdell’s Knob, a rocky outcrop that offered a broad view of the surrounding countryside. Roosevelt had visited it many times during the difficult early years of his struggle with polio. It remained a favorite place to sit and reflect.
International issues still forced their way into the secluded world of the Little White House. Soviet actions in Eastern Europe threatened to divide the Allies just as victory was in sight in Europe. Seeking to maintain the alliance and ensure the success of the UN conference in San Francisco, FDR worked to smooth the waters. “I would minimize the Soviet problem as much as possible,” he wrote to Winston Churchill on the morning of April 11, “We must be firm, however, and our course thus far is correct.“ Later that dictated a speech he was to make on April 13. That evening, he dined with his Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr. Morgenthau was shocked by his old friend’s haggard appearance. Before he departed that night, FDR told him about his upcoming trip to the UN conference. He would appear there in his wheelchair, he told Morgenthau.
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These five photographs, shot on April 10-11, 1945, are the last images of President Roosevelt ever taken. They reveal the dire state of his health. The photographs were made by Nicholas Robbins, an assistant to artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff. Shoumatoff came to Warm Springs in April to paint a portrait of the President. She instructed Robbins take these photos to help her complete the portrait at her studio.
The three photographs of FDR outside his Warm Springs cottage were shot on April 10. The other two shots—taken inside the cottage—were made on April 11.
See these photographs and more in our current exhibition "FDR’s Final Campaign”.
Photographs, objects, documents and more from the collections of FDR Presidential Library and Museum of the National Archives and Records Administration
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