Franklin D. Roosevelt: Difference between revisions

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Actually spent much of his life paralyzed from the waist down due to polio, including his Presidency, making him America's one and only handicapped President, unless one also counts Kennedy who had Addison's Disease. There was less scrutiny of public figures back then, which he combined with trick photography, leg braces that let him stand and walk short distances by swiveling, immense upper-body strength to hold himself up with the podium and [[The Plan|other tactics to ease the public away from questioning why he was never pictured standing up on his own]]. (He was almost always leaning on somebody or something in the photos that show him standing.)
Actually spent much of his life paralyzed from the waist down due to polio, including his Presidency, making him America's one and only handicapped President, unless one also counts Kennedy who had Addison's Disease. There was less scrutiny of public figures back then, which he combined with trick photography, leg braces that let him stand and walk short distances by swiveling, immense upper-body strength to hold himself up with the podium and [[The Plan|other tactics to ease the public away from questioning why he was never pictured standing up on his own]]. (He was almost always leaning on somebody or something in the photos that show him standing.)


Famous for the New Deal, [[World War Two]] and the "fireside chats". The last of these were thirty radio speeches, where he addressed the public directly and are an early example of what political analysts call "going public". They were more popular than every other show. His "New Deal" was put into action with the intent of saving the country from the Great Depression and possible revolution. Whether it had any effect, and whether this effect was positive, is still hotly debated. Even some in his own administration disagreed on it being effective including his treasury secretary Morgenthau and first vice president Garner. One component that absolutely didn't have a positive effect was the ''Agricultural Adjustment Act'', which placed a limit on food production in a failed attempt to raise prices on crops by reducing supply, right before the dust bowl kicked in.
Famous for the New Deal, [[World War II]] and the "fireside chats". The last of these were thirty radio speeches, where he addressed the public directly and are an early example of what political analysts call "going public". They were more popular than every other show. His "New Deal" was put into action with the intent of saving the country from the Great Depression and possible revolution. Whether it had any effect, and whether this effect was positive, is still hotly debated. Even some in his own administration disagreed on it being effective including his treasury secretary Morgenthau and first vice president Garner. One component that absolutely didn't have a positive effect was the ''Agricultural Adjustment Act'', which placed a limit on food production in a failed attempt to raise prices on crops by reducing supply, right before the dust bowl kicked in.


Furthermore, the worst thing he did in office was authorizing the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII; tens of thousands of American citizens were rounded up and put in prison camps solely for being of Japanese descent. [[What the Hell, Hero?|Owch]].
Furthermore, the worst thing he did in office was authorizing the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII; tens of thousands of American citizens were rounded up and put in prison camps solely for being of Japanese descent. [[What the Hell, Hero?|Owch]].
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He's known for the line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."<ref>A quote originated by Henry David Thoreau</ref> Remember, [[Theodore Roosevelt|he's one of two presidents to have this last name]].
He's known for the line "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."<ref>A quote originated by Henry David Thoreau</ref> Remember, [[Theodore Roosevelt|he's one of two presidents to have this last name]].


Before he was President, he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy during [[World War I]]. The sole thing he did here that he's remembered for (except possibly accusations he was responsible for the lax defense of Pearl Harbor) during this position occurred ''after'' the war. In 1919 he ran an entrapment campaign to locate and persocute sailors who engaged in homosexual acts during leave, using Americans sailors he ordered into these acts as bait. His actions in what would be called the Newport Scandal got him censured by Congress.
Before he was President, he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy during [[World War I]]. The sole thing he did here that he's remembered for (except possibly accusations he was responsible for the lax defense of Pearl Harbor) during this position occurred ''after'' the war. In 1919 he ran an entrapment campaign to locate and persecute sailors who engaged in homosexual acts during leave, using Americans sailors he ordered into these acts as bait. His actions in what would be called the Newport Scandal got him censured by Congress.


His wife Eleanor Roosevelt (a fifth cousin) was the first First Lady to actually take an open role in government ([[Woodrow Wilson]]'s wife did in secret when he had a stroke). She became hated by many, an experience she would share with several of her successors, including Nancy Reagan, [[Hillary Rodham Clinton|Hillary Clinton]], and Michelle Obama. She was viciously insulted as being ugly.
His wife Eleanor Roosevelt (a fifth cousin) was the first First Lady to actually take an open role in government ([[Woodrow Wilson]]'s wife did in secret when he had a stroke). She became hated by many, an experience she would share with several of her successors, including Nancy Reagan, [[Hillary Rodham Clinton|Hillary Clinton]], and Michelle Obama. She was viciously insulted as being ugly.
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He's consistently ranked by scholars and the public as one of the greatest Presidents in American history, next to [[George Washington]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]] while among libertarians and some conservatives he's actually considered the ''worst'' for his dramatic expansion of government and human rights abuse.
He's consistently ranked by scholars and the public as one of the greatest Presidents in American history, next to [[George Washington]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]] while among libertarians and some conservatives he's actually considered the ''worst'' for his dramatic expansion of government and human rights abuse.


{{creatortropes}}
{{examples|Tropes and Depictions}}
== Tropes Present in FDR's Life and Legacy: ==
* [[Batman Gambit]]: How he got [[Harry S Truman]] to be his running mate. In 1944, the Democratic Party leadership decided that Henry Wallace was too liberal to be Vice President for Roosevelt's fourth term; the leadership knew that FDR's health was not what it once was, and that his Vice President would be very likely to become President. They eventually settled on Truman as an acceptable next President, but there was just one problem: Truman didn't want to be VP. As a result, the leaders brought Truman to a hotel room, where Roosevelt was waiting to speak to him over the phone from Washington. Roosevelt excoriated Truman for threatening Democratic party unity during wartime, and (seemingly) hung up in a huff. Little did Truman know that this whole thing had been carefully rehearsed in ''exactly'' the way required to get at one of Truman's weak points: he was nothing if not a Democratic loyalist, and accusing him of breaking party unity was tantamount to calling him a traitor. Truman accepted, and the rest is history.
* [[Batman Gambit]]: How he got [[Harry S Truman]] to be his running mate. In 1944, the Democratic Party leadership decided that Henry Wallace was too liberal to be Vice President for Roosevelt's fourth term; the leadership knew that FDR's health was not what it once was, and that his Vice President would be very likely to become President. They eventually settled on Truman as an acceptable next President, but there was just one problem: Truman didn't want to be VP. As a result, the leaders brought Truman to a hotel room, where Roosevelt was waiting to speak to him over the phone from Washington. Roosevelt excoriated Truman for threatening Democratic party unity during wartime, and (seemingly) hung up in a huff. Little did Truman know that this whole thing had been carefully rehearsed in ''exactly'' the way required to get at one of Truman's weak points: he was nothing if not a Democratic loyalist, and accusing him of breaking party unity was tantamount to calling him a traitor. Truman accepted, and the rest is history.
* [[Big Good]]: Okay, [[Black and Grey Morality]] aside, he was the beacon of leadership for the Americans during [[World War II]], alongside [[Winston Churchill]], and is still considered by many to be among the greatest American presidents in history.
* [[Big Good]]: Okay, [[Black and Grey Morality]] aside, he was the beacon of leadership for the Americans during [[World War II]], alongside [[Winston Churchill]], and is still considered by many to be among the greatest American presidents in history.
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** At the time, many felt this regarding his attempt to expand the number of Justices in the Supreme Court, specifically so he could appoint guys that agreed with him over the New Deal. It tarnished his credibility for quite a while, and he consequently achieved a [[Pyrrhic Victory]] once the Justices retired (or died) later on.
** At the time, many felt this regarding his attempt to expand the number of Justices in the Supreme Court, specifically so he could appoint guys that agreed with him over the New Deal. It tarnished his credibility for quite a while, and he consequently achieved a [[Pyrrhic Victory]] once the Justices retired (or died) later on.


{{examples|Examples of Franklin D. Roosevelt in fiction include:}}
== FDR in fiction ==
== Comic Books ==
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* The play (and subsequent film) ''Sunrise at Campobello'' feature Ralph Bellamy as a young FDR and chronicle his early struggles with polio.
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* FDR was [[retcon]]ned to be the founder of the [[Justice Society of America]], and his fictional super-powered great-grandson, "Lance" Reid, was a member in pre-[[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]] continuity.
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** Bellamy would later play FDR as President in the TV miniseries [[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance|''The Winds Of War'' and ''War and Remembrance'']].
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* The [[Super Soldier]] Serum taken by [[Captain America (comics)|Captain America]] was, according to some comics, supposed to go to FDR after it had been tested. This would cure the effects of the polio and let him walk on his own again. Cap himself had a bit of hero-worship going on for Roosevelt. Considering that FDR personally presented him with his indestructible round shield, you can understand the good feeling.
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* He appears in the musical ''[[Annie]]''.

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** Played in the film version by Edward Herrmann, who had previously portrayed him in the made-for-TV biopics ''Eleanor and Franklin'' and ''Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years''.
== Film ==
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** Ironically, Harold Gray was a staunchly conservative opponent of the New Deal and was not shy about using ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]'' as a political platform. FDR and the New Deal are, of course, portrayed positively in the musical, which was written after Gray's death.
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* Played in the film version of ''[[Annie]]'' by Edward Herrmann, who had previously portrayed him in the made-for-TV biopics ''Eleanor and Franklin'' and ''Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years''.
* Played by Jon Voight in the film ''[[Pearl Harbor]]''.
* Played by Jon Voight in the film ''[[Pearl Harbor]]''.
** And by [[Kenneth Branagh]] in ''[[Warm Springs]]''. He also appeared in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]''.
* Played by [[Kenneth Branagh]] in ''[[Warm Springs]]''.
* He also appeared in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]''.
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* FDR was [[Retcon|retconned]] to be the founder of the [[Justice Society of America]], and his fictional super-powered great-grandson, "Lance" Reid, was a member in pre-[[Flashpoint (comics)|Flashpoint]] continuity.

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* It turns out that a still-living FDR is an employee at [[A Day at the Bizarro|McAwesome's Parasailing and Chocolate Bakery]] in the world of ''[[Shortpacked]]'', just as "[[Ronald Reagan|Ronnie]]" works for the nearby toy store.
== Literature ==
* A still-living nonagenarian FDR is also portrayed as a high-ranking secret society member in the ''[[Illuminatus]]!'' trilogy by [[Robert Anton Wilson]] and [[Robert Shea]].
* A still-living nonagenarian FDR is portrayed as a high-ranking secret society member in the ''[[Illuminatus]]!'' trilogy by [[Robert Anton Wilson]] and [[Robert Shea]].
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* The [[Super Soldier]] Serum taken by [[Captain America (comics)]] was, according to some comics, supposed to go to FDR after it had been tested. This would cure the effects of the polio and let him walk on his own again. Cap himself had a bit of hero-worship going on for Roosevelt. Considering that FDR personally presented him with his indestructible round shield, you can understand the good feeling.
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* Appears several times in [[Alternate History]] works by [[Harry Turtledove]]:
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* Like most other politicians (and some that aren't even politicians) of the time-period, Roosevelt is a possible (and indeed, the default) Head of State for the USA in ''[[Hearts of Iron]] 2''.
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** He is also a choice for leader of America in ''[[Civilization]] 4'', along with George Washington and [[Abraham Lincoln]].
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* ''[[The King of Queens]]''. Doug's father-in-law is still sensitive to the topic of FDR's polio.
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* Even ''[[Family Guy]]'' thinks it's [[Too Soon]] to make a ''lamer than FDR's legs'' joke.
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* Appears several times in [[Alternate History]] works by [[Harry Turtledove]].
** In ''Worldwar'' he dies early, in 1944, due to the extra stress of having to manage a war against alien invaders and constantly being moved around the country. Henry Wallace was still his Vice President, but he had already been killed in an attack on Seattle and so Secretary of State Cordell Hull succeeded FDR as President.
** In ''Worldwar'' he dies early, in 1944, due to the extra stress of having to manage a war against alien invaders and constantly being moved around the country. Henry Wallace was still his Vice President, but he had already been killed in an attack on Seattle and so Secretary of State Cordell Hull succeeded FDR as President.
** In ''TL-191'' his analogue, known as "Franklin Roosevelt" rather than by his acronym, is the Secretary for Defence under President Charlie La Follette of the Socialist Party. As this is a less high-profile position, he is open about being disabled.
** In ''TL-191'' his analogue, known as "Franklin Roosevelt" rather than by his acronym, is the Secretary for Defence under President Charlie La Follette of the Socialist Party. As this is a less high-profile position, he is open about being disabled.

== Live-Action TV ==
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* After playing FDR on stage (see Theatre, below), Ralph Bellamy played FDR as President in the TV miniseries [[The Winds of War and War and Remembrance|''The Winds Of War'' and ''War and Remembrance'']].
⚫
* ''[[The King of Queens]]''. Doug's father-in-law is still sensitive to the topic of FDR's polio.
* A character on ''[[Seinfeld]]'' is referred to as "FDR", which is then explained to stand for "Franklin Delano Romanowski", a disgruntled hotdog vendor who lives in Jerry and Kramer's building.
* A character on ''[[Seinfeld]]'' is referred to as "FDR", which is then explained to stand for "Franklin Delano Romanowski", a disgruntled hotdog vendor who lives in Jerry and Kramer's building.
* In the ''[[All in The Family]]'' episode "Cousin Maude's Visit", Maude (who later got her [[Maude|own show]]) is shown to love Roosevelt, calling him "a saint". Archie's "secret weapon" against her is insulting FDR.
* In the ''[[All in The Family]]'' episode "Cousin Maude's Visit", Maude (who later got her [[Maude|own show]]) is shown to love Roosevelt, calling him "a saint". Archie's "secret weapon" against her is insulting FDR.

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* ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' gives him a little bit of a [[Historical Villain Upgrade]], playing off the real life controversies like the Japanese Internment and his court-packing scheme, and implies that he used a Piece of Eden to navigate the country through the Great Depression. He was also apparently one of four [[Knights Templar]] in charge of the world's major superpowers, and helped to orchestrate [[World War II]] as a way of creating a [[New World Order]]. The other three? {{spoiler|Churchill, Stalin, and ''Hitler''.}}
== Newspaper Comics ==
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* Ironically, Harold Gray was a staunchly conservative opponent of the New Deal and was not shy about using ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]'' as a political platform. (FDR and the New Deal are, of course, portrayed positively in the musical, which was written after Gray's death.)

== Theatre ==
⚫
* The play (and subsequent film) ''Sunrise at Campobello'' feature Ralph Bellamy as a young FDR, and chronicle his early struggles with polio.
⚫
* He appears in the musical ''[[Annie]]''.

== Video Games ==
⚫
* Like most other politicians (and some that aren't even politicians) of the time-period, Roosevelt is a possible (and indeed, the default) Head of State for the USA in ''[[Hearts of Iron]] 2''.
⚫
* He is also a choice for leader of America in ''[[Civilization]] 4'', along with [[George Washington]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]].
⚫
* ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' gives him a little bit of a [[Historical Villain Upgrade]], playing off the real life controversies like the Japanese Internment and his court-packing scheme, and implies that he used a Piece of Eden to navigate the country through the Great Depression. He was also apparently one of four [[Knights Templar]] in charge of the world's major superpowers, and helped to orchestrate [[World War II]] as a way of creating a [[New World Order]]. The other three? {{spoiler|Churchill, Stalin, and ''Hitler''.}}

== Web Comics ==
⚫
* It turns out that a still-living FDR is an employee at [[A Day at the Bizarro|McAwesome's Parasailing and Chocolate Bakery]] in the world of ''[[Shortpacked]]'', just as "[[Ronald Reagan|Ronnie]]" works for the nearby toy store.

== Western Animation ==
⚫
* Even ''[[Family Guy]]'' thinks it's [[Too Soon]] to make a ''lamer than FDR's legs'' joke.
* The ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' series imply that he was a son of the Big Three; Hades, Poseidon or Zeus. Its Wiki reveals that he is the son of Zeus.
* The ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]'' series imply that he was a son of the Big Three; Hades, Poseidon or Zeus. Its Wiki reveals that he is the son of Zeus.


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[[Category:The Presidents of the United States of America (politics)]]
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[[Category:Franklin D. Roosevelt]]
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