Franklin D. Roosevelt
1882–1945 · American (Hyde Park, New York) · Great Depression / World War II
Known for: Only US president elected four times—led America through the Depression and WWII from a wheelchair
FDR was born into wealth, stricken by polio at 39 (paralyzed from the waist down), and became the most consequential president of the 20th century. His New Deal programs (Social Security, SEC, FDIC, WPA) rebuilt America during the Great Depression, and he led the Allied victory in World War II.
He governed from a wheelchair that the press agreed never to photograph. He served four terms (the only president to do so—the 22nd Amendment was passed to prevent it happening again). He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in April 1945, weeks before Germany's surrender.
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