Interview With Theodore Roosevelt

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I have recently found a lost interview between Franklin D Roosevelt and Lowell Mellett, an Executive Director of the National Emergency Council. The interview describes in full detail Roosevelt’s personal life and his political life. What made you decide to become a part of politics in the United States? I grew up in a wealthy family, about fifty miles north of New York City. Many of my family members have been either served in war or politics. Theodore Roosevelt, my 5th cousin, was the 26th president. His vigorous leadership and zeal made him my role model. We were a very wealthy family, and my parents were Sara and James Roosevelt. They both taught me a variety of skills and lessons. My mother was protective and dedicated to making me…show more content…
I loved her immensely and went against my mother’s disapproval of the marriage. Eleanor was hard to get along with because she was socially awkward and did not talk very much. She was the light of my life, however, and I loved her. Eleanor’s parents had passed when she was ten, and her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt, stood up for her deceased father in our wedding. We had six children in all. What was your political career before you became the president of the United States? I left the law firm because I never truly enjoyed law. I was persuaded by fellow democrats to run for political office. I ran for the New York State Senate and won by over 1,000 votes. What truly helped me win over some of the Republicans during this election was that I went against Tammany Hall. They would help me get elected, but then they would control how I was supposed to govern. This gave me experience in political tactics. One of the jobs I enjoyed the most was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and somehow I managed to not witness a single union strike during my seven year plus years in the Navy department. My wish was to fight myself in a uniform, but the armistice took place before I could be shipped over…show more content…
I only did this because Alfred Smith, who was running against my cousin Theodore Roosevelt Jr. in the presidential race, asked me to. I gave nominating speeches for Smith at the 1924-1928 Democratic conventions. I was reelected two years later also. Tell us about some of your cabinet members that had the most influence on your presidential career. I appointed Frances Perkins as the Department of Labor because she had helped New York reform so well. There was a high rate of pressure not to fail because she was the first woman to hold a cabinet position in the United States, but Frances was very promising. I trusted all of the decisions threw at me. Another cabinet member that had a great influence during my presidency was Henry Morgenthau Jr. He played a major role in designing and financing the New Deal, and in preventing Germany from being a military power after the Allied victory that was influential of WWII. One more major cabinet member was Secretary of State Cordell Hull. He had received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his major role in establishing the United Nations. I referred to him as the Father of the United

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