The Exit of a Gen: Things You Should Know About President Roosevelt's Death
"Good men must die, but death cannot kill their names." - A Spanish Proverb.
And so is the case with the influential leader, the 32nd President of the United States, President Roosevelt Delano Franklin. He died on April 12, 1945, at the Little White House Historic Site, Georgia, at age 63 years. How did he die? Who was with him when he died? And what was he doing, particularly before his death? This write-up will provide all the relevant details you need to know about President Roosevelt’s death. And while you get a portable charcoal grill to prepare yourself a delicious charcoal-grilled barbecue, sit back, enjoy, and let’s dive into the unique history of FDR’s death.
Born on January 30, 1882, in a large estate near Hyde Park, New York, President Roosevelt was the only child of his wealthy parents, James and Sara Delano Roosevelt. He graduated from Groton School, Harvard College, and the Columbia Law school, leaving after passing the bar exam to practice law in New York City. Roosevelt had served in many notable leadership positions before becoming the thirty-second president of the United States. He was a member of the New York Senate from the 26th district from January 1, 1911, to March 17, 1913, and he also served as the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy during world war II.
Before being the President, he served as the forty-four governor of New York City from January 1929 to December 31, 1932. Finally, he became the President of the U.S. in 1932 after serving two concurrent terms as New York City’s Governor. However, President Roosevelt faced some health challenges in his lifetime. At 39 years old, in 1921, he was diagnosed with poliomyelitis, and in 1924, he traveled to Warm Springs, Georgia, hoping to get healed by the spring’s mineral water. He eventually bought the resort, and he converted it into a rehabilitation center for polio patients. And in 1944, while President Roosevelt was preparing for his fourth term in office as the U.S. President, his health began to deteriorate substantially.
The same year, march, his doctors diagnosed his different body and heart ailments, including high blood pressure, bronchitis after he undertook a test. Many Americans weren’t aware of FDR’s deteriorating health conditions. However, rumors were out, but a few of President Roosevelt’s key command reforms quickly dispatched them. His close associates and some citizens who witnessed some public speaking saw his emaciated physical appearance, passive energy, and progressively concentration and memory’s lapses.
And by April 1945, Roosevelt had retreated to his beloved retreat destination, warm springs, Georgia. On April 12, Thursday, 1945, a clear spring day, Roosevelt sat in the living room for a portrait by the Russian-American painter, Elizabeth Shoumatoff, present with him. With whom he had resumed a long-standing extramarital affair, Lucy Mercer, his two cousins, and his pet-dog, Fala, were also with him.
During the painting at about 1:00 pm, FDR immediately complained of severe occipital pain, and he collapsed, losing consciousness. One of the women who were with him summoned a doctor who injected him an adrenaline shot after recognizing he was suffering from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. Unfortunately, about two hours later, he passed away without regaining consciousness. Upon his death, Mercer and Shoumatoff rushed out from the house, knowing FDR’s family would arrive as soon as his death news spread.
Another doctor called the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, to inform her of the President’s fainting. Eleanor told him of her intention to visit Georgia in the evening after a planned speaking engagement. However, by 3:30 pm, doctors who were in warm springs had pronounced FDR dead. After delivering her speech, Eleanor, while hearing a piano performance, was told of her husband’s death by her assistants after being summoned to the white house. The eldest child and the only daughter of FDR and Eleanor had also arrived at the white home, and the women dressed up in black as a mourning sign.
Then, Eleanor phoned their four sons in active military service, informing them of FDR’s death. The vice president to President Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, didn’t hear the President’s death news until 5:30 pm when Eleanor informed him of FDR’s death. The vice president, Harry Truman, was sworn in that same day by 7:00 pm at the Cabinet’s room inside the White House in Washington, D.C. Notwithstanding, his predecessor has just handed Truman a big task as he has to face the hard decision of progressing in the development and use of the atomic bomb, spearheaded by Roosevelt to which Harry was ignorant about until the President’s death.