FDR: A Biography

870 Pages·1986·57.799 MB·English

by  Ted Morgan

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FranklinDelanoRoose'.'.:!'. J.-v.matedAmericanlifeand
didmorethananyotherpersoninthetwentiethcentury
to shape the course and destiny of this nation. Yet he
remains a controversial figure, enigmatic and elusive: to
someahero, toothersanarchvillain, aradicaltomany,
aconservativetoothers;amanofdeepconvictionsoran
opportunist greedy for power who violated the spirit of
the Constitution and whose long-standing love affairs
were sedulously kept from public attention. Now Ted
Morgan, celebrated author ofChurchill: YoungMan in a
Hurry and Maugham, draws upon a wealth of hitherto
unavailablematerial toprovideanewandoftenstartling
pictureofthisepochalfigure. Theresultingstudyisabril-
liant work ofbiographical interpretation that offers the
most fascinating and authoritative single-volume biog-
raphyeverwrittenofRooseveltthemanandPresident.
MorganintegratesthenewestfindingsaboutRoosevelt
and situates him decisively in his social, historical and
culturalmilieux. HereisthestoryofRoosevelt'spatrician
upbringing and his significant lifelong relationship with
his mother. The bookdescribesRoosevelt'syears at Har-
vard, his early political career, including his stint as
AssistantSecretaryoftheNavy, andtheseamyNewport
scandal concerning a homosexual ring which Morgan
considers may have helped trigger Roosevelt's polio.
Morgan illuminates as neverbefore the immense signifi-
cance of Roosevelt's crippling disease, from which he
emerged a deeply changed man. And he explores the
ramificationsofhisrelationshipswithhisfamily, friends,
children; with his wife, Eleanor; and with the other
women inhislife, includingLucy Mercer.
Morgan is equally incisive in his analysisofRoosevelt
the public man. Here is the account ofFDR's amazing
public comeback after his bout with polio, his years as
governor ofNew York and his tumultuous first term as
President, when he almost single-handedly inaugurated
theNew Deal and turned the country from the brinkof
disaster. Here too is the story of Roosevelt's attempt to
mn
pack the Supreme Court, his decision to for a third
term, the dramatic account ofPearl Harbor, Roosevek's
relationship with Churchill and Stalin, his involvement
m the internment of the Japanese, and his often ques-
tionable attitude toward theJews. Finally, Morganoffers
an assessment of Roosevek the war leader and o( his
responsibilityfortheplanningandcreationoftheatomic
bomb.
FDR is an epic work that combines the latest schol-
arship with the most acute historical and psychological
insight and provides a compelling anddefinitive look at
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BEL-TIB BIOGRAPHY
Bio Roosevelt
Morgan, Ted, 1932 3 1111 00938 5921
FDR a biography
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Also by Ted Morgan
ON BECOMING AMERICAN
ROWING TOWARD EDEN
CHURCHILL: YOUNG MAN IN A HURRY 1874-1915
MAUGHAM
Ted
Morgan
FDE
A
Biography
SIMON AND SCHUSTEK
New York
COPYRIGHT© 1985 BYTEDMORGAN
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10
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGINGINPUBLICATION DATA
Morgan, Ted, date.
FDR.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano),
1882-1945. 2. Presidents—United States—Biography.
I. Title.
E807.M75 1985 973.917'092'4 [B] 85-10741
ISBN: 0-671-45495-1
TMh
hook in dedicated to
Jacques de Thier
WHO, AT THE AGE OF
85,
HAS A CURIOSITY ABOUT LIFE
AND A LOVE OF SIMPLE PLEASURES
THAT FAR YOUNGER MEN MIGHT WISH FOR.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011
http://www.archive.org/details/fdrbiographyOOmorg