Franklin Roosevelt was born to rich parents. He was an only child. Franklin had the very best education. In 1905, Franklin married Eleanor. Together they had six children. Sadly, one child died as a baby.

In 1907, Franklin became a lawyer. He entered politics in 1910. He was elected to the New York senate. Next, he helped President Woodrow Wilson.

In 1921, Roosevelt came down with polio. He legs were weakened. He had great difficulty walking and standing. Franklin needed leg braces and a wheelchair. However, this did not prevent Roosevelt from running for president!

Franklin Roosevelt was elected president four times. He was president for 12 years. This was longer than any other president.

Franklin Roosevelt was president during the Great Depression. Many families had no money and very little food. He started programs to help the people. These programs were part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. The New Deal programs gave many Americans good jobs. People had money to buy food. Roosevelt started Social Security to help the elderly.

The United States entered World War II in December, 1941. Japan had bombed our ships in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the same time, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, too.

World War II lasted many years. The stress of war was very hard on Roosevelt. He became seriously ill. Just two weeks before the war ended in Europe, Franklin Roosevelt died. He did not get to see America win World War II.