1940's Government and Politics | Roosevelt, Franklin D. 1882-1945

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1933-1945

Influential President.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only person to have been elected president of the United States four times. This fact alone testifies to his influence and popularity, at least among much of the American population. Among the most intelligent and complex of presidents, Roosevelt almost certainly left the greatest legacy of any in this century. He virtually created a proactive, socially responsible government, initiating several programs that today are taken for granted. He led the nation through most of World War II, leaving the United States the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth. He helped to lay the foundation of the United Nations, hoping that the institution would serve the interest of peace and cooperation among the remaining global powers.

Upper-Class Origins.

The thirty-second president was born to a wealthy patrician family...