Roosevelt, Eleanor (1884–1962)

After marrying Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1905, Eleanor involved herself in her husband’s career. While he was president, she transformed the role of the First Lady by writing opinion columns, traveling across the country, and giving press conferences on important issues. Her tireless advocacy of human rights, including many minority and socioeconomic issues, made her an important humanitarian leader and a key ally of the civil rights movement. She served as the first chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights and later served on the Kennedy administration’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.