No one could have imagined when Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady how much she would transform the role. Instead of easing into a ceremonial role, she rewrote the script altogether on what it means to be a First Lady, particularly during one of the bleakest periods in recent history. While World War II raged across the globe, Eleanor rose to the occasion, not merely as a president’s wife, but as a full-fledged leader.
From the start, Eleanor signaled that she was not going to be satisfied with being a mere figurehead. Once Franklin D. Roosevelt assumed the presidency in 1933, she famously declared she’d be “just plain, ordinary Mrs. Roosevelt.” She couldn’t sit idly by, however, as the nation struggled with the Great Depression and eventually World War. Duty drew her in, and she soon became an influential force for reform. She took daily press conferences—something no First Lady had ever done—and required that only female reporters attend, providing women in the press with a welcome and unusual chance. Her syndicated column, My Day, went out to millions, and it provided a peek at her world, her mind, and her indefatigable efforts.
When war erupted, Eleanor’s hectic calendar went into hyperdrive. She volunteered as Assistant Director of Civilian Defense, coordinating volunteers and calling on Americans to do their part, however they could. In her column and via radio broadcasts, she implored citizens to remain calm and attentive. She appealed to women and youth in particular, knowing the war had to be won by all pitching in.
But her activism went beyond speeches and public appearances. Eleanor was in motion all the time. She made approximately 40,000 miles of travel per year—an unbelievable pace—to military bases, New Deal construction projects, hospitals, and factories. She wanted to see things firsthand, hear from people directly, and then apply what she had learned to Washington in order to shape policy. This wasn’t publicity; it was foundation-building.
One of her most significant war efforts was made in 1942 when she ventured to Britain during the war. She did not care about the risks involved and just needed to know how the British were coping with the bombing by the Germans and how the American forces were faring abroad. Her code name was “Rover,” and she was busy every day, waking up before 8 a.m. and not resting until past midnight. She traveled to military bases, hospitals, and depots, and went out of her way to speak with hundreds of injured soldiers. Several later commented that she’d promised to personally write to their families when she got home. What impressed her most was that the war had leveled the social order in Britain, uniting people on class lines.
The following year, she went even further on a more ambitious assignment—a five-week, 25,000-mile flight over the Pacific. Departing from California, she flew on a military plane carrying mail and supplies and made her way to visit American troops stationed throughout the area. Her destinations were Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and Guadalcanal, where hostilities remained ongoing. For the initial ten days, her flight was not publicized due to security reasons.
When she arrived on Christmas Island, even the troops were shocked—nobody anticipated the First Lady to make an appearance in a combat zone. She worked tirelessly, checking out everything from temporary dental clinics in the Australian bush to jungle warfare training maneuvers. She breakfasted with soldiers at dawn, bedded down in military cots, rode around in jeeps, and trudged long distances through hospitals to speak face-to-face with the injured. She didn’t care about photo ops—she cared about what they were experiencing.
During these travels, Eleanor brought the public along via My Day. She didn’t gloss over what she saw. She told it straight about the pain of the young men she encountered, the psychological cost, and the tremendous sacrifice being made. Her presence helped morale wherever she was. Admiral William Halsey, who had initially protested her visit as a safety concern, eventually acknowledged she had done more good than any civilian organization or official who had passed through the area.
Not everyone, of course, was a fan of her method. Some believed she was being presumptuous, particularly by traveling to active combat areas. When the news of her journey through the Pacific came out, there was a flurry of headlines and arguments. But instead of avoiding the limelight, Eleanor exploited it to help enlighten people, to encourage more support for soldiers, and to criticize problems on the home front, such as labor strikes that would paralyze wartime production. She kept Americans focused on what was at stake and didn’t pull punches.
Perhaps the most enduring legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt’s war effort was its influence in changing her perspective on peace. She knew if the world was going to learn from past errors, it would require something beyond treaties—it would require a dedication to human rights and equity on the planet. That conviction lingered with her years after the war. When Franklin passed away in 1945, President Harry Truman named her to the first U.S. delegation to the United Nations. She was a major contributor to the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—work she regarded as among the most significant of her lifetime.
In hindsight, it’s obvious that Eleanor Roosevelt was more than a supportive wife amidst a worldwide war. She was a pioneer who exercised her power to travel, lobby, console, and command. Her efforts during World War II redefined the public conception of what a First Lady should be. She didn’t merely observe history take place—she marched directly into it, rolled up her sleeves, and commenced labor.