Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (; October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She served as the First Lady of the United States from March 1933 to April 1945 during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest serving First Lady of the United States. Roosevelt served as United States Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly from 1945 to 1952. President Harry S. Truman later called her the "First Lady of the World" in tribute to her human rights achievements. Roosevelt was a member of
First and second terms of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt 1939, the percentage of female government employees increased from 14.3 percent to 18.8 percent, and women made up nearly half of the workforce of the WPA. Roosevelt appointed more women to office than any previous president, headed by the first woman to the cabinet, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. Roosevelt also appointed Florence Ellinwood Allen to the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, making her the first judge to serve on an Article III federal court. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt played a highly visible role in support of relief programs, and in 1941 Eleanor became co-head of the Office