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44th Governor of New York | |
| Predecessor | Al Smith |
| Successor | Thomas E. Dewey |
| Lieutenant Governor | Herbert H. Lehman |
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Assistant Secretary of the Navy | |
| Predecessor | Beekman Winthrop |
| Successor | Gordon Woodbury |
| President | Woodrow Wilson |
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Member of the New York State Senate
from the 26th district | |
| Predecessor | John F. Schlosser |
| Successor | James E. Towner |
| Born | January 30, 1882 Hyde Park, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 9, 1947 Hyde Park, New York, U.S. |
| Spouse | Eleanor Roosevelt (m. 1905) |
| Political Party | Democratic |
| Religion | Protestant Christianity |
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 - October 9, 1947) was an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of New York from 1929 until 1942. Prior to serving as Governor of New York, Roosevelt had served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson and as a member of the New York state senate from 1911 to 1913. Roosevelt was also a candidate for President in 1932 as well as the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee in the 1920 election. Serving a total of 6 terms, Roosevelt remains the longest serving Governor of the state of New York.
Governor of New York[]
1928 Election and First two terms[]
Roosevelt would be elected as governor of New York in the 1928 election, defeating Republican Albert Ottinger in a very close election. Roosevelt would win with 48.96% of the popular vote to Ottinger's 48.34% of the popular vote. Roosevelt's campaign largely relied on his name recognition, being related to Theodore Roosevelt, as well as funding from Tammany Hall. Roosevelt would be inaugurated as governor on January 1st, 1929, in Albany, New York.
Roosevelt came into the power campaigning broadly as a reform democrat, decrying Tammany Hall and the cronies of his predecessor, Al Smith. Despite branding himself as a reform Democrat, Roosevelt had not laid-out plains or concrete ideas to implement reforms.
During his first term as Governor, Roosevelt would be an advocate for hydroelectric energy. This would ultimately result in hydroelectricity projects being developed on the New York portion of the St. Lawrence River. Following the market crash in 1929, Roosevelt would implement a statewide relief system to administer grants for smaller businesses negatively impacted by the depression. This relief system would act as the framework for later government programs that would be pursued by Roosevelt throughout the 1930s. Even as the Hoover administration remained hostile to social security, the New York state legislature under Roosevelt would pass an old age security bill in 1931. Roosevelt would also attempt to improve infrastructure, completing the Port of Albany in 1930 which linked the city to commerce on the Hudson.
Roosevelt signing the Old Age Security Reform Bill of 1935 into law (June 8th, 1935)
1932 Gubernatorial Election + third and fourth terms[]
Following an unsuccessful run for President, Roosevelt would once again turn his attention to New York politics and run again for a third term which he would win in 1932. Roosevelt would win the 1932 gubernatorial election, defeating Republican Robert Moses and then subsequently firing Moses from his position as urban planner.
Upon being inaugurated for a third term Roosevelt would take a more hostile approach to Tammany Hall, taking initiatives in early 1934 to attempt to reform campaign finance which would directly threaten the structure of Tammany Hall. However, these efforts would be shot down by the legislature which was still largely financed by Tammany Hall. Even as Roosevelt was unable to usher in campaign finance reform, he would still be able to strengthen reforms made in his previous terms. Roosevelt would dub these collective reforms he made in New York State as the "New Deal" in 1935. As part of the New Deal, Roosevelt would expand benefits offered in the previously passed old age security bill through increasing dividends offered in the bill, renovating the Brooklyn Bridge in 1935, increasing grants offered to colleges and universities, and increasing grants given to banks and businesses. Even though the New Deal was broadly popular among New Yorkers, it would draw criticism from conservatives who felt it was too financially wasteful and ineffective. It would also draw criticism from progressives and African American advocates who observed that the programs were often exclusionary towards black New Yorkers.
Roosevelt for Governor re-election campaign poster (1936)
1936 Gubernatorial Election + Final two terms[]
Going into the 1936 election, Roosevelt would face many obstacles going into the re-election campaign. One of them was the hostility of Tammany Hall, which had turned against Roosevelt in his third term following his denunciation of the organization and of President Al Smith. Another obstacle was the Republican party gaining seats in the last legislative election, leading many political scientists and analysts to speculate of a Republican victory in 1936. Despite being at a disadvantage, Roosevelt would win re-election with 53% of the vote to Republican William F. Bleakley's 47% of the vote. Roosevelt campaigned in 1936 on amending the New York State constitution, which he considered to be the most important aspect of the New Deal.
The biggest accomplishment of Roosevelt's final years in office was the drafting of the 1938 New York State Constitution. One of Roosevelt's children, Elliot Roosevelt, would serve as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. The convention would largely be considered a victory for Roosevelt, with some provisions included being the state legislature being authorized to fund a permanent social security program, the Governor term being extended from 2 years to 4 years, New York City being excluded from debt limits, and permission for the State Legislature to fund transportation to parochial schools.
Because of the amendment, Roosevelt would be elected to a four-year term in 1938 and would officially leave office on December 31st, 1942.
Franklin Roosevelt Hall at Fordham University is named after the former governor
Death and Legacy[]
Franklin Roosevelt would suffer with polio throughout his life. From 1943 onwards, Roosevelt's polio would grow worse. By 1945, Roosevelt was completely immobilized and would pass away in his home in Hyde Park, New York on October 9th, 1947. He was 65 years old.
Roosevelt remains the longest continuously serving governor of New York State and remains continuously ranked as one of the best governors of New York state. Due to his popularity, several buildings and locations are named after Franklin Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt's son, Elliot Roosevelt, would become an accomplished politician and served as President of the United States.
See also:[]
Sources Cited[]
- “Governorship of Franklin D. Roosevelt.” Wikipedia, 8 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governorship_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.
- “Governorship of Franklin D. Roosevelt - Infogalactic: The Planetary Knowledge Core.” Infogalactic.com, infogalactic.com/info/Governorship_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt. Accessed 11 Jan. 2022.
- “Franklin Delano Roosevelt.” National Governors Association, www.nga.org/governor/franklin-delano-roosevelt/.
- Wikipedia Contributors. “Tammany Hall.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammany_Hall.
- “FDR Biography - FDR Presidential Library & Museum.” Fdrlibrary.org, 2016, www.fdrlibrary.org/fdr-biography.
- “Constitution of New York.” Wikipedia, 11 Dec. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_New_York#Constitutional_Convention_of_1938. Accessed 13 Jan. 2022.