American stateswoman and activist Eleanor Roosevelt was BOTD in 1884. Born in New York City to a prominent political family, her uncle was US President Theodore Roosevelt. Both her parents died before she was 10, and she was raised by relatives, before being despatched to finishing school in London. In 1905, she married hercousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, having six children together. Ambivalent about her role as a wife and mother, and disillusioned by Franklin’s affair with his secretary, she became involved in social work. After nursing Franklin through polio, she persuaded him to remain in politics despite his paralysis, and began appearing at campaign events and giving speeches in his place. Following his election as President in 1933, she served as First Lady, becoming a popular and respected figure in her own right. During Franklin’s four terms in office, she advocated for for women’s rights, social welfare reform and argued for the extension of civil rights to refugees, African-Americans and Asian-Americans. After Franklin’s death in 1945, she remained involved in politics, serving as the first US delegate to the United Nations, chairing the UN Commission on Human Rights and overseeing the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. By the time of her death in 1962 aged 78, she was a global celebrity, and is regularly cited as a role model for female politicians. Eleanor had a number of close relationships with women, including aviatrix Amelia Earhart and journalist Lorena Hickok. Her correspondence with Hickok revealed a strong erotic attraction, though biographers continue to debate whether their relationship was sexual. She has been portrayed frequently onscreen, notably by Greer Garson, Jane Alexander, Laura Linney and Gillian Anderson.