| Interment Location | Visited | Sequence in Graves I Have Visited |
|---|---|---|
| Hyde Park, NY | August 16, 2004 | 12th President visited |
Following his death in spring 1945, the New York Times editorial board wrote of the 32nd president of the United States, “Men will thank God on their knees a hundred years from now that Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House.” Elected commander-in-chief twice as many times as any other person, Roosevelt profoundly impacted Americans as he guided them through the economic devastation of the Great Depression and then the Second World War. Roosevelt was and remains immensely popular, but not universally beloved — he was criticized by small government conservatives who loathed his unprecedentedly-expansive domestic agenda, the New Deal, components of which some labeled “socialist” and “fascist.” His 1942 executive order that facilitated the relocation of 126,000 Japanese Americans to interment camps has been frequently assailed. All things taken into consideration, though, FDR has consistently been ranked along with Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as one of the greatest presidents in history.
The ailing president was at his noted retreat in Warms Springs, Georgia, on April 12, 1945 when he departed this world. His flag-draped casket departed the local train station the following day. Throngs of mourners gathered. One of the politician’s acquaintances, Chief Petty Officer Graham Jackson, was photographed weeping as he played the song “Goin’ Home” on an accordion. After several stops — including in Washington, D.C., for ceremonies at the White House — Roosevelt indeed made it home. As was his wish, his eternal earthen bed was made in the rose garden between his presidential library and his birthplace, Springwood, in Hyde Park, New York.
FDR’s partner in life and Washington was his wife of four decades, Eleanor Roosevelt. Though their marriage was strained by Franklin’s infidelity, they made for an effective political team during their twelve years in the White House. Mrs. Roosevelt traveled far and wide to visit Americans impacted by the Great Depression and pushed the president to support liberal causes she believed would alleviate their economic and social hardships. Not unlike her husband in his role as president, Eleanor Roosevelt is generally regarded as one of the best first ladies — if not the greatest of them all. She is buried beside FDR in the Springwood rose garden. Their names and lifespans are chiseled into the Vermont marble monument there.
Fast Facts
Born: January 30, 1882 in Hyde Park, New York
Spouse: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (m. 1905-1945)
Political Affiliation: Democratic Party
Gubernatorial Tenure: 1929-1933
Presidential Tenure: 1933-1945
Vice Presidents: John Nance Garner (1933-1941); Henry Wallace (1941-1945); Harry S. Truman (1945)
Died: April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia
Cause of Death: Cerebral Hemorrhage
Age: 63
Last Words: “I have a terrific headache.”
Interment: Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, Hyde Park, New York
"To you, the people of this country, all of us, the members of the Congress and the members of this Administration owe a profound debt of gratitude. Throughout the depression you have been patient. You have granted us wide powers, you have encouraged us with a wide-spread approval of our purposes. Every ounce of strength and every resource at our command we have devoted to the end of justifying your confidence. We are encouraged to believe that a wise and sensible beginning has been made. In the present spirit of mutual confidence and mutual encouragement we go forward."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
May 7, 1933 in his second fireside chat radio broadcast, in which he explained his New Deal plan
This house at 39 Walnut Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, was the residence of Franklin Roosevelt’s maternal grandparents, Catherine and Warren Delano. It was built in 1832 and remained in Delano family hands until it was sold at auction in 1942. Among the more notable visits by FDR came at Thanksgiving 1903, when he informed his mother, Sara, of his engagement to cousin Eleanor. Franklin visited the house for the final time on October 21, 1936, shortly before he was elected to a second term as president. A sign at the entrance denotes it as the Delano Homestead Bed & Breakfast, which it has operated as since 2003.
Sources Consulted and Further Reading
Deion, Kurt (@kdgravehunter). “75 years ago today, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died.” Instagram, April 12, 2020. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4arM-ATgS/.
Fairhaven Office of Tourism. “Capt. Warren Delano House.” Accessed January 27, 2023. https://fairhaventours.com/capt-warren-delano-house/.
Fdrlibrary. “More than a Moment for the Nation: The Presidential Funeral of FDR.” Forward with Roosevelt (blog). National Archives. April 15, 2020. https://fdr.blogs.archives.gov/2020/04/15/more-than-a-moment-for-the-nation-the-presidential-funeral-of-fdr/.
Lamb, Brian and the staff of C-SPAN. Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb? A Tour of Presidential Gravesites. Rev. ed. New York: PublicAffairs, 2003.
Picone, Louis L. The President is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond. Rev. ed. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2020.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. “Second Fireside Chat,” May 7, 1933. Transcript. From UC Santa Barbara, The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/second-fireside-chat.
Woolner, David B. “’Crushed by the Burdens of War’: The Death and Legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt.” In Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in American Culture, edited by Lindsay M. Chervinsky and Matthew R. Costello, 196-221. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2023.
Zeitz, Joshua. “Democrats Aren’t Moving Left. They’re Returning to Their Roots.” Politico. November 4, 2018. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/11/04/elections-2018-democrats-history-liberal-progressive-socialist-222187/.
