FDR Through an Unclouded Lens

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the preeminent American political figure of this century. Uniquely distinguished by being elected president four times, he steered the nation through the Great Depression and to victory over the Axis powers in World War II. Deeply loved as well as noisily despised in his lifetime, Roosevelt is now ranked by historians as among the greatest of presidents. Next Friday will see the dedication in Washington of the FDR Memorial, first authorized by Congress more than 40 years ago. The 7.5-acre site will include two sculptures of Roosevelt, one a bas-relief, the other an oversized bronze statue. At some future point it’s now likely that a third will be added, this one depicting the 32nd president in the wheelchair he was confined to for the last 24 years of his life.

Roosevelt was stricken by polio in 1921, at the age of 39. The question of whether to explicitly note his disability is one of many controversies that have attended the development of the memorial. Throughout his remaining public life, FDR made great efforts not to call attention to his condition. Part of that had to do with the prejudices of the time. Part had to do with Roosevelt’s steely determination to overcome his handicap.

Only two pictures of FDR in a wheelchair are known to exist, and even at his death many Americans were unaware of his paralysis or no longer gave it any thought. Yet Roosevelt, who served 12 years as president and traveled extensively at home and abroad, was probably the most photographed man in the world. That was the pre-television age, and when Americans saw their president in still photos or newsreels they almost always saw him sitting behind his desk or in a car, or standing, with his leg braces locked, behind a lectern or on the platform of a train. FDR did not want to encourage the sympathy of the well-meaning or the scorn of the callous.

President Clinton has now asked Congress to approve an additional FDR Memorial statue, one showing him in a wheelchair, something that advocacy groups for the disabled have long called for. It would be a fitting tribute to Roosevelt as he really was. And it would be a reminder of how one very determined person triumphed over adversity, and so provided an enduring inspiration for so many others.