Eleanor's Marriage to FDR
Eleanor spent the early years of her marriage adjusting to life as a wife and mother. She wrote, "For ten years, I was always just getting over having a baby or about to have one, and so my occupations were considerably restricted during this time." She gave birth to her first child, Anna Eleanor, on May 3, 1906. She had another child, James, on December 23, 1907. A second son, Franklin Jr., was born on March 18, 1909. Nurses were employed to look after the children as Eleanor split her time between Hyde Park and New York City. In November, Eleanor was notified that Franklin Jr. was ill with the flu. She returned to Hyde Park with a doctor from New York City, and moved the baby down to the city after a few days. However, he died on November 8, less than eight months after he was born. His death greatly affected Eleanor, for she blamed herself for not spending enough time with him. Eleanor went on to have another son, Elliot, on September 23, 1910.
In 1911, Dutchess County elected FDR to the New York State Senate, and became the first Democrat to win in thirty-two years. Eleanor and FDR rented their house in New York City and moved to Albany. It was there that Eleanor first became interested in politics and public service.
During the 1910s and the 1920s, Eleanor began a more active social and political role in society. In the early 1910s, she began to appear locally in her husband's place. During this time Eleanor and FDR wrote to each other often, strengthening their relationship. In 1913, Eleanor hired Lucy Mercer, an extremely sociable and attractive woman, as her social secretary due to her rising duties as a public figure.
Eleanor spent the summer of 1913 at Campobello with her family and her mother-in-law. That autumn, Eleanor and FDR moved to Washington, D.C. Their family grew as Eleanor gave birth to the second Franklin, Jr. on August 17, 1914, and to John on March 17, 1916.
In 1917, Eleanor and FDR reached a crossroads as a couple. Their social interests began to shift and Eleanor did not approve of the people with whom FDR was spending time. FDR also began spending less time with the family in Campobello during the summers. In 1918, Eleanor found out that FDR was having an affair with Lucy Mercer. Eleanor and FDR decided to mend their differences, move past the affair, and continue their relationship as a public and political marriage. After Eleanor learned of the affair, she began making frequent trips with her children and her mother-in-law to Val-Kill in Hyde Park.
