A Sit Down with the First Lady of the World

An interview with Eleanor Roosevelt by: Hannah Fernandez

Hannah- Good afternoon, she was known as “The First Lady of the World”, and I have the pleasure to sit down with her. Ms. Roosevelt, thank you for taking the time to sit down with me.

E. Roosevelt- It’s my pleasure.

Hannah- How has being married to Franklin D. Roosevelt helped you to become more involved in politics?

E. Roosevelt- Since he was struck with poliomyelitis, I have become his eyes and ears, and his tireless reporter. It allowed me to become part of the women’s division of the State Democratic Committee, and to go on “tours” around the country.

Hannah- You mentioned the “tours”, what were you doing exactly on these “tours”?

E. Roosevelt- Well, I was giving my opinion. Since I am the first lady, I wanted to be involved, and not just the stay at home wife. I was giving press conferences, lectures, doing radio broadcast, and I let my opinions know to the rest of America thro “My Day”, a daily newspaper column.

Hannah- Wow that is an amazing way to spend your life. When you were first married to FDR how was your life compared to now?

E. Roosevelt- It was a fairly quite life; I of course had my kids. Six of them to be exact. “I suppose I was fitting pretty well into the pattern of a fairly conventional, quiet, young society matron.”

Hannah- As many of us know, you have become very dedicated to the struggle of Human Rights. What made you decide to work so actively with that cause?

E. Roosevelt- I have chosen this to be my dedication because, it’s what we need to be worried about. If we can’t take care of our own nation, how do you expect us to be able to take care of other nations’ issues?

Hannah- When and why did you decide to talk about this to the public?

E. Roosevelt- I have chosen to discuss it in the early days of the General Assembly in Paris, France, because the issue of human liberty is decisive for the settlement of outstanding political differences and for the future of the United Nations.

Hannah- How did you feel about not being a scholar or an expert on international law help you push forward with the work you were doing for the UN?

E. Roosevelt- I didn’t let it stop me, I simply stayed enthusiastic, and I let my faith lead me, so, I could stay rooted in my humanitarian work. I often sad that “I was out of place among so many academics and jurists.”

Hannah – Many people see the things that you do for people all over the world, what do you think you biggest accomplishment is?

E. Roosevelt- "As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along."

Hannah- It has been my pleasure, and I’m sure that I will be seeing you soon.

E. Roosevelt- The pleasure is all mine, and I know I’ll be seeing you too.