After getting polio Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted to hide his ailment from the public's view. He didn't want to worsen the already low moral of the public by showing that their leader in this hard time was injured himself, so Roosevelt took many precautions to hide his disease.
 |
| Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Secret Train |
One of the ways he hid his handicap was by having a train built to run under New York City. Although the White House demanded that this train be built, the Federal Government did not pay for it. Instead this responsibility fell to the Grand Central management. This train would allow FDR entry into the city without having to be seen in his wheelchair. The train ended under the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was built specially with big doors that were wide enough to fit Roosevelt's limo inside. Upon arriving in the station Roosevelt would get in the limo and then be driven into a specially built elevator that emerged onto the ballroom. This way, the general public knew little about the true nature of his physical condition.
 |
| The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Exterior |
The train remained in operation until Roosevelt's death in 1945.
Today the original train remains under the Waldorf-Astoria, and will remain there until the Franklin Delano Roosevelt museum can raise enough money to have it moved.
Sources:
- http://gothamist.com/2011/11/07/photos.php#photo-3
- http://www.cnet.com/pictures/grand-central-terminals-best-kept-secrets-photos/5/
- http://www.forbes.com/pictures/efel45eehl/waldorfastorias-secret-subway-station-new-york-city-new-york/
Did the people of the US, the ones under Roosevelt's rule, ever find out about his illness? Or did they just assume he died of old age and never found out about his illness even after he died? Just wondering because it would seem really crazy to me if most of the people under FDR's presidency died thinking he died of old age.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a little bit more about FDR's polio below this post, but the American People did know that FDR had polio. He wanted the public to think that he was getting better so that the public would no be demoralize during the time of war. FDR tricked the public into thinking his polio was getting better by locking his knees and swaying his hips side to side to make it look like he was walking. Even though he was able to "walk", he still rode around in his wheelchair to most places.
DeleteHere's my source: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/polio.html
DeleteWell when he died, the White House issued a statement that he died of a cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, which is not a natural way of dying. So the people knew how he died after he died, but I am not sure that they knew he had polio. But from what I found, FDR was very sickly in 1944, so the public must have figured their was something wrong with him when he delivered his speeches. During this time he was said to have lost weight, and became pale, which was definitely noticeable to the audience.
ReplyDeleteThat'd be awesome! I'm actually amazed how well they did to hide his sickness. Even now, his legacy isn't one of a sickly or crippled president, but he has been known for his reforms during the depression. Things like this, and the fact that there only seems to be one picture of him in a wheelchair shows how well he and his cabinet managed to divert attention away from himself, and to his reform.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I found that not only did FDR try to hide his sickness, he really attempted to get his strength back. After his political career, he would swim three times a week in effort to fix his paralysis. He would also try to walk the length of his driveway everyday. He never actually made it to the end because it was a 1/4 mile long, however it helped him gain strength practicing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Donna! This made me think about many different people's reactions to his sickness. That is, those who knew about it in the first place. Of course, his wife new. I did some research and found out the Eleanor Roosevelt, upon learning of her husband's ailment, was heartbroken, and did everything she could to help him. She hired the best doctors around, and helped him throughout the entire emotional process he endured. She helped him accustom himself to everyday life living with polio, including with their children. She eased both the kids and her husband into being around one another despite Roosevelt's crippled condition. Roosevelt was deeply touched by all of Eleanor's care, as "the perfect naturalness with which the children accepted his limitations though they had always known him as an active person, helped him tremendously in his own acceptance of them” (Roosevelt, Autobiography 142) was all implemented by her. Additionally, Eleanor played an integral role in convincing her husband to return to office. If not for Eleanor Roosevelt during the period of FDR's sickness, the country would not have experienced the strong leadership of Roosevelt.
ReplyDeleteAbove, Alex referenced this source, which is also where I got my information. This is a very focused article, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wanted to learn more about the subject:
Deletehttp://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/polio.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only person who is now wondering if Obama has any secret, underground methods of transportation? I'm also curious to know how the public responded upon hearing about the secret train. I feel like some people would respond negatively as they might see it as the administration trying to trick them (a little far-fetched but understandable). I think it's pretty cool, but that's after the fact. I don't know how many people would feel the same
ReplyDelete