Eleanor Roosevelt was nearly forty before she had a life, and place of her own.
FDR, Eleanor and Polio
The marriage between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, fifth cousins by birth, had never been a joyful one. Their personalities were poles apart, and while they truly cared for each other and recognized and appreciated the others’ strengths, the young Mrs. Roosevelt was never comfortable – or happy – with motherhood and matronly engagement in the social scene of the New York well-do-do. Her volunteer work helping new immigrants and World War I soldiers was far more satisfying.
Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin’s overbearing mother, was another cross to bear. Eleanor, still in her twenties, did not have the self-confidence to wrest control of her life (or…
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