Franklin D Roosevelt 12 Hyde Park New York Roosevelt’s birthplace and home was the town of Hyde Park in eastern New York It lies on the east side of the Hudson River 8 miles 13 kilometers north of Poughkeepsie and about 75 miles 121 kilometers north of New York City The town formed in 1821 bears the name of a local estate honoring Edward Hyde Viscount Cornbury who was governor of New York 1702 08 President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor are bur ied in Hyde Park at his family estate 290 acres 117 hectares which has been a national historic site since 1944 The adjacent Franklin D Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum contains some 44,000 books and houses Roosevelt’s papers and memorabilia as well as a collection of material on U S and New York state history Childhood and Education Young Franklin was tutored at home until he was 14 years old Nearly every year the family spent a few months in Europe In the sum mers they vacationed at Campobello a small Canadian island in the Bay of Fundy near 12
Eleven-year-old Franklin sits for a portrait with his mother Sara Delano Roosevelt 13
Franklin D Roosevelt Eastport Maine James Roosevelt took his son iceboating and tobogganing in the winter and fishing in the summer He taught the boy about trees horses and dairy cattle and how to run a farm As an only child Franklin was given close attention but he was not spoiled His par ents taught him standards of conduct that he was expected to follow without question He rarely rebelled James Roosevelt’s wealth allowed him to spend much time with his son Franklin’s mother Sara Delano Roosevelt was his real guide and teacher however She helped him with his schoolwork watched his play and saw that he ate well and slept soundly At age 10 Franklin began his lifelong interest in birds He shot them and had them stuffed for his collection While president he often went to the Hyde Park woods at dawn to watch birds and hear them sing About the same time he began another hobby that lasted nearly all his life sailing He sailed at Campobello and at home first in his father’s boats then in his own He started collecting ship models and books and pic tures about the sea and ships Still another interest was stamp collecting At his death he had a huge and valuable collection 14 14
Early Life Education and the New York Senate Right running head In 1896 Franklin entered Groton School a preparatory school in Groton Massachusetts The change from having his own tutor to being in classes with many other boys did not bother Franklin He made friends at once and wrote enthusiastic letters home about school At Groton he received good grades and was active in several sports In his last year he was manager of the baseball team The school’s headmaster Endicott Peabody an Episcopal clergyman started the boy’s think ing about public service After four years at Groton he entered Harvard University There he studied his tory economics languages and science His grades were good but not outstanding All through college he was busy with extracurric ular activities He was especially interested in the Crimson the student newspaper He was the Crimson president and editor his last year His father died when Franklin was in col lege Although his father left Franklin a good yearly income Franklin was terribly sad dened His mother died in 1941 during his third term as president In young adulthood Franklin was tall well-built slim with light brown hair blue eyes and an engaging grin 15 15
