Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership
Eleanor Roosevelt: Ordinariness and Extrordinariness
Adriana Gonzalez
Major Milestones in Eleanor’s life
1918: Eleanor discovers
1884: Eleanor is born.
“Yet Eleanor had a
singularly unhappy
childhood, one that
would have left any child
scarred, if not
permanently disabled”
(Gardner 185).
1905: Eleanor
marries her distant
cousin Franklin
Delano Roosevelt
Franklin having a romantic
affair with Lucy Mercer.
Marriage of convenience>>
“Eleanor determined that
she would have to gain
sustenance from other
relationships and activities”
(Gardner 188).
1921: Franklin
contracts polio.
“Eleanor threw herself
into Franklin’s
rehabilitation with
enormous energy”
(Gardner 189).
1899-1902: Eleanor attends
1917: America enters WWI and
1932: Franklin becomes
Allenwood School in London,
with headmistress and role
model Mlle. Marie Souvreste:
“Whatever I have become since
had its seed in those three
years of contact with a liberal
mind and strong personality”
(Gardner 186).
Eleanor gets involved by working
with the Red Cross and several
aspects of the Navy for carerelated relief. “Perhaps this
burgeoning self-confidence, while
emerging a bit late, presaged the
capacity to challenge that marks
leaders” (Gardner 188)
President of the U.S., making
Eleanor the first lady and casting
her into the limelight she so
often tried to avoid. “She sought
to avoid the secret service and
even undertook risky travel
routes in an effort to preserve a
modicum of privacy and
autonomy
Eleanor: A Monument to Leadership
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Pioneer for women’s rights and representation
Immediately became involved in social service during the Progressive Era in Washington
Worked hand in hand with other leaders in an attempt to learn from and influence them
(especially political and some military leaders)
Stands up to challenge those in power (starting with her mother-in-law and never stopping from
there)
Her one true passion was her work and what she could do for others by establishing justice
Helped most those who cannot help themselves (impoverished, homeless, African Americans,
women)
Ability to think outside of the ideas she was raised within (able to empathize, despite her high
status and relative lack of need)
Remains independent, but also wary of the public eye and respectful of her husband’s need to be
seen (becoming her need to be seen)
She broke free from her own chains. However, her problems were downplayed and labeled as
unspeakables
Human (fallible), humane (merciful), humble (stepped out of the limelight), and hopeful (never
giving up, always fighting for the underdog)
Expanded her influence and passions to include world issues (breadth beyond her community and
country)
Constantly changing and adapting to the imperatives of the time as well as the needs of her family
and followers
Similarities between Eleanor Roosevelt
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Attained leadership while lacking formal
authority
Embodied the stories and causes which
they found interest in; arrived at
conclusions by reflecting on personal life
experiences (Gardner, 185).
Invented and reinvented their roles with
few or no previous examples to learn from
Both had unprecedented access to media,
and were therefore able to establish
themselves as public voices on a variety of
issues (Gardner 193).
Standing up in the face of criticism earned
them widespread respect, even from their
opponents
Consider their actions to affect more than
their own lives. They do their work and
live their lives for others as well as
themselves. Roosevelt, maybe even more
so, as she was less a member of the
marginalized groups she sought to help
“In the end, both figures
aroused strong reactionsnegative as well as positive.
Not only were they
provided sharp and
challenging visions of
personal and group
identity; more
provocatively, they were
suggesting that neglected
groups actually had
identities, ones that all
citizens needed to respect”
(Gardner, 185).
Differences between Roosevelt and King
“At age 21, Eleanor would scarcely have
bothered to ponder the questions of who
she was and which group she belonged to.
Such questions tend to arise most
insistently for individuals who feel
themselves marginal, distinctly outside of
the comfortable mainstream. But
Eleanor, both as a single person and as
the new wife of Franklin, was about as
much a part of the Establishment as one
could get” (Gardner 187).
King was strongly
rooted and supported
in the Church, whereas
Roosevelt was less
associated with any
organization in
particular, providing, in
essence, her own
support (Gardner 200).
King was very comfortable in
the public eye, and his
speech-making abilities were
almost inherent. Roosevelt
did not like the limelight and
preferred to work from the
perimeters, but also realized
the importance of making
yourself known and putting a
face and strong words to
your causes.
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Roosevelt reluctantly learned to confront
those in power and notes, “To many
women, and I am one of them, it is
difficult to care enough [about an issue]
to cause disagreement or unpleasant
feelings, but I have come to the
conclusion that it must be done for a
time so we can prove our strength and
demand respect for our wishes”
(Gardner 190). This is different from
Martin Luther King Jr.’s integration
movement in that it was not difficult for
African Americans to care enough about
their cause to cause trouble- it was a
matter of their every day livelihood and
well-being and was detrimental to them
in hurtful and hateful ways, undoubtedly
breeding resentment and a strong call for
action