Yesterday (Thursday), Bob and I drove the 7+ hours from Streetsboro, Ohio, to Hyde Park, New York. We drove the first 1 hour or so in rain and were a bit concerned the whole trip, as the skies were gray and there was a flood watch for the drive area into Friday morning. We lucked out and didn’t get more rain for the rest of our drive.
We checked into the Inn at Bellefield Hotel (actually a Marriott Residence Inn) right before the deluge started. We were worried about flooding, but we awoke today without our car having floated away, which allowed us to proceed with our plans.
While we were in Wisconsin, we had purchased tickets to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Library and Museum and a public tour of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), both of which are very close to our hotel. This blog covers our visit to the FDR Library and Museum. The visit to the CIA and a walk across the Hudson River is covered inthe next blog (Hudson Views and Tastes).
Freedom from Want, Freedom of Speech,
Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear
the only one opened by the president while still president
a still timely quote,
but the opposite of what our current president believes
featured in the library
describing how FDR promised a much needed change
from Hoover, who had overseen the Great Depression
and didn’t have an answer for it
to his 5th cousin, once removed, Eleanor
There was lots of information on his 4 presidential terms, with 3 different vice presidents. One interesting fact shown was the percentage with which FDR won every election.
In FDR’s first win, with John Nance Garner as the Vice Presidential candidate, he beat Herbert Hoover in 1932 with 57% of the vote and 472 electoral votes. They won all but 6 of the states.
FDR’s second election in 1936 was the biggest landslide in American history, winning 61% of the vote and 523 electoral votes. With John Nance Garner again as the Vice Presidential candidate, they won all but 2 states against Alf Landon.
as the Great Sphinx for a Washington Correspondents event.
FDR fought to bring American out of the Great Depression by putting Americans to work. That included the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), along with other programs, and even artists.
FDR won his unprecedented third term in 1940 with Henry Wallace as the Vice Presidential candidate against Wendell Willkie. It was a narrower victory with 55% of the vote and 449 electoral votes. Roosevelt had promised to keep the US out of WWII. Fortunately (to the extent we helped end the war), he didn’t keep that promise.
As we know, the 3rd term wasn’t his last, although Roosevelt died during his 4th term. FDR won his 1944 campaign with Harry Truman as the Vice Presidential candidate. They beat Thomas Dewey with 54% of the vote and 432 electoral votes. Sadly, FDR died on April 12, 1945, only months after his 4th inauguration at his presidential retreat in Georgia.
In 1947 after FDR’s death, Congress approved the 22nd amendment to the constitution which limits the number of times a person can be elected President of the United States to twice.
on top of a recreation of his Oval Office desk
FDR was far from a perfect man. The museum made mention of his affairs and some policy misses while he was president, however, it was hard to not feel nostalgic for a president that cared so deeply for the good of America as a country over his own personal wealth or benefits from his actions.
Peckish Travels 