As the funeral train carrying the casket of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt pulled into Washington’s Union Station, a reporter for
a local paper approached one mourner and asked, “Why are you
here? Did you know the President?” The man raised his moist eyes
and muttered, “No, but he knew me.” The truth of this infamous
story may never be proven, yet the fact that it seems to
crystallize is undeniable: the 32nd President of the United
States stands unrivaled in the public support and personal
sympathy he elicited from the American people. As his wife
Eleanor remarked, “I never realized the true scope of the
devotion to him until he died.” Yet Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s
roots could not have contrasted more with those of the common
men who mourned on the day of his death. The only son of an
abundantly affluent family, Franklin enjoyed all the luxuries
afforded the upper crust of American society, as well as the
intangible benefits – the power and political connections – that
such a pedigree confers. Thus, Franklin was