FDR's “Lucky” Campaign Hat (MO 1945.58.20) This hat is one of several distinctive “lucky” felt hats Franklin D. Roosevelt wore during his four presidential campaigns. As you can see in the photos below, these trademark fedoras were a common sight on the campaign trail. After the 1940 election, Roosevelt generously donated this hat to be … Continue reading From the Museum
Vice Presidential Spotlight: Henry A. Wallace As editor of Wallaces' Farmer, a leading farm journal of the time, Henry A. Wallace was an influential voice for farm relief and tariff reform. In 1933, FDR chose Wallace as his Secretary of Agriculture. Possessing strong administrative and scientific skills, Wallace implemented a host of revolutionary farm programs, … Continue reading Found in the Archives
1940 Wendell Willkie Campaign Buttons The 1940 election was the most challenging and divisive of FDR’s political career. The President’s decision to seek an unprecedented third term inflamed his opponents—and some former supporters—who charged he wanted to become a dictator. And his efforts to aid countries fighting the Axis Powers led to charges he would … Continue reading From the Museum
Kirsten Carter Bold, Persistent Experimentation FDR delivered my favorite of his speeches in 1932, a month before accepting his first of four presidential nominations. He spoke to the graduating class of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, setting forth an assertive challenge. The speech was a call to action: “The country needs and, unless I mistake its … Continue reading Staff Perspectives
.The Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was dedicated on October 17, 2012. Designed by Louis I. Kahn, the park was built as an enduring tribute to the life and work of President Roosevelt. For more information on the park, please visit: http://www.fdrfourfreedomspark.org.
1936 Podium (M.O. 2007.125) This aluminum and steel podium was specially designed for use by FDR during a 1936 presidential campaign stop at the new Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri—an immense structure built with funds from the New Deal’s Public Works Administration (PWA). A plaque inside the podium reads, “Presented by the citizens of … Continue reading From the Museum
1932 Presidential Campaign Franklin Roosevelt’s nomination for President by the Democratic Convention in Chicago in July 1932 led to one of the momentous campaigns in American political history. Saddled with responsibility for the Depression, President Hoover would have been vulnerable to almost any opponent in 1932. FDR’s advisors were unanimous in urging him to play … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Vice Presidential Spotlight: John Nance Garner John Nance Garner was a politician from Uvalde County, Texas. After serving in the Texas Legislature, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1902. He ran for president in 1932, competing with Governor of New York Franklin D. Roosevelt for the party nomination. When it became … Continue reading Found in the Archives
50th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Statue of Liberty On October 28, 1936, President Roosevelt attended and addressed the 50th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. In his address FDR states that "the realization that we are all bound together by hope of a common future rather than by reverence for … Continue reading Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day – October
Roosevelt Campaign Posters Franklin Roosevelt is the only American president elected to four terms. The campaign posters seen above represent all four of his presidential campaigns—1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944. Before the era of television and the internet, campaign posters were one of the primary visual tools used by presidential candidates. These posters reflected … Continue reading From the Museum
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