Childhood and Education: 

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11th, 1884 in New York City. She was born to Elliot Roosevelt (Teddy Roosevelt’s younger brother) and Anna Hall who was a member of the Livingston family. Although Eleanor was from a very distinguished family, it was very unstable because her mother was constantly absent and her father was a raging alcoholic. It only got worse when her mother and younger brother died because of diphtheria. Eleanor and her other sibling were sent to live with their loving maternal grandmother in Tivoli, New York but shortly before Eleanor’s 10th birthday, her father died of alcoholism. According  to the Theodore Roosevelt Center, Eleanor had adored her father but his absence and death had made Eleanor feel very lonely and upset. During this time, Theodore Roosevelt (her uncle) and his family were there to help support her so they became very close. Five years later, at 15, Eleanor was sent to a boarding school in England where she met one of her biggest mentors. Mademoiselle Marie Souvestre had a large influence on her ways of thinking and values. When she returned from England at the age of 18, her thinking and view of life had matured greatly.

Impact on U.S. Government: 

Eleanor Roosevelt had a big impact on the U.S. Government as she redefined the role of the first lady, advocated for human rights, and showed kindness and empathy to the citizens of the US. By traveling to see different people, she was able to show the citizens how much the government cared for them all and this created a tighter bond. Her advocation and inclusivity efforts created more equality in the government. Lastly, her biggest accomplishment was changing the role of the first lady from being the wife of the president to also being a figure of compassion and hard work.