American Experience

Did You Know?

Home Away from Home
Like many other presidents, FDR had another home away from the White House. His cottage in Warm Springs, Georgia was called the "Little White House" because he spent so much time there.

In Memorial
A new monument to FDR has been recently unveiled in Washington, D.C. The design of the monument was the subject of heated controversy regarding whether or not FDR should be shown in his wheelchair. Public pressure led to the inclusion of an exact replica of one of his wheelchairs, created for display in the Memorial Entry Building.

International Relations
Not only were FDR and Winston Churchill great friends, they were related, if only distantly. Through his mother's side, FDR was Churchill's seventh cousin, once removed.

A Lady in the Cabinet
When FDR appointed Frances Perkins as his secretary of labor in 1933, she became the first woman ever to serve on a president's Cabinet. An advocate for women, she supported equal wages for women and men.

The Last Image
FDR was sitting for a portrait by artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff when he suffered his fatal stroke in April 1945. The portrait was never completed.

On the Battlefield
FDR was the first American president since Abraham Lincoln to visit troops on the battlefield.

Presidential Pursuits
FDR was an avid stamp collector, or philatelist. He pursued this hobby throughout his tenure in office, even while dealing with the country's crises.

They Also Served
As with TR's sons in World War I, all four of FDR's sons -- James, Elliott, Franklin Jr., and John -- served in the military in World War II. However, unlike his cousin TR, whose beloved son Quentin was killed in action, FDR saw all of his sons return home, having survived their service.

White House Pets
Fala, FDR's black Scottish terrier, was one of the most famous "first pets" and the president's constant companion -- at Hyde Park, in the White House, and wherever in the world FDR traveled. After the president's death in 1945, Fala lived with Eleanor Roosevelt at her home, Val Kill, until he died in 1952. As FDR wished, his beloved dog was buried near his grave at Hyde Park.