Eleanor Roosevelt
by Shehroz A.

Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York. She was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, but won fame in her own right for her humanitarian work, and as a role model for women in public life.

Eleanor Roosevelt married a cousin, Franklin Roosevelt, in 1905. When her husband was ill in 1921 she began to work on his behalf, making frequent trips during his term as governor of New York, and later as President. While First Lady, she went on nation wide lecture tours, and held over 350 press conferences for women reporters only. She wrote a daily newspaper column and articles for many magazines. She was also a civil rights activist.

Roosevelt served as a United States delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945-1951. In 1946 she was elected chairman of the UN's Human Rights Commission. She helped draft the UN Declaration of Human Rights. In 1961 she returned to the General Assembly. Later in 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed her head of the Commission on the Status of Women.

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