All great leaders make a name for themselves. Eleanor Roosevelt is no exception. She held her first official position after her husband’s death, when president Truman appointed her to the United Nations. She was able to pave her own path through history as the First Lady, becoming known as the ‘World’s First Lady.’
Eleanor overcame a dysfunctional childhood. Her mother always harassed her since Eleanor lacked beauty and grace. Her father who was an alcoholic and drug abuser is perhaps her fondest memories of her childhood. She remembers always being excited when her father came home and jumping in his arms. Eleanor’s mother died of diphtheria when she was eight years old, and her father died when Eleanor was only ten.
One can only imagine what this household was like. If Eleanor’s fondest memories are with her alcoholic-drug abusing father, then her mother must have been extremely mean. I believe that throughout the years, Eleanor might have blocked seeing some of the effects of her father’s substance abuse since she held him in such high regard. It is very common for people to do this, to only retain the good memories of the past and to build on the bad memories of someone that you dislike. This might be the case with Eleanor.
Just like Gandhi, Lincoln and Elizabeth I, and other great leaders, Eleanor had a rift with one of her parents. In this case her mother. Eleanor was only eight when her mother died, but this was enough time for Eleanor to start developing her personality and to ensure that she was not like her mother. Her mother, Anna, displayed no empathy at all to Eleanor. And empathy became Eleanor’s strong point.
When Eleanor was fifteen, she was sent to Allenswood boarding school in England. There she met her new mentor and guide, Mademoiselle Marie Souvestre. Eleanor said that this “started the second phase of her life.” Eleanor had found a mentor and a friend in Marie Souvestre. Marie Souvestre was able to help Eleanor get out of her shell, to stop being so shy, and to enjoy life.
One of the major changing points in Eleanor’s life was when she learned that being curious about things was not a personality fault. In the early 1900s, women were supposed to be housewives; they were supposed to be support for their husbands. With this in mind, one can see how the misconception of knowledge for women being a negative aspect can grow. This was the case with Eleanor’s family. (Which is ironic since FDR’s mother was so overbearing, and they were fifth cousins). However Marie Souvestre showed her girls in Allenswood that knowledge and curiosity is a positive aspect.
“Although Eleanor had always been an eager learner, she had been taught that curiosity was a fault. That changes one evening when Eleanor and the other girls gathered on Souvestre’s library. Souvestre said, “You must cultivate curiosity, for only through curiosity can you learn, not only what there is in books, but what lies around you in the world of things and people”” (Gerber, pg 25).
Every one needs a mentor, and Eleanor found hers. After Eleanor had started to come out of her shell, everyone noticed how Eleanor cared for others. Eleanor would great new girls arriving and helped them settle in, show them the campus and introduce them to the faculty. Eleanor became a friend and a mentor in her own right, hence the meaning that mentorship is reciprocal. If someone has a mentor, then he will end up mentoring someone else.
Eleanor then returned to New York and married her fifth cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She lived the next tens years as a mother and housewife. She mothered five children. It was during this time that Eleanor discovered her leadership passion.
Eleanor describes the importance of motherhood, and the importance of leadership in motherhood. Eleanor describes that parents need to lead by example and not preach ethics to their children. If a parent preaches ethics and does not live an ethical lifestyle, then your children will observe the hypocrisy and rebel. In 1927, Eleanor formulated her list of “Ethics to Parents” when she wrote:
1.
Furnish an example in living.
2.
Stop preaching ethics and morals.
3.
Have a knowledge of life’s problems and imagination.
4.
Stop shielding your children and clipping their wings.
5.
Allow children to develop along their own lines.
6.
Don’t prevent self-reliance and initiative.
7.
Have vision yourself and bigness of soul.
Many of these beliefs are true; however, parents still need to explain to children their ethics and morals along with practicing them. Children need to be guided into the correct way of living. Children can not find out everything for themselves. “Stop shielding your children” does not make sense to me, If my teenage daughter wanted to go out all night with her boyfriend, I would stop her. If my youngest daughter wanted to go to the playground by herself, I would stop her. I am the parent, I know better than my eight year old. However, these were Eleanor’s beliefs and she stuck by them. I do question her mothering ability seeing that her own daughter betrayed her by arranging for FDR to continue his affair with Lucy Mercer.
Perhaps on of the reasons that Eleanor was able to reinvent herself was due to FDR’s affair. When your whole world is falling apart, such as during an extra-marital affair, and you rely on that person for everything, then you need to awaken and do things for yourself. Eleanor was very dependent on FDR for the first years of their marriage. After it was discovered that he was having an affair with her secretary Lucy Mercer, Eleanor needed to do something for herself. She needed to find herself and establish herself in case anything happened to FDR. This is also true of when FDR contracted polio. That hard hit in the face with reality that life can be cruel is the great motivator.
This cruelty in life that Eleanor had received, from her mother, FDR, FDR’s mother, her daughter and Lucy Mercer, created Eleanor’s belief in empathy. She was extremely forgiving and did not hold a grudge. One may postulate that this built up Eleanor’s belief in the strength of women. She possibly viewed men as weak since her father was addicted to drugs, and FDR was committing adultery.
One may also question Eleanor’s sexuality. Any person that has been brought up in an environment such as Eleanor, discovers her husbands having an affair, then develops friendships with Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman, might develop a resentment to men and become a lesbian. This might be one of the dark family secrets. It is the only way that I can see a daughter betraying her own mother for FDR.
Even with difficulties in her personal life, Eleanor’s leadership which was extraordinary. She was the first First Lady that took an active role in politics. At a time when the country is in chaos and FDR was busy trying to keep the government working, Eleanor developed programs to try and help the lower classes in America. She learned from her mistakes, such as Authordale. She got out of the ‘Ivory Tower’ and met with the men. For instance, when the Bonus Army made their second march on Washington, Eleanor walked through their encampments, gave them coffee and food, and met one on one with their leaders. After her meetings with them, they accepted FDR’s proposal that they join the CCC planting trees. Everyone was a winner due to Eleanor.
After FDR’s death, President Truman appointed Eleanor as the United Nations ambassador. There she was placed to Committee 3. Eleanor took the new job and the new position and through tough negations produced the Universal Declarations of Human Rights. This document is the backbone of all human rights issues in the world. It is used universally in trails of leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Milosevic for their violations against human rights.
Eleanor Roosevelt is an extraordinary person. If William Jennings Bryan was considered the “Great Commoner” then Eleanor Roosevelt was the load speaker for the common man and woman. She understood what people were going through. She maintained a close network of friends that helped her in her crusade. Eleanor will forever be a guideline and an inspiration for future leaders.
References:
Gerber, Robin. (2002). Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way: Timeless Strategies from the First Lady of Courage. New York, Penguin Publishing.
Gerber, Robin. (February 12, 2003). Eleanor’s Life Inspires Yearning for Women’s Leadership. Women’s Enews.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. (February 1954). Some of my best friends are Negro. Ebony 9. Retrieved September 26, 2004 from http://newdeal.feri.org/er/er09/htm
Williams, Chari. (March 1950). This I believe about Public Schools; An interview with Eleanor Roosevelt. The Nation’s Schools 45, no 3. Retrieved September 26, 2004 from http://newdeal.feri.org/er/er22.htm
Eleanor Roosevelt Biography. (2004). Retrieved September 26, 2004 from http://www.feri.org/archieved.erbio/marriage.cfm
Eleanor Roosevelt Biography. (2004). Retrieved September 26, 2004 from http://www.udhr.org/history/Biographies/bioer.htm
The Leadership Strategies of Eleanor Roosevelt. (2004). An interview between Harriet Rubin and Blanche Wiesen Cook.
