Adolecent years

His Parents
Franklin and his Father

The Roosevelt family was New York based and involved in commerce, banking, and insurance, shipbuilding and seafaring, urban real estate and landholding. Although a lawyer by training, James Roosevelt’s interest’s were in business where he was a respected figure in the field of finance, transportation (railroad), and philanthropy.

James was born in 1828 and died on December 8, 1900 in New York City at the age of 72.

The Delano’s were a New England seafaring and mercantile family. FDR’s maternal grandfather, Warren Delano II, was in the China trade in which he made and lost several fortunes.

Sara Delano Roosevelt was born in 1854 and died on September 7, 1941 at the family home “Springwood” in Hyde Park, new York at the age of 87.

Education

Franklin was the only child of James Roosevelt and his second wife, Sara Delano. Franklin had an older half brother, James Roosevelt Roosevelt (1854-1927), born to his father and his first wife, Rebecca Howland, who died in 1876.

In September 1896, at the age of 14, Franklin entered Groton School, a small boarding school in Massachusetts which prepared sons of wealthy and prominent families for college. Before entering Groton, Franklin had a series of governess and tutors.

At Groton School, Franklin played football and served as manager of the baseball team and at Harvard he participated in crew. He also enjoyed other things like:

Sailing
Fishing
Playing Golf
Tennis
Going Off on Hunting Trips
Going on Cruises
Playing Poker

He was a “birder” all his life and even his disability and the burdens of the presidency did not prevent active pursuit of this hobby.

In the autumn of 1907 Franklin became an apprentice lawyer with the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard and Milburn. It was typical arrangement at the time-no salary the first year and then a small on to start.

FDR was elected New York State Senator from Dutchess, Columbia and Putnam countries in 1910 and re-elected for a second term in 1912. He served only a few months of the second term before President Woodrow Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1913.