Biography of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her relationships with body guard Earl Miller and Associated Press reporter Lorena Hickok.
Biography of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her relationships with body guard Earl Miller, which may have included a possible physical relationship, and Associated Press reporter Lorena Hickok, who corresponded 1,000's of letters with Eleanor, brought up questions about her sexual orientation.
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Eleanor Roosevelt began courting her father's fifth cousin, 20-year-old Harvard student Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in 1903. The couple got engaged in November, married on St. Patrick's Day 1905, and produced six children, five of whom survived infancy. In 1921, while vacationing in Campobello Island, New Brunswick, FDR contracted an illness that resulted in permanent paralysis of his legs. Another blow followed: FDR's affair with Eleanor's social secretary, Lucy Mercer. The marriage endured, however, and as President and First Lady, they used their influence to promote New Deal policies and advocate for civil rights.
Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Influential Women of Washington
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The wives of U.S. presidents are often important American figures in their own right. Although they have no official responsibilities, first ladies are a highly visible part of U.S. government. The role of the first lady has evolved over the centuries, from hostess of the White House to advocates for public policy.
U.S. First Ladies
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