Detail from hand drawn Christmas card to the Roosevelts from Louis Simon, supervising Library architect, and his staff, December 1939. As illustrated in the previous post about holiday greetings from our armed forces during World War II, everyday Americans, and well-wishers from abroad, too, along with Roosevelt associates and notables, also sent Christmas cards and … Continue reading Merry Christmas, President Roosevelt: Seasons Greetings from Everyday Americans
Above top: This card from the Ninth Infantry Division depicts troops gathered in a battle-damaged church for Christmas services. Above: On the inside, humor takes center stage, highlighting where the 9th had served and noting slyly that Paris was "off limits." December 1944. FDR loved everything about Christmas. Annual traditions like reading "'Twas the Night … Continue reading Merry Christmas, President Roosevelt: Seasons Greetings from the Troops in World War Two
By Kevin Thomas America 250 -- Landmark Documents from President Roosevelt's Early American History Collections Follow our #America250 series of articles highlighting hundreds of remarkable historical documents, manuscripts, and rare books collected personally by Franklin D. Roosevelt. These special collections reflect Roosevelt’s abiding interests in early American history, our nation’s founding fathers, the American Revolution; … Continue reading FDR, Collector
William A. Harris, Director Above: The former First Lady preparing for radio remarks marking the end of World War II, August 19, 1945. (Library of Congress) August 1945 was a month crowded with history. Though Eleanor Roosevelt had famously remarked after FDR's death that "the story is over," her busy summer and multiple radio appearances … Continue reading The Atom Bomb and V-J Day: Eleanor Roosevelt and the End of World War II, August 1945
Seventy-Five years ago, on February 12, 1950, Eleanor Roosevelt made her debut as host of the television program “Today with Mrs. Roosevelt” on the NBC network. By 1950 Eleanor Roosevelt had made great use of different media during her lifetime, such as radio, newspapers, and magazines – most notably her syndicated newspaper column, “My Day.” … Continue reading Today with Mrs. Roosevelt
by William A. Harris, Director Draped in a snow-white fox stole, Eleanor Roosevelt beams with a birthday corsage, 1939. The FDR Library collection continues to surprise us with its richness and variety. Last week, while conducting one of our annual inventories, we were reminded of an unusual item in the archives, an original leaf from … Continue reading The Roosevelts, a Broadway Producer, and the Gutenberg Bible
By Kevin Thomas, Archives Technician It may seem unusual that within archives open for more than 75 years, there could be untapped or overlooked contents. But as is often the case, collections held within seem to resurface like water bubbling from a spring. At the FDR Presidential Library & Museum, which contains more than 17 … Continue reading OF 104 – Music
Above, FDR 1944. Last night, the Library participated in a White House Historical Association program focused on FDR and V-E Day. Victory in Europe Day isn't often discussed in detail here at the Library. We leave that day to the Truman Library. But FDR played a major role in shaping V-E Day and the way … Continue reading FDR and V-E Day
Unique Perspectives in the Papers and Records at the FDR Library A stunned citizenry gathers in Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, April 12, 1945. President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, less than three months into his fourth term, was the first in a series of events in 1945 that dramatically marked the end of … Continue reading Flash, the President is Dead, April 12, 1945
Franklin D. Roosevelt in his wheelchair aboard the Nourmahal, April 1935. Credit Robert Cross-Sailor in the White House. NPx 06-01. By Kevin Thomas, Archives Technician 1924 does not resonate the way 1933, or 1941 does when thinking of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. It was, however, a year filled with encounters that would profoundly change both. … Continue reading 1924: A Year of New Beginnings
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