Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was an inspiration to many Americans, as she refused to simply serve as a hostess in the White House.
At her many press conferences, she spoke out about human rights, children’s causes, and women’s issues, and she worked side by side with the League of Women Voters.
In 1918, Eleanor found out that Franklin was having an affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer.
This was by far one of the most traumatic events that happened in her life, as she later told Joseph Lash, her friend, and biographer.
Franklin was very mindful of his political career and he feared the loss of his mother’s financial support, so he refused Eleanor’s offer of a divorce and agreed to stop seeing Mercer.
