Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr.

Born - Died

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician.

Roosevelt was born in Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada on August 17th, 1914. Although being born in Canada entitled him to dual Canadian citizenship, there is no record that he ever availed himself of that opportunity. He attended the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, a college preparatory school. He went on to graduate from Harvard University in 1937. In 1940 he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School.

As a young man in 1936 Roosevelt contracted a severe case of streptococcal throat infection, commonly known as strep throat. Complications arose from the illness, the White House medical staff prescribing Prontosil, the first sulfonamide drug. The drug itself was a medical break through. The use of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's (FDR) son made world wide news. It heralded the start of the antibacterial chemotherapy era in the United States.

Although Franklin's two older brothers James and Elliott tended to be scandal prone, Franklin was not. He did have some legal issues, mostly from traffic violations and accidents. His legal issues paled in comparison with the scandals of his brothers, and are more than likely brought up as a comparison to his elder brothers.

In 1940, Roosevelt joined the Naval Reserve as an ensign. The following year he attended, at the request of his father, Argentina Summit with Winston Churchill. He sailed home with Winston Churchill and stood with him in American occupied Reykjavik, Iceland. The visit was to symbolize American solidarity with England, Scotland and Wales.

In 1943, again at his fathers request, Roosevelt attended the Casablanca Conference. Later the same year he met his father in Africa before attending the Tehran Conference.

During the rest of World War II, Roosevelt served aboard various Destroyers in the North Atlantic and the Pacific. For one incident, he received the Silver Star. While his vessel was under attack he came out from under cover to carry a critically wounded sailor to safety. At the end of war Roosevelt had his own command and be in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japan. Those who served under him nicknamed him "Big Moose."

After the war, Roosevelt practiced law in New York State. He also dabbled in politics. In 1949, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives. It was a less than stellar term in office. When his older brother James was elected to the house, the Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn told James "not to waste their time the way his brother did." He later went on to run for the New York State Attorney General after being discouraged to run for Governor of New York by the head of Tammany Hall a democratic organization in New York. Not happy with the way her son was treated by Tammany Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt started a smear campaign against them until the head of the organization had to resign.

In the 1960 West Virgina primary, Joesph P. Kennedy Sr., a friend of the Roosevelt family asked Roosevelt to campaign for John F. Kennedy. Roosevelt falsely accused Hubert Humphrey of dodging the draft.

Roosevelt and Kennedy were close friends and Roosevelt spent a great deal of time at the White House after Kennedy was elected. Kennedy appointed Roosevelt as the Under Secretary of Commerce. This was after Defense Secretary Robert McNamara vetoed Roosevelt's appointment as Secretary of the Navy. After Kennedy's assassination, Roosevelt fell out of power in Washington.

Roosevelt passed away on August 17th, 1988, his 74th birthday, from lung cancer.

Roosevelt was a member of Architect's Lodge No. 519 in New York City, New York.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.