Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. He was the fifth cousin of former president, Theodore Roosevelt. He had a happy, sheltered childhood. During summers he would go to Europe to the seaside in New England or to Campobello Island off the coast of New Brunswick, where he developed a love for sailing. Until he was 14 he received his schooling from governesses and private tutors. He eventually went to Harvard, but did not perform that well, he showed no excitement about his studies. While at Harvard, Franklin fell in love with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, his fifth cousin once removed. Eleanor had had a trying childhood. Her mother, a beautiful socialite who gave her little affection, died when Eleanor was eight. Her father, Theodore Roosevelt's brother, was spirited and charming. But he was unstable and alcoholic, and he died when Eleanor was ten. Orphaned, she lived with her maternal grandmother and entered her teens feeling rejected, ugly, and ill at ease in society. When Franklin, a dashing Harvard man two years her senior, paid her attention, she was flattered and receptive. On March 17, 1905, the two Roosevelts were married. Her uncle Theodore Roosevelt, president of the United States, gave her away. During the next 11 years Eleanor had five children. |
