Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt overcame many hardships throughout her life. Considered homely, Roosevelt grew up at the end of the Victorian era in an aristocratic family, where, as far as women were concerned, looks mattered more than intelligence. She lost both of her parents before she was 10 years old. At age 19, Roosevelt married her fifth cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and they had six children. From this profile emerged a woman who captured the attention of the American public, and eventually of the world, as she became a journalist, first lady, diplomat, and social activist. When Franklin was elected president, she created a new role for the first lady, advocating an array of causes. She fought personal battles against depression and anorexia even as she fought public ones for the rights of African Americans, women, and immigrants. Read about one of America's most notable women in Eleanor Roosevelt.