During her time as First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt traveled the country gathering information for her husband on economic conditions and the impact of New Deal legislation.
During these trips, she asked people to write to her, telling her about their life.
She repeated this request on the radio and later, in her daily newspaper column.
And the people responded, sending Mrs. Roosevelt more than 300,000 letters each year while she was in the White House and hundreds of thousands more after she left.
Some letter writers viewed Mrs. Roosevelt with kind admiration.
Others disliked her, finding her progressive activism outside the bounds of propriety.
Here’s a sampling:
January 3, 1933
Dear Madam:
I am a great admirer of your distinguished husband and have the utmost respect for his talented wife.
But who the hell picks those terrible hats for you?
Permit me to suggest you appoint your pretty young daughter to select your hats hereafter.
You owe it to your ‘public’ to appear properly dressed.
Sincerely,
A Married Man
*****
January 21, 1933
Madam:
Do you think your advocacy of drunkenness for young girls will reduce debauchery?
I have four young daughters and though I voted for your husband, I am ashamed of you.
I have to apologize for you to them.
If your husband doesn’t muzzle you he will be impeached before the close of his first year in the white house.
You are not required under the constitution to make speeches with the idea of gaining notoriety.
As a thinker you are a flop.
Please be quiet like a good woman.
Yours,
Mrs. E.L. Couture
Arlee, Montana
*****
An anonymous letter dated July 30, 1940:
Eleanor Roosevelt – You are nothing but a SCAB SOAP PEDDLER.
Why don’t you use some of this soap to scrub those BUCK TEETH of yours and maybe you could talk plainer --
Why did not that syphilitic old man of yours have GUTS to come out and say that he would or would not RUN?
No he thought he would put up the SCAB SOAP peddler and make her a target to get the NOMINATION --
Why don’t you go jump into the bay and let the young people get some work, when we all know that, the old cripple is worth millions, and you get up and do not share the program with anyone --
Besides what do you say that amounts to anything?
A three year old child could give as much information --
What do the young people or others care about whom you saw?
All of the ELITE make fun of you and call you the “CARPET BAG traveler --
HA HA --
Make more of us give you the laugh --
YOU OLD BUCK TOOTH SCAB --
HA HA
*****
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt,
My name is A.S.
I am 12 years old.
I go to the Allen School and I am in the sixth grade.
My sister D. is 11 years old.
She and I both love to listen to radio but we have none.
The only time we have a chance is when we go to our aunts.
And if you would send me some kind of one I would be very happy.
I know where I can get one for $14.00 but I have no money.
The best program I like is the gang busters.
And Eddie Cantor.
Yours truly,
A.S.
Kansas City, Mo.
P.S.
Please do not put me in jail.
******************************
I’ll see you tomorrow.
— Brenda
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