Eleanor Roosevelt & Basil O'Connor (March of Dimes archives)
Even though she never held an elected office, Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most powerful women in America. In addition to her countless duties as First Lady, she addressed the nation on the radio with March of Dimes President Basil O’Connor on countless occasions and entertained Hollywood actors and actresses at the White House, all of whom she urged to support March of Dimes.
We all know what an amazing, strong woman Eleanor Roosevelt was, but here are a few things you might not know:
- In 1933, she became the editor of a magazine titled Babies, Just Babies
- She wrote a column titled “My Day” that ran six days a week in dozens of newspapers across the county for 26 years, from 1936 to 1962
- When FDR took office in 1933, Mrs. Roosevelt began holding her own press conferences; this was completely unprecedented for a First Lady. And she insisted that only female journalists attend her press conferences in order to promote the work of women in journalism.
Want to learn more? If you happen to be traveling to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum this weekend you could attend the 2nd annual Eleanor Roosevelt “We Make Our Own History” Forums.
This is the fourth post in a series on the women of March of Dimes in honor of Women’s History Month. Thank you David Rose, March of Dimes National Archivist, for sharing this information.
